Why this Tu B'Shvat is Special

• Published date: 23 January 2023

Answer: This is the first Tu B'Shvat since Shmitta has ended. Farmers who observe Shmitta could not plant trees last year or even sell their produce. How would you like taking a Sabbatical year without a paycheck

Question: Wow, so how did they survive and what happened with their produce?

Answer: Hashem promises to bless those who keep shmitta וְצִוִּ֤יתִי אֶת־בִּרְכָתִי֙ לָכֶ֔ם. Many farmers signed with Otzar Beit Din, to manage the Shmitta produce, which is available in stores now, such as avocados and citrus fruits for the cost of packaging and transportation, determined by the Otzar Beit Din, but NO extra profits from them at all.

Question: What's going to happen this year?

Answer: Since farmers could not plant last year, they must plant more trees now.

Question: Don't the farmers make money from the produce on the other years, can they get a bank loan?

Answer: Actually No. Banks won't give farmers loans for fruit trees. They want to see a business plan that begins to show a return on investment within a year. The farmers that Zo Artzeinu help observe all the agricultural mitzvot מצוות התלויות בארץ. The first 3 years is orlah and they can't sell. The 4th year, neta revai they redeem it, then take trumot and maasrot after that. On the 7th year Shmitta, they can not sell their produce which is קדושת שביעית.

They invest a lot of time, effort and money. Water, fertilizer, fences, irrigation systems, weeding, are all expensive in Israel and an ongoing expense. If they don't get the help from Zo Artzeinu they simply can't plant the trees.

Question: Wow! so does it even pay for them to plant these trees and why do they do it?

Answer: They can make a little profit, just break even, or even lose. The reason they do it is they LOVE the Torah and land of Eretz Yisroel and want to help safeguard it. Where they plant, hostile Arabs can't steal that land and those locations become safe. In addition to the mitzvot mentioned before they fulfill many more mitzvot like:

"When you come to the land Plant FRUIT Trees" (וְכִי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם֙ כׇּל־עֵ֣ץ מַאֲכָ֔ל (ויקרא יט

"You shall clear out the Land and settle in it" (וְהֽוֹרַשְׁתֶּ֥ם אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם בָּ֑הּ (במדבר לג נג

"You shall possess it and dwell in it" (וִֽירִשְׁתֶּ֥ם אֹתָ֖הּ וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם בָּֽהּ (דברים יא לא

Question: Nice, well if I help them plant fruit trees do I have a share in the mitzvot as well?

Answer: Absolutely! while the ideal way to perform these mitzvot is in Erez Yisroel...