Once, on Tu BeShvat, the New Year of the Trees, the Baal Shem Tov was sitting with his closest disciples in Medzibuz. They were eating fruits in honor of the day, drinking "l'hayyim" and discussing the importance of joy, simha. During this conversation, the Baal Shem Tov said:

"Joy is so great, because by joy a person can reach an exalted spiritual level so that he sees the Shechinah. After the verse: 'you shall be only joyful' (Deuteronomy 16:15), the Torah continues (v.16): 'Three times a year every man of you shall be seen [appear in the Temple] before the presence of the Lord your God.' When a Jew is happy, he is revealing that he is satisfied with the world that the Holy One, blessed be He, created, and also with the behavior of all the Children of Israel, the people close to Him. He has no complaints against Heaven and no demands or grievances against any other Jew. Everything is good, upright, acceptable, fitting, and sweet; and this kind of joy, which brings a person to have a good eye, so that he looks on the Creator and His creatures lovingly, causes a revelation of the Shechinah. That is the secret of the teaching of our Sages, who said about the person who goes to the Temple to 'be seen' by God: 'Just as he came to be seen, so does he come to see'-- that is, to see the Divine Presence."

After this conversation about joy, the Baal Shem Tov suggested to his hasidim that they go out for a sleigh ride together in the snow-covered countryside and take along with them some wine, honeycake, whiskey, and fruits for Tu BeShvat.

As they careened along in the sleigh, the snow was falling and they were so joyful that they felt they were lifted up on a cloud of light. Remembering that it was Tu BeShvat, they sang songs from the mystic Book of Song, Perek Shira, that tells how all creatures, both plants and animals, sing Torah verses praising their Creator. They sang: "The fig tree says: 'The one who tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit.' The pomegranate says: 'Your cheeks are like the halves of a pomegranate.' The palm tree says: 'A righteous person shall flourish like a palm tree.'"

The road entered the forest, and the horses galloped in pleasure, kicking up snow all over. On the two sides of the road an ancient, dense forest stretched out, with trees whose branches leaned out, arching over the road, almost touching in the middle and nearly blocking out the light of the sun. But here and there the sun peeked through the branches, lighting the travelers' path as they sped along in the sleigh. And as they went, they sang another verse from the Book of Song: "'Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord ...!'"

Their singing grew stronger and stronger and flocks of birds flying above them began chirping so loudly that it seemed that they were singing along with the joyful travelers in the sleigh.

The Baal Shem Tov and his disciples knew the secret-- that God is within the world and always with us. How could they not sing? When we know that secret, we too will sing and will hear the songs of the trees and the birds praising God. May Tu BeShvat bring us to that realization.