Another New Year is about to arrive, no its not 2025, and its not even 5785, although we are already in those new years, and it is not Nissan 1, the month of Passover, rather this Wednesday, at sundown corresponding to Thu, 13 February 2025 = 15th of Sh’vat, 5785 aka: ט״ו בִּשְׁבָט תשפ״ה "Tu B'Shevat."
According to Eisenberg, "Tu b’Shevat, which occurs on the 15th day (full moon) of the month of Shevat (January–February), is known as the “New Year of the Trees,” the day on which God decides how bountiful the fruit of each tree will be in the coming year. The word “Tu” derives from the Hebrew alphabetical form for the number “15”—ט (9) plus ו (6). Although adding י (10) and ה (5) to get יה (15) would make more mathematical sense, this spelling is not used since it is one of the holy names of God.
In ancient times, produce needed to be tithed annually. As the New Year of the Trees, Tu b’Shevat was the beginning of a new tithing cycle (Talmud Rosh Hashanah 1:1). In the Land of Israel the rainy season precedes Tu b’Shevat, so fruits that began to form after this date were taxed in the following cycle. The determination of the age of a tree was also important because one was forbidden to eat or derive any benefit from the fruit that a tree bears during its first three years (Lev. 19:23). During the fourth year, all fruit had to be brought to Jerusalem and eaten there (Lev. 19:24); only in the fifth year were all restrictions removed (Lev. 19:25). Tu b’Shevat also corresponded to the time of the flowering of the almond tree, the first to bloom in Israel."*
When I think about it, this biblical appointed time has great significance for us today as Messianic believers. Back in January our IAMCS Rabbi's & Leader's Conference theme was John 15:16 "I selected you so that you would go and produce fruit, and your fruit would remain." So, this corresponds well with Tu B'shevat. Some points I think we need to remember:
I. WE NEED TO BEAR FRUIT...
We are like trees, Yeshua compared us to them. Luke 13:6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
8" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "
If we don't bear fruit we can be in danger of being cut down! Oy! No thanks!
II. WE ARE LIKE THE FRUIT ITSELF THAT IS OFFERED IN THE TEMPLE, WE ARE THE FIRST FRUIT OFFERING!
1 Peter 2:5 You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house—a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua.
Romans 15:16 to be a servant of Messiah Yeshua to the Gentiles, in priestly service to the Good News of God—so that the offering up of the Gentiles might be pleasing, made holy by the Ruach ha-Kodesh.
Jewish and Gentile believers are both called to be an offering and are both incorporated into the holy priesthood and commonwealth of Israel.
This also means...
III. WE MUST WALK IN FAITH AND PRAY!
Matthew 21:18 Now early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came up to it and found nothing on it except leaves only. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree shriveled up at once.
20 When the disciples saw it they were astonished. “How did the fig tree shrivel on the spot?” they asked.
21 Yeshua answered them, “Amen, I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, trusting, you shall receive.”
If we fail to walk in faith and produce fruit, like this fig tree, we have leaves only. Are we believers who have leaves only? We will shrivel up and die! Oy! No thanks!
We cannot afford to not walk in faith and produce fruit!
IV. GOING TO WAR!
What was Israel commanded to do with the trees of their enemies in the Land? The Torah says,
Deuteronomy 20
Confidence in Battle
20 “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horse and chariot—a people more numerous than you—do not be afraid of them. For Adonai your God, the One who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. 2 When you draw near to the battle, the kohen will come forward and speak to the people. 3 He will say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near today to the battle against your enemies. Don’t be fainthearted! Don’t fear or panic or tremble because of them. 4 For Adonai your God is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you.’
5 “The officers are to speak to the troops saying, ‘What man has built a new house but has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house—otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it. 6 What man has planted a vineyard but has not put it to use? Let him go back to his house—otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would begin to use it. 7 What man has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? Let him go back to his house—otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would marry her.’ 8 The officers will speak further to the troops and say, ‘What man is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house—so he does not weaken his brothers’ heart like his own.’ 9 Then when the officers have finished speaking to the troops, they should appoint army commanders at the head of the troops.
10 “When you go near a city to fight against it, call out shalom to it. 11 Now if it answers you shalom and opens up to you, then all the people found in it will serve you as forced laborers. 12 If it does not make peace with you but makes war against you, then lay siege against that city. 13 When Adonai your God hands it over to you, you are to strike all its males with the sword. 14 Only the women, children, livestock and all that is in the city—all its spoil—may you take as plunder for yourself. So you may consume your enemies’ spoil, which Adonai your God has given you. 15 Thus you will do to all the cities that are very distant from you, which are not among the towns of these nations nearby. 16 However, only from the cities of these peoples, which Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes live. 17 You must utterly destroy them—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites—just as Adonai your God has commanded you. 18 You are to do this so they will not teach you to do all the abominations as they have done for their gods, and so you would sin against Adonai your God.
19 “When you lay siege to a city for a long time, making war against it to capture it, you are not to destroy its trees by swinging an axe at them. For from them you may eat, so you shall not chop them down. For is the tree of the field human, that it should enter the siege before you? 20 You may destroy and chop down only the trees that you know are not trees for food, so that you may build siege equipment against the city that is making war with you until its downfall.
Israel, the Jewish people are commanded to always offer peace to our enemies. But the Torah knows realistically that our enemies will not always choose life, they mostly choose death and destruction. The mercy and grace shown to our fellow man is additionally required for the Land and the fruit bearing trees. If man is like a tree and we can show this mercy and grace to the trees and find value in them, how much more a human being, even one's enemy!?!
כי האדם הוא עץ השדה, what a beautiful Mitzvah the Torah giving us that we should not cut trees even of our enemy’s in a city under siege. May we all continue not to cut each other down and to grow to bare much fruit to further the kingdom of G-D as we all are like the trees.
NOTE: I WILL BE POSTING MORE ABOUT HOW TO CELEBRATE TU B'SHEVAT SOON! STAY TUNED!
R' Eric
*Eisenberg, Ronald L. 2004. The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions. 1st ed. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.
