Tu B’Shevat

On January 27, 2021 0 Comments - From the President

 

Happy Tu B’Shvat,


               In the photo above, an Israeli girl plants a sapling on Tu B’Shvat

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.”  (Psalm 92:12)

The holiday of Tu B’Shvat—the New Year of Trees—begins tonight at sunset in Israel.

Although the traditions attached to this holiday are deeply rooted in Jewish history, one of the newer traditions is tree planting.  Throughout Israel, people are outside planting saplings today—students, families, employees, soldiers, and new olim (immigrants).

This is a beautiful day to get out in nature and enjoy God’s creation.  The trees are already beginning to bloom, with the almond among the very first to flower.

Its blossoms remind us of the miracles that the Lord (Adonai) has in store for us.  Just as the coldest, darkest winters always end, and the earth brings forth fruit, so too in our lives: even the darkest of days end and God has something fresh in store for us.

 

Almond blossoms in Israel
 
 
“Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”  (Psalm 1:1–3)
 
Planting a seed is an act of faith.

When we plant a seed, it doesn’t spring up overnight.  It grows unseen inside the earth.  We cannot see its transformation as it puts down roots that draw nourishment from the earth.  Then it pushes past the surface toward light, eventually bearing fruit.
 
As we celebrate the growth of trees that produce oxygen for us to breathe and fruit to eat, we remember that many Bible verses compare people to the trees of the field.  (Deuteronomy 20:19)
 
“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”  (Isaiah 61:3)
 
 
 

Brothers walk together through a blossoming almond grove in Israel. 
 
 
Tu B’Shvat is a day to ask ourselves if we, like a tree, are reaching upward toward the Light.


Are we making sure that our fruit is sweet, and that we are adding another ring of growth in the Lord as each year passes?

Also, are we nurturing the potential in others by caring for those saplings that have been entrusted to us, watering them and sheltering them?

As the sap begins to rise in the trees here in Israel, preparing them to bear leaves, flowers, and fruit, please sow the Good Seed of the Word of God in Israel.


“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.”  (Proverbs 11:30)



Students plant a tree on Tu B’Shvat in Israel

 

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