Rabbi Aryeh Finkel

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Shevat inspires feelings of renewal and growth. It brings us Tu B'shvat, the Rosh Hashanah for trees, a vital time for determining the ma'aser of fruits (i.e., a fruit that ripens before Tu B'shvat belongs to the previous year and cannot be used as ma'aser for fruits that ripen afterwards). According to Beis Hillel, Rosh Hashanah l’ilanos is observed on the 15th of Shevat (Rosh Hashanah 2a), which is the halacha we follow. But why is this specific day chosen?

 

During winter, the sap rises through the trunk of the tree, nourishing the fruits to come. By the 15th of Shevat, this vital process is complete, preparing the branches for a spectacular display of fruit in the spring (Rashi, ibid. 14a).

 

This internal process within the thick trunk often goes unnoticed, quietly occurring without any noise. Yet, when spring arrives, the fruits stand as a testament to the remarkable work of sap that took place during winter.

 

The lesson here is powerful: positive developments occur even when we are unaware. In a complex world filled with billions of people and trillions of needs, some interrelated and some conflicting, Hashem attentively cares for everyone's needs and provides for them.

 

The Gemara (Avoda Zara 3b) teaches us that Hashem's day is divided into four segments, each lasting three hours, during which He focuses on specific actions. In the third segment, Hashem “sits and sustains the entire world, from the horns of wild oxen to the eggs of lice.”

 

At times, this process is invisible and quiet, much like the sap within the tree, yet we can trust that the fruits reflect Hashem’s remarkable, unseen mechanisms that sustain the world.