Tu B’Shvat is playfully called the “birthday” for the trees and is a day to celebrate nature and nurture a sense of gratitude for nature and the world we live in. However, its historical roots are not celebratory. Rather, Tu B’Shvat is a day connected to the yearly agricultural cycle used to calculate the “Orlah” cycle. In the Torah the Jews are commanded as follows:
(כג) וְכִי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם֙ כׇּל־עֵ֣ץ מַאֲכָ֔ל וַעֲרַלְתֶּ֥ם עׇרְלָת֖וֹ אֶת־פִּרְי֑וֹ שָׁלֹ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֗ים יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם עֲרֵלִ֖ים לֹ֥א יֵאָכֵֽל׃ (כד) וּבַשָּׁנָה֙ הָרְבִיעִ֔ת יִהְיֶ֖ה כׇּל־פִּרְי֑וֹ קֹ֥דֶשׁ הִלּוּלִ֖ים לַיהוה׃
(23) When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. (24) In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before God;
According to Jewish law, all fruit trees need to be left to grow for a three-year cycle ending on Tu B’Shvat, the 15th day of the month of Shvat. Then, after a ritual redemptive process in Jerusalem, we may eat the saplings of the fifth year. This process is called “Orlah.”
On the surface, this long and complicated process may seem tedious and unnecessary. The legal codebook, the Shulchan Aruch, even specifically stresses that the fruits cannot be eaten despite having grown completely. But if you dig a bit deeper, the law of Orlah offers us a valuable lesson about the importance of patience when undergoing growth processes.
Jewish tradition often compares human beings to trees — the idea being that both trees and people grow and produce “fruit.” In order to properly produce those “fruits,” however, whether they are actual fruits or the fruits of our labor, we must give ourselves the time and space to plant our roots — the things in our lives that keep us grounded and functional and help us build resilience as we undergo processes of change. Uprooting ourselves before we are ready, and our roots are properly set, can have disastrous consequences and even undo any progress we had made beforehand.
It can be incredibly challenging to practice patience, especially in a fast-paced world where we are constantly moving from one thing to the next. Patience is the “ability to stay calm in the face of adversity, waiting, frustration or suffering” (Sarah Schnitker). Patience allows us to accept our current circumstances while also continuing to move forward.
Practicing patience can have positive impacts on our physical and mental well-being. Studies have found signs that it boosts self-esteem and self-control, increases productivity, strengthens resilience and decreases health risks ( Sarah Schnitker and Robert Emmons).
The significance of patience within Jewish tradition is reflected in the book, Avot d’Rabbi Natan:
אם היתה נטיעה בתוך ידך ויאמרו לך הרי לך המשיח. בוא ונטע את הנטיעה [ואח"כ צא והקבילו].
Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakai used to say: "If you have a sapling in your hand and they tell you 'The Messiah is coming!' first plant the sapling and then go to greet him."[translation by Hazon]
Our roads of recovery and growth can feel endless at times, and there may be times in our lives where we feel ready to move forward. We need to be patient and spend more time building the foundations for our continued wellness and success before we can move forward. Tu B’Shvat is our yearly reminder that our roots need to be grounded and cultivated in order to truly see the long-lasting fruits of our labor.
אֲבָל כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מֻעָטִין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מְרֻבִּין, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כָל הָרוּחוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם בָּאוֹת וְנוֹשְׁבוֹת בּוֹ אֵין מְזִיזִין אוֹתוֹ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל מַיִם וְעַל יוּבַל יְשַׁלַּח שָׁרָשָׁיו וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי יָבֹא חֹם, וְהָיָה עָלֵהוּ רַעֲנָן, וּבִשְׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת לֹא יִדְאָג, וְלֹא יָמִישׁ מֵעֲשׂוֹת פֶּרִי:
But one whose deeds exceed his wisdom, to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are few but roots are many, so that even if all the winds in the world come and blow upon it, they cannot move it out of its place, as it is said, “He shall be like a tree planted by waters, sending forth its roots by a stream. It does not sense the coming of heat, its leaves are ever fresh. It has no care in a year of drought; it does not cease to yield fruit” (ibid, 17:8).
It isn’t always how much we know that builds resilience; it’s what we do to prepare for change that keeps us grounded. The real question is, what are the roots that keep you grounded, and how are you nurturing them?
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