How to Celebrate Tu B’Shvat

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah

Tu B’Shvat is usually celebrated by having some fruits, particularly new fruits upon which one can say the Shehechyanu blessing. The Talmud states that this day is the “Rosh Hashana” for trees, meaning laws such as teruma and maaser are determined based on whether fruit began its growth before or after this date. In halacha, however, we see a curious thing: We do not say tachanun on Tu B’Shvat, and not on the mincha of the previous day (Orach Chaim 131:6 and Mishna Berura, s.k. 32). This is a law unique to the yamim tovim (holidays). Moreover, the Gra (Orach Chaim 131) states openly that Tu B’Shvat is a yom tov, similar to Pesach and Shavuos. Why is it a yom tov? What are we celebrating? Determining the cut-off date for taking tithes of last year’s fruit doesn’t sound like much of a cause for celebration!

Rav Yerucham Brodiansky explains, based on Rosh Hashana (14a), that crops grow primarily from the rains that accumulate until Tu B’Shvat. Meaning, now that Tu B’Shvat has arrived, the crops of the coming year begin to grow – on this day. As a result, this date delineates how fruits are tithed, but this is simply a detail. The meaning of Tu B’Shvat is that since Hashem gave us the rain that will enable the new crops to grow, we have to thank Him for this. Therefore, Chazal made it a yom tov-a special day to thank Hashem, at the precise time that this blessing begins.

Rav Brodiansky goes on to say that we have to take this obligation seriously and thank Hashem with all our heart, not only for the new fruit but for everything we have in our lives. As the Ramban (Shmos 13:15) states, Hashem’s intention in creating the world was that His creations should acknowledge all of His blessings and thank Him for them.

And the more we give thanks to Him, the more this enables Hashem to give us still more blessing. Rav Yerucham Levovitz proves this from the verse in Bereishis (2:5) that explains why rain did not fall at the beginning of creation: “because there was no man to work the land.” On this verse, Rashi explains that since there was no man to recognize the chessed of the rains, no rain fell. From this we can infer that the more we recognize Hashem’s blessings, the more Hashem can shower them upon us.

The Chiddushei Harim adds a deeper level to the yom tov of Tu B’Shvat, noting that any change in the physical world is only a reflection of a much greater change in the upper, spiritual worlds. The accumulation of rain that peaks on Tu B’Shvat is only an indication of what is going on in the heavens. There, all of the strength and wherewithal that we need to grow spiritually reaches its peak in Shvat, and particularly on Tu B’Shvat. Chiddushei Harim bases this on Devarim (1:3-5), where we see that Moshe Rabbeinu began explaining the Torah specifically in the month of Shvat. Learning well in Shvat can affect a person’s success in learning for the whole year.

So if a bachur thinks to himself, “Winter z’man is so long, I’m tired. Whatever I got out of this z’man, I got, but from now until Pesach I’m taking it a bit easier…” Chas V’shalom! Things are just beginning! A man is likened to a “tree of the field” (Devarim 20:19), and right now, the trees are drawing up nourishment from the ground, and from a great distance – through roots even 25 amos away from their trunk! So, too, a ben Torah must draw mightily from the source of Torah—by putting all of his time and energy into learning, particularly at this time of year!

Also, a bachur might think to himself: “What am I accomplishing? I barely see any progress in my learning since the z’man began…” This too is a mistake! Look at the trees on Tu B’Shvat. It’s winter; no signs of growth are visible, yet underneath the surface, the whole life of the tree is in upheaval! It is drawing up the nutrients that will yield sweet, delectable fruits, but this is a process that takes time. We can’t see it, but all the bountiful produce of the summer is starting to grow right now! You too, apply yourself entirely in learning. Results will come later, but they depend on the blessing you draw up at this time.

Lastly – the tree is unique among the creations in that it grows to a very great height. Plant life generally grows low to the ground, and even the tallest animals cannot reach the height of many trees. This is another lesson for us – Torah is expected to elevate us! A talmid chacham should be recognizably refined in his behavior (Rambam, Laws of Dei’os 5:1). This too we should draw from the Torah. Especially on Shvat, we should try to perfect our behavior, thinking: since the Torah is so elevated, we who learn it should have elevated behavior. We should be focused always on the needs of others. A ben Torah should feel it is beneath his dignity to behave as a regular person, displaying anger, affront or desire, etc. He should recognize that even subtle forms of low behavior can be an outright chillul Hashem when committed by a ben Torah.

Rabbi Akiva Eiger, well advanced in age, set out once on a journey, in the transportation of his era — a horse drawn wagon. At one point in the journey, the road was so full of slushy snow and mud that the wagon driver had to go out and push, as the wheels had become mired in mud. Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s shamash also went out to help the driver push, and when he finally climbed back into the wagon, exhausted and freezing cold, Rabbi Akiva Eiger told him: “Please, take this pair of socks. The ones you are wearing are surely soaking wet by now, and you mustn’t catch cold.”The shamash accepted the socks, but wondered where the Rav could possibly have found them. The Rav had brought a valise, but it was locked up elsewhere in the wagon, and the shamash himself had the only key!

Assuming it was another “miracle story” of the Rav’s, the shamash forgot all about it, and happily put on the pair of socks.

Only much later, after they arrived, did the shamash notice that Rabbi Akiva Eiger had in fact taken off his own socks in advance to be able to give them to him, and had been riding the whole journey with only shoes on his feet.

May we draw up the power of Torah on Shvat!