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TORAT MIZRACHI

R
Rabbi Yosef Zvi and Rabbanit Sharon Rimon
abbi Y
abbanit Sharon Rimon
osef Zvi and R

Retaining

Mashiach is coming!’ – go and plant the
sapling, and afterward go out to greet
him.” (Nuscha Bet, chapter 31)
the Land A man stands with a sapling in his hand,

and suddenly he is told that Mashiach is
coming. Every one of us would say, “drop
the sapling and go greet Mashiach.” But
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai says that
u BiShvat is the New Year for one must first plant the sapling and only
Trees (Mishnah Rosh Hasha- then go and greet Mashiach.
Tnah 1:1, according to Beit To understand the Midrash, let us read
Hillel). Halachically, Tu BiShvat is a from the prophecy of Amos (9:13-15):
time that affects all the laws regarding ְ
orla, teruma and ma’aser, bikkurim ך ֵ רֹד ְ ו ר ֵ צֹ ּ ק ַּ ב ׁש ֵ ר ֹוח ׁש ַּגִנ ְ ו ‘ה ם ֻ אְנ םי ִ א ָּ ב םי ִ מָי הֵּנ ִ ה
ְ
and shemitta. The Kabbalists instituted ל ָ כ ְ ו סי ִ ס ָ ע םי ִ ר ָ ה ֶ ה ּופי ִּ ט ִ ה ְ ו ע ַ ר ָּז ַ ה ך ֵ ׁשֹמ ְּ ב םי ִ בָנ ֲ ע
eating fruits, specifically the fruits of ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי י ִּ מ ַ ע תּוב ְ ׁש ת ֶ א י ִּ ת ְ ב ַ ׁש ְ ו .הָנ ְ ג ַ גֹומ ְ ת ִּ ת תֹוע ָ ב ְּג ַ ה
ת ֶ א ּות ָ ׁש ְ ו םי ִ מ ָ ר ְ כ ּוע ְ טָנ ְ ו ּוב ָ ׁשָי ְ ו תֹו ּ מ ַ ׁשְנ םי ִ ר ָ ע ּונ ָ בּו
Israel, on this day. On Tu BiShvat in ל ַ ע םי ִּ ת ְ ע ַ טְנּו .ם ֶ הי ִ ר ְּ פ ת ֶ א ּול ְ כ ָ א ְ ו ת ֹוּנ ַ ג ּוׂש ָ ע ְ ו םָניֵי
5750 (1890), Ze’ev Yavetz (a teacher י ִּ ת ַ תָנ ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א ם ָ ת ָ מ ְ ד ַ א ל ַ ע ֵ מ דֹוע ּו ׁש ְ תָּנִי אלֹ ְ ו ם ָ ת ָ מ ְ ד ַ א
and historian, and a member of the First .ךי ֶ הלֹ־ ֱ א ‘ה ר ַ מ ָ א ם ֶ ה ָ ל
ָ
Aliyah), went with his students to plant
trees on Tu BiShvat. Thus began the “A time is coming – declares the L-rd
Israeli custom of planting trees – when the plowman shall meet the
on Tu BiShvat. Of course there reaper, and the treader of grapes him
is no obligation or halachic who holds the [bag of] seed; when
custom of planting, but it’s the mountains shall drip wine and all
a beautiful act in itself, the hills shall wave [with grain]. I will
and appropriate for restore My people Israel. They shall
deepening our roots rebuild ruined cities and inhabit them;
and strengthening they shall plant vineyards and drink
the Land of Israel on their wine. They shall till gardens and
Tu BiShvat. eat their fruits. And I will plant them
upon their soil, nevermore will they be
Planting and the uprooted from their Land which I have
Redemption given them – said the L-rd your G-d.”
Amos describes the blessing of the
There is a surprising
Midrash in Avot DeR- yovel in the Land as part of the process
abbi Natan: of redemption. Beyond this, he com-
pares Am Yisrael’s return to its Land to
“Rabban Yochanan ben planting: “and I will plant them upon
Zakkai received from Hillel their soil.” This comparison highlights
and Shammai. He would Am Yisrael’s strong foundations in Eretz
say… if a sapling was in your Yisrael, so much so that “nevermore will
hand, and you were told, ‘Behold, they be uprooted from their Land.”

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