Can we escape the malaise of an unfruitful life?
It’s Tu B’Shevat. Spring is on the horizon.
Hashgachah had me find a fascinating essay that puts this time of year in perspective. It quotes an idea from Rav Aaron Levine ztz”l, longtime rabbi of Young Israel of Avenue J. Rav Levine brought up the most practical but not commonly discussed halachic understanding of Tu B’Shevat: that it’s the cutoff date for transferring terumos u’maasros to the Beis Hamikdash.
If there were no cutoff date, the amount people owed to the Mikdash could accrue, and their attitude toward paying their dues could become lackadaisical. This would naturally spill over to mitzvah performance in general. So one of the central messages of Tu B’Shevat is to become more exacting in our mitzvah performance.
Rav Levine makes a fascinating comment in the essay: “If we adopt a short account period for accounts payable, we must adopt a long accounting period for accounts receivable.” A “long accounting period for accounts receivable” is the faith our people have that “keren kayemes l’Olam Haba.”
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