My favorite season in Israel is happening right now. It’s the middle of winter, February, and while there’s still a chill in the air, there’s also the intoxicatingly sweet smell of Almond Trees beginning to bloom. In the south, the anemones and the majestic red flowers are carpeting the fields. Everything is lush from the winter rains. It’s absolutely remarkable. Winter is not quite over – and yet – we are beginning to see the first glimpses of new life. And in all that God does, and in all of His perfect timing, the holiday of Tu B’Shvat happens right at this time.
Tu B’Shvat is not a Biblical holiday but its roots are biblical. See what I did there? Just as we mark January 1st as the start of a new calendar year, Jewish tradition recognizes different new years for different aspects of creation. And trees? They have their own new year on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat – or as we call it, Tu B’Shvat.
What makes trees so uniquely important in God’s creation that they deserve their own new year? The answer lies in the deep wisdom of the Hebrew Bible and its understanding of both nature and human nature.
Tu B’Shvat, literally the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, marks the new year for trees in Jewish tradition. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, this date determined the annual cycle for agricultural tithes. Today, it has evolved into a celebration of God’s creation and our responsibility to steward it wisely.
The Bible tells us: “When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before the LORD; and only in the fifth year may you use its fruitāthat its yield to you may be increased: I the LORD am your God.”
This command teaches patience, restraint, and trust in God’s timing. Just as a tree takes years to bear fruit, our own growthāspiritual and personalārequires time and nurturing. We can’t rush the process, just as we can’t rush a sapling to become a mighty oak.
But there’s another layer here that speaks powerfully to both Jewish and Christian hearts. Trees in the Bible are never just trees. They are teachers. Consider the first psalm, which describes a righteous person as “like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades.”
Like the beloved tree in Shel Silverstein’s classic tale, The Giving Tree which gives everything from its apples to its branches to its very trunk, our agricultural laws recognize trees as the ultimate givers. Every tree, once mature, exists in a continuous cycle of giving. It provides fruit for our tables, branches for our shade, leaves for our oxygen, and roots to hold our earth together – asking nothing in return except basic care and respect for its natural rhythms. Just as the giving tree found joy in its selfless love, our trees stand as silent witnesses to God’s endless generosity.
In today’s rapid-fire world of instant gratification, Tu B’Shvat calls us back to these timeless truths. A tree doesn’t post on social media about its growth or compare its fruit to other trees. It simply grows, gives, and fulfills its divine purpose.
The holiday reminds us that true giving, like that of a tree, is patient and consistent. It doesn’t deplete but regenerates. It doesn’t boast but quietly nourishes. And most importantly, it follows God’s natural rhythmāa rhythm we’re increasingly called to rediscover.
As I watch the almond trees bloom in Israel, I’m reminded that every natural cycleāevery flower, every fruit, every seasonātestifies to God’s faithfulness. Tu B’Shvat isn’t just about trees. It’s about learning to live as they do: rooted in God’s word, patient in growth, generous in giving, and always in tune with the Creator’s perfect timing.
The Israel365 Charity Fund is dedicated to strengthening and supporting the people of Israel who need our help. Donate to the Israel365 Charity Fund today.
