Q:
Tu B’Shvat is Rosh Hashanah for trees. For what are trees judged? If it’s for the fruit they produced in the past year, do they have a choice to make good fruit or bad fruit? And –
A:
My friend, before you go further I want to explain. The trees are not judged on Rosh Hashanah. The most you can say is that men are judged as far as trees are concerned. Trees are not judged. So don’t worry about that.
And it’s not even judgment for that. Men are not judged on Chamisha Asar B’Shvat even as far as the trees are concerned. As I told you, it’s only a Rosh Hashanah as far as gauging the age of a tree. We count the age of a tree by Chamishah Asar b’Shvat. So leave out the element of judging and there wouldn’t be any problem. It’s only a matter of measuring years and the year has to start from a certain official date. The official Rosh Hashanah of trees is Chamishah Asar b’Shvat. That’s all.
TAPE # 443 (January 1983)
