Happy New Year! (Wait...What?)
Happy New Year!
Wait...what?
Let me explain.
This time last year, I was fighting the bitter cold of a Chicago winter. I remember the blistering winds, the slushy snow, and the four hours of daylight that graced us between sunrise and sunset. In June, I moved to “sunny Florida,” where the weather hardly drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit!
Yet neither of these climates illustrates the diverse landscapes of Israel, which is the setting for this “new year.”
If you are familiar with the Jewish calendar, you may recognize the month of Nisan (no, not the car) as the biblical new year. Nisan falls during spring months in the Northern Hemisphere, and is a reminder of new beginnings, especially the redemption of the Israelites from Egypt.
It is also the month that Passover, the first holiday on the biblical calendar, is celebrated. This time of year brings back reminders of lightweight clothing and budding leaves for many of us. Yet...this is not the “new year” to which I am referring.
If you are familiar with Jewish culture, Rosh HaShanah (September or October on our western calendar) may jog your memory as the Jewish New Year. This makes logical sense because this holiday literally translates as “Head of the Year.” Yet...neither is this the “new year” to which I am referring.
So...what “new year” am I talking about?
The “New Year of the Trees” of course!
You may not know much about the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat (the holiday Tu b’Shevat), which this year begins on the evening of February 9th and ends at sunset the following day.
What is this holiday? Unlike Chicago or Florida, Israel has only two seasons – the dry season and the rainy season. The rainy season begins in the fall, and the vegetation soaks up the waters to produce fruit before the dry Spring and Summer months.
This was important to know if you were planning to give your tithes (a tenth) of fruits to the Lord as prescribed in Leviticus 27:30-32. In Leviticus 19:23-25, the Lord also commands that if a tree is planted in the Land of Israel, one must wait three years before eating its fruit, and...in the fourth year, all the harvest should be offered to the Lord as praise.
The Bible also commands that one should only eat the fruit after the fifth year, which would increase the harvest. So, in order to give the Lord all that He deserved, the Israelites established the holiday of Tu b’Shevat as the “official counter” for the life of a tree. Essentially, it became the “birthday” or “new year” for all the trees in the Israel.
So what does this have to do with believers today? Here are two things to consider:
We must remember God deserves our praise for His provision. I personally struggle with trusting that God will provide for all of my needs – despite how much He has done in the past. In the life of an Israelite, the fruit of a tree was his or her source of food and income. Trusting God would provide for the first three years was difficult enough, but having to sacrifice the fourth year’s harvest to Him? I imagine this was not easy.
In the same way, the Lord promises to take care of His children, but He also asks for obedience from us. I think of Yeshua’s words during the Sermon on the Mount (paraphrased): the birds of the air don’t worry about where their next meal will come because they trust the Lord to provide.
I know God promises to meet my needs, yet I find it hard to give generously back to Him. I sacrifice for the three years, but that fourth year feels like too much. Yet, our Father knows our needs, and He is faithful to provide.
The holiday of Tu B’Shevat reminds us that seasons change. New growth begins, and the things that seem so dead spring forth to new life! In temperate climates, we see the buds of the new leaves during springtime; however, in Israel, spring commences the long, hot summer months ahead.
Yet...the rains will fall again, and the trees will once again bear fruit. If you are in the “dry months,” trust the Living Water to quench your thirst and take hope that all seasons come and go!
With this in mind, this Tu b’Shevat, wish your trees a “happy new year” and enjoy some fresh fruit! But also remember that the Lord is the faithful one of Israel. He is the One whose mercies are new each and every morning and who keeps His many promises to us.
Written by Chase, LIFE Staff