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MIZRACHI EDUCATORS

Rabbi Reuven Taragin Rabbanit Shani Taragin

TU BISHVAT:

WHY WE CELEBRATE TREES

CHAG TU BISHVAT unsolved murder, chapter 21 mandates As a people that has returned to our
that we sacrifice a fresh (unworked) calf Land and begun to reassert our natural
t first glance, Tu BiShvat, the in a virgin ravine. Chazal explain that prominence, we should appreciate the
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Rosh Hashanah for fruit trees, 1 this sacrifice of potential work atones for miracle symbolized by trees and which
Aseems to be of mere technical the murder victim’s lost potential ‘fruit’ we are experiencing every single day.
significance – the calendar marker for – his potential to raise a family and ful-
the yearly mitzvot that pertain to fruits. 2 fill mitzvot. Humans, like trees, always May this celebration and requisite
Surprisingly, we treat Tu BiShvat as a have meaningful potential. Though our appreciation merit our being blessed
minor holiday – we skip tachanun and ‘produce’ differs from the tree’s, we are with many more years to maximize
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avoid fasting. What are we celebrating? taught to respect its productive potential both our personal lives and our national
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to ensure that we value our own. redemption.
It is also noteworthy that we celebrate
only the Rosh Hashanah of the trees and The Jewish people are compared to
not that of the other plants or even tree an additional (unique) aspect of trees.
saplings. Why are trees more important Yeshayahu HaNavi teaches us that our 1 Mishna Rosh Hashanah 1:1-2.
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than any other vegetation? The answer history is like that of a tree. What does 2 See Bartenura, ibid.
lies in the relationships between trees he mean? 3 Shulchan Aruch 131:6. See the Mishna
Berura (se’if katan 32), who notes that our
and Man and the Jewish people. A tree has the unique ability to regener- custom is to skip tachanun at mincha on
ate after a dormant winter. As opposed Erev Tu BiShvat as well.
to annuals that produce and then die 4 Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 572:3,
based upon the Responsa of the Maharam
over the winter, trees return the next MiRottenberg 4:5. See also the Bach, who
spring and generate fruit once again. holds that we delay a ta’anit (fast) even
The celebration of the Rosh Hashanah once a series of ta’anitim has begun.
for trees in the middle of the winter 5 Their Rosh Hashanah is the first of Tishrei
emphasizes this unique ability. Though (See Mishna RH 1:1).
the trees seem dead on Tu BiShvat, they 6 Tiferet Yisrael Chapter 3.
are about to begin a new growth cycle. 8 7 Sotah 46a.
8 The Bnei Yissocher (Ma’amarei Chodesh
In Iyov, we see that a tree also has ‘hope’ Tammuz/Av 4:Betulah BeMachol:3)
– even if most of it is cut down, it can highlights this aspect and its similarity
still grow back (often even more vigor- to the human gestation cycle by pointing
out that Tu BiShvat is 40 days before the
ously). The Jewish people have a similar start of Creation (25 Adar, according to
resiliency. As opposed to most nations the opinion that the world was created on
who have their historical moment and 1st of Nissan). Trees, like humans, begin
then fade forever, the Jewish people forming 40 days before anything significant
have returned to prominence even after can be perceived.
thousands of dormant years.
Rabbi Reuven Taragin is Educational
CELEBRATING POTETIAL Director of Mizrachi and Dean of the
OUR RELATION TO TREES
AND RESILIENCY Yeshivat HaKotel Overseas Program
Devarim (20: 19) justifies the prohibi- Our celebration of Tu BiShvat should ravtaragin@mizrachi.org
tion against using a fruit tree as a bat- remind us of the potential and, thus,
tering ram by explaining that “man is the responsibility we have to realize our
like the tree of the field.” The Maharal 6 potential. As long as G-d grants us the Scan here to join Rabbi
uses the Torah’s next chapter to explain gift of life, we are meant to maximize Taragin’s WhatsApp group
this comparison: when faced with an our impact. with daily Divrei Torah

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