The years of a tree are also counted from the first of Tishrei. Why is it important to know how old a tree is? – Because for the first three years, the fruit of the tree is called "orlah" and cannot be eaten, so we need to know when to count the first year. As it turns out if the tree is planted at least 30 days before Rosh Hashanah, this is already considered the first full year of its life. Even so, after the third Rosh Hashanah, the fruit is not permitted immediately, but only after the fifteenth of Shvat, also known as "Tu B'Shvat."
From the rule above, we see that thirty days in a year a considered an entire year. However, this is only the opinion of Rabbi Elazar. By contrast, Rabbi Meir says that even one day in a year is already considered an entire year. If so, how does Rabbi Meir explains the rule of thirty days for orlah cited above? He says that the tree indeed needs thirty days to take root, but if not for that, even one day in a year would make it a year old.
We can see that these teachers agree on the month the world was created and place it in Nisan. How? – We will see this on the next page.
Art: Landscape with Oak Trees By Caspar David Friedrich, 1811
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