Tu B'shvat

The 15th day of Shevat on the Jewish calendar. It is the day that marks the beginning of a "New Year for Trees."
This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

On this day we remember that "Man is {like} a tree of the field" (Deuteronomy 20:19) and reflect on the lessons we can derive from our tree-metaphor.

Trees, are continually growing and rise heavenward to great heights. This should likewise be true of us. Though our physical growth may cease, we should strive to continue growing intellectually and spiritually, never ceasing to develop.

We are nurtured by deep roots, as far back as Abraham and Sarah; we reach upwards to the heavens while standing firmly on the ground; and when we do all this right, we produce fruits that benefit the world—namely our good deeds.

We celebrate this day of Tu B'Shevat by eating fruit, particularly from the kinds that are from the seven species of produce for which Israel is praised: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.