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Ovadyah Ben Yisrael
Tu B’shevat is literally the “15th of Shevat,” the Jewish new year for trees.
The purpose of this day is for calculating the age of trees for tithing.
See Vayyiq’ra 19:23-25, which states that fruit from trees may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year’s fruit is for YHWH; and after that, you may eat the fruit.
‘And when you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall reckon their fruit as uncircumcised. For three years it is as uncircumcised to you, it is not eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit is set-apart – praises to YHWH. And in the fifth year you eat its fruit, so that it increases its yield to you. I am YHWH your Elohim.
Tu B’shevat is not mentioned in the Torah. There is only one reference to it in the Mishnah, which says it is the new year for trees, and there is a dispute as to the proper date for the holiday. Beyth Shammay said that the proper day was the first of Shevat; Beyth Hillel said that the proper day was the 15th of Shevat.
There are few customs or observances related to this holiday. One custom is to eat new fruit on this day. Some people plant trees on this day. Jewish children go around collecting money for trees for Yisrael at this time of year.
YHWH loves order and decency rather than chaos and vulgarity. When He commands us to not eat of a tree, we ought not eat of that tree. Remember, there was another tree, long before the first man-child was born of a woman, and we were commanded NOT to eat from that tree.
And YHWH Elohim formed the man out of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils breath of lives. And the man became a living being.
And YHWH Elohim planted a garden in Ěden, to the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground YHWH Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and excellent for food, with the tree of life in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of excellence and evil.
And a river went out of Ěden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became four heads. The name of the first is Pishon, it is the one surrounding the entire land of Chawilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is excellent. Bdellium is there, and the shoham stone. And the name of the second river is Gichon, it is the one surrounding the entire land of Kush. And the name of the third river is Chiddeqel, it is the one which goes toward the east of Ashshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
And YHWH Elohim took the man and put him in the garden of Ěden to work it and to guard it. And YHWH Elohim commanded the man, saying, “Eat of every tree of the garden, but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of excellence and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall certainly die.”
And the nachash was more crafty than all the lives of the field which YHWH Elohim had made, and he said to the woman, “Is it true that Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the nachash, “We are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die.’”
And the nachash said to the woman, “You shall certainly not die. For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing excellent and evil.”
And the woman saw that the tree was excellent for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves.
And they heard the voice of YHWH Elohim walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of YHWH Elohim among the trees of the garden.
And YHWH Elohim called unto Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
And he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.”
And He said, “Who made you know that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.”
And YHWH Elohim said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
And the woman said, “The nachash deceived me, and I ate.”
And YHWH Elohim said to the nachash, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you are to go, and eat dust all the days of your life. And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel.”
To the woman He said, “I greatly increase your sorrow and your conception – bring forth children in pain. And your desire is for your husband, and he does rule over you.”
And to the man He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘Do not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you are to eat of it all the days of your life, and the ground shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you return.”
And the man called his wife’s name Chawwah, because she became the mother of all living.
And YHWH Elohim made coats of skin for the man and his wife and dressed them. And YHWH Elohim said, “See, the man has become like one of Us, to know excellence and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...” so, YHWH Elohim sent him out of the garden of Ěden to till the ground from which he was taken, and He drove the man out. And He placed keruvim at the east of the garden of Ěden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Since we know the results of disobeying YHWH is expulsion from a favored position in His garden, where He walked with Adam in the cool of the day, and would walk with us for fellowship, friendship, and set-apartness, He gives us the commandment again, no doubt to remind us why we struggle day-to-day just to earn a mouthful of food. May we be faithful to guard this commandment concerning eating from trees, so that we may have fellowship with Him, in the place where He put His name, and according to His Way.