The Spiritual Energy of Shevat: Growth, Renewal & Hidden Potential
By Avigail Sapir
This piece weaves Torah teachings and spiritual reflections on the month of Shevat, inviting a slower, more embodied way of engaging with this season.
Introduction: The Energy of Shevat
Shevat is a month of hidden growth and renewal — a time when life begins stirring beneath the surface.
The internal creative process has already begun, even though it is not yet visible on the physical plane.
In nature, sap begins to rise in the trees, signaling the beginning of a new cycle of growth.
Although it is still cold outside, a quiet sense of hope begins to emerge.
The sap rising in the trees mirrors a creative rising within us — even before anything can be seen.
Spring will come again.
The flowers will bloom.
Just as this growth is taking place unseen within the trees, something within us is also beginning to stir — an inner movement of renewal, intention, and becoming.
Spiritually, this month invites us to plant seeds of intention and nourish our inner world.
The Key Elements of Shevat
Each Hebrew month carries a unique spiritual signature.
Shevat is associated with the following elements:
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Tu B’Shvat — The New Year for Trees
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Aquarius (The Water Bearer)
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The Hebrew Letter Tzaddi (צ) — “The Righteous One”
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The Tribe of Asher — Abundance and Joy
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The Divine Name HYVH (היוה) — A movement from judgment into flow
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Healing Focus: Taste — Elevating the sparks of eating
Each of these elements reflects a different facet of Shevat’s spiritual opportunity.
The Name of Shevat & Its Connection to Shabbat
The Hebrew letters Tet (ט) and Taf (ת) are sometimes interchangeable, offering deeper insight into words.
By switching the Tet in Shevat (שבט) with a Taf, we arrive at Shabbat (שבת).
Just as Shabbat elevates the physical world into holiness, Shevat invites us to elevate our physical experiences — especially eating — into spiritual practice.
Both represent a meeting point between the divine and the everyday.
Shevat’s Torah Portions: From Constriction to Revelation
The Torah portions read during Shevat are filled with movement and transformation.
They trace the journey of the Jewish people from bondage toward revelation:
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Va’eira & Bo — The plagues and the path to redemption
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Beshalach — The splitting of the sea
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Yitro — The giving of the Torah at Sinai
Although winter still surrounds us, an underground awakening is already taking place.
Just as the people left Egypt and then entered a period of preparation before receiving the Torah, Shevat represents a similar inner stage — a time of unseen growth, integration, and readiness.
Tu B’Shvat: Elevating the Sparks of Eating
“The eating of fruit on Tu B’Shvat is a symbolic rectification of the original sin — a return to the consciousness of the Garden of Eden.”
— Melinda Ribner
Tu B’Shvat is deeply connected to the rectification of eating.
Eating is not merely physical — it is a spiritual act.
Everything in this world contains a divine spark.
When we make blessings with intention, we elevate those sparks and restore them to their source.
Shevat invites us to practice conscious consumption — not only of food, but of thoughts, media, conversation, and energy.
“כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה”
“For a person is like the tree of the field”
(Devarim 20:19)
Man and the earth share a deep connection.
The name Adam comes from Adama — earth.
This reminds us not only of where we come from, but of what we are meant to become.
Like the earth, a person carries hidden potential that must be nurtured and brought to life.
It must be expressed.
All of nature is a vessel for divine light.
When a seed is planted, the earth knows how to nurture it into becoming all it was meant to be.
In the same way, the soul is planted within a person — and it is our responsibility to uncover and develop it.
Two Key Differences Between a Person and a Tree
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A tree produces fruit naturally.
A person must choose to produce fruit — through free will, action, and intention.
Our “fruits” are our mitzvot, our impact, and the wisdom we bring into the world. -
A tree’s roots are in the earth, while a person’s soul is rooted in the heavens.
A person is often described as an upside-down tree — nourished primarily by spiritual connection: Torah, mitzvot, and truth.
Just as a tree in winter may appear dormant, renewal is always possible.
This is the essence of teshuva — returning, growing, becoming more.
The Tu B’Shvat Seder & The Four Worlds
Tu B’Shvat is celebrated with a mystical seder that maps how divine energy flows into the world — and into us.
Divine light is revealed gradually, in layers we are able to receive.
The Four Worlds (Olamot) reflect this unfolding:
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Assiyah — Action, grounding, effort
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Yetzirah — Emotion, relationship, refinement
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Briyah — Awareness, insight, expansion
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Atzilut — Presence, unity, oneness
Spiritual growth happens in layers.
We rise — and then we bring that light back down into lived action.
Growth is not about escaping the world.
It is about integrating light into life.
Conclusion: Trust the Process of Growth
Shevat teaches that growth often happens beneath the surface before it becomes visible.
By aligning with the energy of this month, we learn to trust timing, nourish what is forming, and prepare for the blossoming ahead.
When learning enters the body, wisdom becomes lived.
Reflection Prompts
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What new inner movement or creative flow are you noticing right now?
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What feels ready to grow, even if it is still hidden beneath the surface?
🌿 A Gentle Invitation
If you feel called to explore these teachings through art, meditation, and embodied practice, I offer Tu B’Shvat–inspired creative workshops and longer journeys throughout the year.
