Shevat is the eleventh month of the Hebrew calendar. In the Land of Israel, Shevat is the month when winter gives way to spring. The first trees begin to blossom. In Jewish tradition, the 15th of Shevat, or Tu Bi-Shvat, is the new year of trees (Rosh HaShana LeIlanot). In modern Israel, it has become a custom to plant trees on Tu Bi-Shvat, and generally to raise awareness about protection of nature.
The question is, why specifically trees are celebrated, and not every plant? What makes a tree special? It bears fruit. Trees and fruit, therefore, are the main themes of the whole month.
There has been a connection between trees and man from the beginning, see Genesis 2:9 and 2:16-17. We know the story: we lost access to the tree of life. The phrase “tree of life” appears only in three books in the whole Bible: Genesis, Proverbs and Revelation. Proverbs is a book of wisdom, and contains practical insight and advice for a fruitful life. (For instance: A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Proverbs 15:4.) The other two books, Genesis and Revelation, inform us about the origins and the culmination of history. In that sense, we can say that the tree of life, which is introduced at the beginning, reappears at the end of history. Jesus says in Revelation 2:7:
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
We can conclude that the tree of life still exists, it is located in Paradise and access to it is possible. Jesus says: to him who overcomes. We have to keep our faith, run our race, until the end, overcome temptation and remain faithful.
An interesting verse in the Bible seems to compare man and tree, and it has been the source of many commentaries:
When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege. (Deuteronomy 20:19)
The next verse is difficult to translate, as you can check by comparing different translations. In essence, it poses the question if man and tree have something in common. Some say yes, there are commonalities, others focus on the differences. What can we find on the topic in the Bible?
We find that the righteous are compared to a tree: Psalm 92:12-14, Psalm 1:3. A good man is recognized by the fruit his life brings. This idea is found also in the New Testament. Jesus tells us that “every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit; a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:17-18). Paul explains how the various kinds of fruit look like: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22).
Another important aspect, common to trees and men, are roots. Apostle Paul has something important to say about our life-giving connection:
And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. (Romans 11:17-18)
The root supports us. It is evident from the book of Romans that the root is the Jewish heritage into which we have been grafted. Paul is warning against pride and arrogance of Gentile believers against the Jewish heritage. As we know, sadly, the church throughout most of its history did not heed this warning. What are some of the consequences?
In my opinion, it is loss of balance, loss of context. We cannot understand the New Testament, we cannot really understand Jesus, we cannot understand Paul, without understanding the Jewish background, the way of thinking, the allusions to Hebrew scriptures. The consequence is that we do not walk in the whole counsel of God.
What then is the message of the eleventh month? The blessed man is compared to a tree, and the secret of the blessing is his delight in the Word:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law (Torah) of the Lord, and in His law (Torah) he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)
Let us use the month of Shevat to strengthen our roots, to strengthen our relationship to Jesus through the study of His word. May we be like the trees of the field which bear much fruit.
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