How to Eat Fruit on Tu B’shvat?

By Rav Avigdor Miller, zt”l

     In the olden days, in Yerushalyim, there was a minhag that chachomim came together on Tu B’Shvat to eat fruit to awaken their minds to think about Hashem. 

     We read in Bereshis, (3:6), “Fruit is most desirable because it brings wisdom.”

     Fruit is one of the wonderful creations of emunah. Look at a beautiful orange or a beautiful apple. Why is the color so beautiful? Is it an accident? It wasn’t beautiful when the fruit was still green, when it was sour and unripe. Only when it became fit to eat, then it turned into a beautiful yellow or a beautiful red. Doesn’t that show something? The fruit is trying to make you wise with the awareness of Hashem: every fruit is a demonstration of the chesed of Hashem.

     Tosfos explains in (Brachos 37a) that Hashem made many different creatures and supplied us with all of our needs. But in addition, He also provided mankind with luxuries, “Just for the purpose of giving us pleasure.” Tosfos says that apples are one of these luxuries. We could get along without apples. Apples are like a dessert, they are an extra chesed.

    So when you pass by a fruit stand, don’t be so distracted that you don’t take a look! Those delectable fruits are resplendent testimonies to the niflaos ha’Borei, the wonders of Hashem. A fruit is a miracle! Every fruit has a skin around it, that protects it and keeps it fresh for some time. And inside when you finish eating the delicious content of the fruit, you find a coupon that entitles you to another package: the seed. What that seed has inside it is remarkable! That seed contains more information than the most sophisticated computer! 

     And therefore you have to know that fruits are a wonderful opportunity to gain emunah and ahavas Hashem. And that’s how to eat fruit on Tu B’Shvat. And that is how you should be eating fruit all year long, as well.

    Toras Avigdor.org transcribed and distributed this material from questions posed to Rabbi Miller, zt"l. Subscribers can get a free, daily e-mail by writing: [email protected]