proclaiming the Gospel to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Shalom and welcome to the Everlasting Nation, a radio ministry of International Board of Jewish Missions. I'm your host Aaron Broughton, it's my delight to be with you today. Many believers are curious about the culture and customs of the Jewish people. As we look at the Jewish calendar, some holidays, such as Passover and Hanukkah, are familiar to us to some degree. Once in a while, though, we come across a Jewish holiday and scratch our heads, wondering what it means. So, today we will take a look at a little known holiday on the Jewish calendar called Tu B'Shvat, the new year for trees. I think you'll enjoy this program. The minor Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat is not so much a name as it is a date. Tu in Hebrew has the numerical value of 15. Shvat is the name of a Hebrew month. Therefore, the little translation of this holiday is the 15th of the month of Shvat. Being the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the holiday will fall this year on January 31st. Tu B'Shvat is not mentioned in the Torah and is only referred to once in the Mishnah. So, why is this date special to the Jewish people? Some explanations for this date allude to a tithe of the fruit of the trees. Leviticus 19, verses 23-25 commanded the Jewish people not to harvest the fruit of the trees until the fourth year. So, Tu B'Shvat was set as a new year for trees to determine the age of the tree. Today, many Jewish people plant new trees and eat the fruit of the seven species found in Deuteronomy 8. Some Orthodox Jews even hold a special Seder or a ceremonial dinner to celebrate this Jewish Arbor Day. Now let's talk about the importance of trees in Israel. And this is very important. We can't miss this. The land of Israel was a barren wasteland for many years due to the harsh policies of the Ottoman Turks from the years 1517 to 1917, a period of 400 years. Property tax was based on the number of trees on the land. Therefore, many trees were removed, creating harsh environment and swamps, things like that. And actually, when the Jewish settlers came into the land, the Zionists, they actually had to do a lot of cleanup on these malaria-infested swamps. And so that was a result of the trees being deforested. The famous writer Mark Twain visited the Holy Land in 1867 and commented on the state of the land in his book, The Innocence Abroad. He says, quote, Those fast friends of the worthless soil had almost deserted the country. Fortunately, Israel's landscape was about to change. In 1901, the Jewish National Fund, also known as the KKLJNF in Israel, was founded to purchase and redeem the land of Israel. Their goal has been to develop the land with a loving touch, strengthening the bond between the Jewish people and its homeland, responding to the needs of the country, and preserving our natural and cultural heritage. Over 250 million trees have been planted in Israel through their efforts. Now let's talk about the spiritual connection to trees. As Israelis plant trees, they form a connection to the land. They are rooted by their faith and history to Israel. They do not plant trees for a short time, but for years to come. Planting trees in Israel is a symbol of hope and healing and has a future expectation. Pondering the trees, we recognize God as the Creator. He is the giver and sustainer of life. As believers, we are likened to trees in our relationship to God. It says in Psalm 1 verse 3, And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The fruit that we produce will grow in God's perfect time. He will care for us as we grow where He has planted us. Someone once said, the Christian life is a series of new beginnings. Just as the rings in a tree indicate its age, even so God allows new beginnings in our lives to indicate our growth as believers. So often, we think that to be successful is equal to being fruitful, but in reality I believe to be healthy bears fruit. Considering the trees, we see that they also play an important part in God's plan for the Jewish people in their spiritual restoration. This is according to Isaiah 55 verses 12 and 13, and also later on for the healing of nations in Revelation 22 verse 2. The earth today struggles between life and death because of sin. Tu b'shvat is a yearly look to the future when God will change the barren into beauty, and the curse to fruitfulness, when His glory will be revealed as His work is everlasting. But until then, may we be rooted in Him. Now if you'd like to hear this program again, or any of our other archive programs related to Israel and the Jewish people, simply visit us at ibjm.org. And as we close this program, let's remember the words of Psalm 122, verse 6, where it says, Sha'alu shalom Yerushalayim. Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You've been listening to The Everlasting Nation, a ministry of International Board of Jewish Missions. For more information, you can contact us at 423-876-8150 or go online to ibjm.org. Until next time, may God bless and Shalom!