Dear Nitztzos Commmunity, A gutten Chodesh Shvat! We have now left chodesh Teiveis, the darkest month of the year, for chodesh Shvat, the month of the year when light begins to increase. Shevat is the beginning of the unfolding of redemption and thus it precedes the months of Adar and Nissan, months that embody redemption (Purim and Pesach). So what is the avodah of Shvat? How do we use our time this month to usher in the redemption of the months to come? Every month is characterized by the Yomim Tovim that are contained within it. The Yom Tov of Tu BiShvat is the day that reveals to us the essence of the month. Tu BiShvat is the Rosh Hashana for the trees. It is the day that marks the earliest blooming of the trees in Eretz Yisrael. The passuk tells us “ki adam eitz hasadeh,” man is a tree in the field. After a long dark winter, where we have been saturated with water, we are now ready to turn our potential into actualized growth. Though any blooming is difficult to see, we know it is happening underneath the ground. Chazal teach us kol haschalos kashos, all beginnings are difficult. Shvat is the first month where growth occurs and thus it is fraught with difficulties. The moments before Mashiach comes will be some of the most difficult times in history. The Mezritcher Maggid said, “Before Mashiach comes, there will be a repeat of the confrontation between Eliyahu HaNavi and the Neviim of Baal on Har Carmel. However, unlike that match, when a fire miraculously descended from
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