What Tu Bishvat Teaches Us About Hidden Growth in Children

Tu Bishvat, the New Year for Trees, falls in the middle of the month of Shevat — right at the peak of winter, when storms rage, winds howl, and thunder fills the sky.

At first glance, it seems like an unusual time to celebrate trees. Would it not make more sense to celebrate in the spring, when everything is blooming and alive? Why choose the depth of winter?

We are taught that even when things appear lifeless and barren, something profound is already happening beneath the surface. Though the tree may seem dry and without hope, its inner sap has already begun to rise. A deep transformation is taking place, unseen by the eye.

We are taught in Devarim 20:19: “A person is like a tree of the field.” Just as trees undergo hidden processes, so do people.

When Nothing Seems to Change

During winter, the tree stands exposed, stripped of its leaves, battered by cold winds and storms. Its condition seems bleak, almost hopeless. Yet at that very moment, when it appears that all life has faded, the tree is quietly drawing new vitality from deep within the earth.

From this, Rabbi Yisrael of Chortkov derived a powerful message: even in times of darkness and decline, renewal is already beginning.

Just as the tree begins to regenerate in the hidden depths, so too, even when things seem broken or deteriorating, something new is forming beneath the surface. What looks like stagnation may in fact be the early stages of growth.

A Message for Parenting and Education

This idea applies directly to education and parenting.

At times, we invest tremendous effort in a child and see no visible results. It can feel discouraging, even hopeless. But often, the child is already changing in ways we cannot yet see. Like the tree, growth may be taking place beneath the surface.

Our role is to continue nurturing, supporting, and believing. Just as a tree requires ongoing care even when no change is visible, so too must we continue to care for our children with patience and understanding.

We must believe that change is happening, even if it is not yet apparent. If we lose that belief, we risk cutting off the very inner growth that is beginning to develop.

May we merit to see joy and fulfillment from our children, even in their early stages, and to witness them, with God’s help, grow and flourish.