Tu Bi’Shvat

This Saturday is the holiday of Tu Bi’Shvat – literally the 15th day of Shvat. The holiday is the New Year for the trees. The holiday is typically celebrated by eating the seven species of Israel (wheat, barley, olives, grapes, dates, figs, and pomegranates) and planting trees in Israel (or donating to a charity that does the same).

Today, we play up the Zionistic aspect of the holiday, but in fact the holiday is Biblical in origin. There are 4 New Years in Judaism. There is the 1st of Nisan, which is in the New Year for the Kings, the nth year of a Kings rule begins on this day. Then there is the 1st of Elul, which is the New Year for the animals. Every 10th animal born is given to the Priests, this day determines which year a given animal is counted with. Then there is the 1st of Tishrei, which is what we all know as Rosh HaShana. Then there is Tu Bi’Shvat, the New Year for the trees, which has a similar meaning as the New Year for the animals.

We do nothing to mark the New Year for the Kings or Animals, why do we celebrate the New Year of the Trees? It’s because trees are considered Holy… in fact the Torah often compares trees to man. Just as fruit and trees have been instilled with the power to grow physically, man has the power to grow physically.

The Kabbalists tell us of 4 kinds of creations, rocks, plants, animals and man. Rocks (and all inanimate objects) just sort of sit there doing nothing. Plants spend their whole day eating. Animals can think and walk around, but what are they thinking about? They think about getting food. What do they walk around for? They walk around to get food. Animals are basically thinking and walking plants. That’s why their head is on the same level as their body, because their brain is just there to serve the body. A man’s head is on a higher level than its body. Man can reach a higher level than the purely physical aspects of a plant or animal.

So this Tu Bi’Shvat, when you taste the sweet fruits of the land and say the She’Hechianu, be sure to think about the power of growth in the fruits, in the trees, in the Torah and is also within each of us