Page 2 - HaMizrachi #6 TuBishvat 5779

Israel and US

Rabbi David A. Israel
REALIZING OUR TREE-LIKE
P TENTIAL

or most of us celebrating this .ה ֶ ד ָ ׂ ּ ש ַ ה ץ ֵ ע ם ָ ד ָ א ָ ה י ִּ כ ר ַ מ ֱ אֶּנ ֶ ׁ ש ץ ֵ ע ְ ל ל ָ ׁש ְ מִנ ם ָ ד ָ א ל ָּ כ ןי ִ די ִ ת ֲ ע :ב ַ ר ר ַ מ ָ א י ִ ׁש ָ א ר ַּ ב א ָּי ַּי ִ ח ב ַ ר ר ַ מ ָ א
Tu BiShvat in the United .ת ֹורי ֵּ פ ּונ ֲ ע ְ טִּי ֶ ׁ ש ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי ץ ֶ ר ֶ א ְּ ב ֶ ׁש ק ָ ר ְ ס יֵנ ָ לי ִ א
F States, the coming of spring “A person is compared to a tree, as it
seems interminably distant. Despite states ‘Man is a tree of the field.’” “Rav Chiya bar Ashi said in the name of
sitting around a table with a fresh fig Rav: In the future all non-fruit-bearing
and maybe a Jaffa orange, when we see ָ הי ֶ ל ָ ע ם ֵ ח ָּ ל ִ ה ְ ל םי ִּ ב ַ ר םי ִ מ ָי רי ִ ע ל ֶ א רּוצ ָ ת י ִּ כ trees in Eretz Yisrael will produce fruit.”
the grey of the sky and the bare trees, it ץ ֵ ע ם ָ ד ָ א ָ ה י ִּ כ ... ּ ה ָ צ ֵ ע ת ֶ א תי ִ ח ְ ׁש ַ ת אלֹ ּ ה ָ ׂש ְ פ ָ ת ְ ל
ָ
is hard to celebrate the renewal of life. .ר ֹוצ ָּ מ ַּ ב ךיֶנ ָּ פ ִ מ אֹב ָ ל ה ֶ ד ָ ׂ ּ ש ַ ה When is it determined if this is the year
when all the trees will produce fruit? On
But spring will arrive. Potential is here, “When fighting a city and imposing a Tu BiShvat, the Rosh Hashanah for trees,
even in the winter. If the trees outside long siege in order to capture the city, says Rav Avraham Schor in his HaLekach
don’t remind us of latent possibilities, you must not destroy its trees. The life of V’Halibuv. And on Tu BiShvat, we
and beckon us to climb, then we will look man depends on the produce of the tree too must consider what fruits we are
to the mystical and metaphorical aspects of the field.” 1 capable of producing that are perhaps
of Tu BiShvat for inspiration. currently dormant. We, who are likened
These psukim both emphasize the life-
The Torah is compared both to a tree of giving nature of trees. Drawing on the to trees, must see Tu BiShvat as another
life, which we are to ascend to spiritual latter, Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer concludes opportunity to grow and bring new life
heights, as well as to water from which that people, like trees, create, give life, into the world.
we are to be nurtured. If we water and yield “fruit.” Each of us has the May we celebrate Tu BiShvat this
ourselves from the wellsprings of Torah, ability to grow and produce unique fruits year with an awareness of our unique
we ourselves will grow into fruitful trees. that only he or she is capable of bringing potential and with the strength to
to the world.
ם ָ מ ֹוי ה ֶּג ְ ה ֶי ֹות ָ ר ֹות ְ בּו ֹוצ ְ פ ֶ ח 'ה ת ַ ר ֹות ְּ ב ם ִ א י ִּ כ actualize it. And may we soon gather in
ן ֵּ תִי ֹוי ְ ר ִּ פ ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א םִי ָ מ י ֵ ג ְ ל ַּ פ ל ַ ע לּות ָ ׁש ץ ֵ ע ְּ כ ה ָ לְי ָ ל ָ ו On Tu BiShvat, the trees remind us to the orchards of Israel, with all trees full of
. ֹו ּ ת ִ ע ְּ ב see that potential within ourselves. No delightful fruit!
“The one who desires G-d’s Torah and matter how dark and rainy it may seem, 1 Deuteronomy 20:19, translated according to
focuses on it day and night will be like a outside or within, it is temporary, part of the interpretation of the Ibn Ezra, as opposed
tree near tranquil waters producing fruit the cycle of our psyche, and we are not to to that of Rashi, Seforno and others.
in its proper time.” despair.

Building off another very different verse The final words of Tractate Ketubot Rabbi David A. Israel is the Executive
and context, Pirke D’Rebbe Eliezer provide a glimpse of the future for all Vice-President of Religious Zionists of
similarly concludes: trees: America–Mizrachi

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office@rza.org Executive Vice-President Executive Director
2 www.rza.org Rabbi David A. Israel Rabbi Jerold Isenberg