This past Shabbat we celebrated the New Year for trees- Tu B’shvat. Why do we celebrate the holiday of trees in the middle of the winter? Shouldn’t we observe the holiday when trees begin to blossom? The answer which we find in the Mishnah is profound. This is the time of the year when the majority of rain has already fallen in Israel and therefore its a time when the seed begins to develop. Even though its growth is not apparent the nourishment that the tree receives will help to sustain it throughout the spring and summer.
On a deeper level man is compared to a tree. From this we can learn that just like in the heart of the winter when it seems like there is no hope for a tree to survive, hidden under the surface the tree has the potential for growth and success. We learn that whenever we face times of despair and things seem dark and hopeless there is the opportunity for success and growth.
This concept speaks about the work we do with our girls at Lev Lalev. Hidden beneath the surface they establish roots, they grow, and eventually blossom.
