"Ready to go, son?"

"I'm ready, Dad!"

And off they went. Father and son were on their way into the city. In order to get there, though, first they needed to travel through the great woods.

As they entered the thick foliage, the father warned the little boy, "Stay by my side, son. Don't veer off this path to the left or the right! The woods are wide and filled with danger. Savage animals lurk around every corner waiting for the kill. Many have lost their way here and some have lost their lives."

The boy agreed readily but as he walked along at his father’s side, the afternoon sun shone on thick patches of ripe, red strawberries. Bushes filled with glistening, plump blueberries beckoned to him from the side of the road. The fragrance of apple trees in full fruit wafted towards him from somewhere close by just a few steps off of the path. The little boy was filled with desire. He decided to take a chance.

Dad wasn't looking. The little boy skipped a few steps away, just far enough to taste one of those ripe, red strawberries. They were so delicious! It couldn't hurt to stay a little longer, could it? And the blueberries were so close by. A few more steps couldn't hurt, could they? The boy skipped on to try the blueberries as well. Then the apple trees smelled like they couldn't be much further on... and so it went, hour after hour, as the little boy skipped through the woods farther and farther away from his father. He hardly noticed as the woods began to grow shadowed and evening fell.

Suddenly, the little boy looked around and realized that darkness had overtaken him. Though it was high time that he head back to the path and to his father, now the little boy could not find his way. Was that the path a few meters away gleaming in the moonlight? The little boy ran in that direction, tripped over a rock, and sent a family of five or six rabbits scampering away in to the darkness. An owl hooted overhead. The little boy was terrified and began to cry. Where was his father? All the trees looked the same. A coyote began to howl in the distance and suddenly the woods began to echo with the calls of the predatory beasts.

Gripped in a panic, the little boy cried out, "Father! Father!" He began to run, slipshod, stumbling, without knowing where. Would he be lost in these woods forever?

Suddenly, a heavy hand grabbed the little boy's shoulder and twisted him about-face. As the little boy came face-to-face with his father, a sound slap landed across his cheek, along with a set of stern words: "Didn't I warn you? I told you not to stray off of the path!"

The little boy burst out in tears, but this time, the tears were different. These were tears of joy. Arms wrapped around his father, the little boy sobbed in to his shoulder, relieved to have found his father again, relieved not to be alone anymore. Now father was there to protect him and would lead him out of the great, dark woods.

Our sages compared this world to a vast, dark forest: "'You make darkness and it is night, in which every forest beast stirs' (Psalms 104:20). This verse refers to this world which is like the night."

Sometimes life seems to be a labyrinth in which we have lost our way. We follow the daily grind over dead-end paths, wandering without knowing where we are headed: eating, drinking, sleeping, working, over and over and over again in endless circles. Savage predators attack in the form of tragedies, terrorist attacks, and other misfortunes. Many wander through their days engulfed in a sense of helplessness, feeling lonely.

But as the cold of winter surrounds us, the holiday of Tu B'Shvat comes to remind us that we are not alone. Our Father is near us, guiding us through the night, ready to lead us out of the woods.

This reality hits us full-force on Rosh HaShanah when G-d ascends to His throne of judgment to determine the many factors that will play out during our year. We pray to merit a good judgment. We may be faced with consequences for straying from the path, but regardless of the judgment we face, we are happy in the knowledge that our Father is by our side, ruling the world with meaning and purpose. "The enjoyment of G-d is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). This verse is talking about the enjoyment we take in recognizing G-d and appreciating His guiding hand in our lives on Rosh HaShanah. When our Father appears in the midst of the woods, even if He reprimands us, we are overjoyed.

This is the reason for our joy on Tu B'Shvat as well. Tu B'Shvat is known as the "Rosh HaShanah of the Trees", the day when our Creator judges whether the future year’s yield of fruit will be rich or scanty and whether our physical world will flourish or decay. Our recognition that G-d is sitting in judgment to determine the future of one of the basic aspects of our universe affords us tremendous joy and comfort, for we know we are not abandoned to the elements and stumbling in a maze of meaninglessness.

Tu B'Shvat, as such, is a joyful reunion with our Father. We remember that He is near us and are left with feelings of affection and hope.