Trees’ Birthday Bash

They say patience is a virtue, but in the Land of Israel, it’s a mitzvah.

February is a month of transition as winter eases into spring. Compared to the lackluster browns and yellows of the dry season, spring here is a fast-moving, colorful parade. Hillsides and meadows are peppered with yellow mustard, crimson poppies, and sapphire lupines. The early blooming trees are almonds with their delicate white blossoms.

This is also the time of Tu B’Shvat, the birthday of trees. This year, our food forest celebrated its third birthday. As we are keeping the Jewish agricultural laws, relevant in Israel alone, this isn’t just a biological milestone, it is a spiritual one.

In the world of Halacha, this is Orlah. In Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:23, we are told that fruit on trees is “blocked” for the first three years; we cannot eat the fruit or even enjoy its’ scent. It is a period of waiting that teaches us that the first fruits belong to the Creator.

We planted our trees, then watched the blossoms form fruit. We observed as apples, apricots, guavas, and avocadoes formed plump fruit, but we did not touch them. It is a lesson in restraint, and it connects us directly to the Jewish people of the Bible.

By waiting, we acknowledge that we are not the masters of this soil, but merely its stewards. We cared for these trees by weeding around them, pruning them, and adding compost to boost the soil. The Ramban suggested that this three-year wait ensures that the first harvest will be of the highest quality.

When those fruits finally ripen this summer, they carry a special status. In ancient times, this fruit was brought to Jerusalem in the fourth year, to be eaten in a state of joy and praise. Today, since we don’t have the Temple, we perform a simple, yet beautiful ceremony called Pidyon (redemption) to “transfer” the sanctity of the fruit onto a coin, which allows the fruit to be eaten. It is the final step in a journey of patience, and it makes that first bite even more meaningful.

Our bet is that the mulberries will be our first fruits this season and the earliest arrival at our tree birthday bash. We pray for a sweet and fruitful summer filled with an appreciation for every fruit we patiently wait for and harvest.