Living Torah Archives

The Fifteenth of Shevat marks the New Year for Trees, and the Rebbe encouraged men, women and children to celebrate the day with a Farbrengen, a joyful gathering where people inspire each other in the service of G-d.

The walnut is covered by a shell, and its fruit, its seed, can produce many more trees. So too, the Jewish people; outwardly they are like all other nations, but their inner purpose, their inner soul, is to produce spiritual fruit which yields even more fruit. (Collage)

15 Shevat, the New Year for Trees, is when the sap is just beginning to flow, and the trees awaken from their winter sleep. But if the fruit is not yet growing, why do we celebrate the occasion by eating fruit?

In 1941, the Rebbe travelled to Marseilles, France, to obtain entry visas to the United States for himself and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. While there, the Rebbe maintained his characteristic low profile, but at a gathering in honor of the New Year for Trees, he gave those present a taste of things to come. (1941)

The Fifteenth of Shevat celebrates the New Year for Trees and the marks the beginning of a new fruit-bearing cycle in the Holy Land.

The Rebbe distributes fruits at a Farbrengen on Tu B’Shevat, New Year for Trees.

“Take back all the ‘good fruit’ from the New Year of Trees, for all of Australia. May it ultimately be ‘A land of wheat and barley and grapes and figs and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey’ – with all the spiritual connotations.”