INSIGHT & INSPIRATION
By Rabbi Moishe New
Tu BiShvat/the Fifteenth of Shvat is the ‘New Year for Trees’. At first glance, it appears to be a purely agricultural and historically significant date — one that mattered to Jewish farmers in the Land of Israel during the time when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem:
The Torah requires that produce be tithed year by year. One may not separate the various tithes (given to the Kohanim, Leviim, the poor or to be consumed in Jerusalem) from one year’s yield to cover another. Therefore, there had to be a clear point in the calendar that defined the “new year” for various kinds of agriculture. For the fruit of trees, that point is the fifteenth of Shevat. Any fruit that began budding before that date belongs to the previous year; anything that budded afterward belongs to the new year.
Today, most of us are neither farmers nor do we reside currently in Israel. Moreover, in the absence of the Holy Temple, these agricultural laws no longer apply in their original form. So the question naturally arises: Why do we still celebrate Tu BiShvat?
The answer is that while many mitzvot — during the exile period till Moshiach comes, may he come now without delay — do not apply practically, their spiritual messages are eternal. The Torah is not only a book of law; it is a guide for the soul. And Tu BiShvat carries a profound message about personal growth, faith, and our relationship with G-d—one that connects directly with this week’s parsha, Parshat Yitro.
TREE-LIKE
The Torah itself invites this reflection. “Ki ha’adam etz hasadeh”—a person is like a tree in the field. This is not poetic imagery alone; it is instruction. We are meant to look at a tree and recognize ourselves within it.
Let us consider the tree, step by step.
THE SEED: LETTING GO
Every tree begins as a seed. Before roots, before trunk, before branches, there is the seed. And when that seed is placed in the earth, something surprising happens—it decomposes. It breaks down. It germinates. Only through this process of dissolution can anything new emerge.
This is the first lesson of Tu BiShvat. Real growth requires letting go. If the seed insists on remaining a seed—perfect, intact, unchanged—it will remain exactly that. It may be a fine seed, even a useful one, but it will never become a fruit-bearing tree.
So too with us. The moment we say, “This is who I am, this is as far as I can go,” we have set a ceiling on our own potential. True growth begins when we surrender our self-imposed limits, even the flattering ones.
This takes courage. It means letting go of preconceived notions of who we are and who we think we should be. But without this surrender, the infinite potential of the G-dly soul can never emerge.
THE ROOTS: FAITH BEYOND REASON
Once the seed lets go, the first thing to develop is not the visible part of the tree, but the roots. The roots are the foundation and anchor of the tree, yet they remain hidden beneath the surface.
Spiritually, the roots represent faith and trust. Faith does not mean belief without thought, nor does it mean belief based on calculation. True faith is a connection so deep that it transcends logic altogether. It is not something that needs to be examined or justified; it simply is.
This is why faith is concealed, like roots beneath the earth. It is the silent anchor of every authentic relationship.
The Torah describes our relationship with G-d as a marriage. In fact, Parshat Yitro, which recounts the Giving of the Torah, is described by our sages as the moment of betrothal between G-d and the Jewish people. Many customs of a Jewish wedding are sourced in the imagery and language of that moment at Sinai.
Every healthy marriage rests on this kind of faith. Not a commitment based on a list of reasons—“I married you because of this quality or that trait”—but faith based on essence: we are meant to be together. No calculation. No conditions. To be sure, inevitably it is the calculations which lead one to marriage. But from the moment of the Chupah all changes and the essential bond that unites husband and wife is revealed.
The same is true of our relationship with G-d. We do not observe mitzvot only because of their appreciable virtue. At the deepest level, we do so because G-d exists and He commanded them. And we are one with Him. That is faith. That is the root system of Jewish life.
TRUNK AND BRANCHES: UNDERSTANDING AFTER COMMITMENT
But faith alone is not the whole tree. G-d gave us intellect and emotion, and He wants us to engage Him on those levels as well. This is where the trunk and branches come in—the visible, ever-growing parts of the tree.
Here we arrive at one of the central messages of Parshat Yitro. When the Jewish people stood at Sinai, they declared, “Na’aseh v’nishma”—we will do, and then we will understand. Commitment came first. Understanding followed.
This order is critical. When understanding grows out of faith, it deepens the relationship. When understanding replaces faith, it undermines it. Analysis without roots leads to doubt and division. Analysis grounded in faith leads to connection and unity.
This is why Torah study is so central to Jewish life. Not because we are deciding whether we agree, but because we want to connect—mind to mind and heart to heart—with G-d. Over thousands of years, this dialogue has produced an ever-expanding library of Torah wisdom. The relationship is alive, dynamic, and growing.
THE FRUIT: IMPACT AND ACTION
The ultimate purpose of a tree is to bear fruit. Fruit nourishes others. Fruit carries seeds for future growth.
Spiritually, fruit represents action—mitzvot lived, values embodied, and inspiration shared. A true relationship with G-d does not remain abstract. It produces tangible goodness in the world.
This includes children, physical and spiritual, and it includes the way our lives become a source of nourishment and strength for others. When faith, understanding, and emotion are aligned, the result is meaningful action.
A COMPLETE MODEL FOR GROWTH
Tu BiShvat presents us with a complete model:
- Letting go of limiting self-definitions.
- Faith and trust as the foundation.
- Understanding and emotion as visible growth.
- Action and influence as fruit.
Each part is essential. Each part must be nurtured.
BECOMING THE TREE WE ARE MEANT TO BE
Tu BiShvat is not merely about trees. It is about us. And Parshat Yitro reminds us that growth begins with commitment, deepens through understanding, and finds its fulfillment in action.
May we merit to grow with strong roots, expanding branches, and abundant fruit—nourishing ourselves, our families, and the world around us.
