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Beshalach
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Another connection between Tu B’Shvat, Purim, and Pesach is
yitrO ֹור ְתִי that the drinking of wine is central to all of them. The Tu B’Shvat
seder, created by the Safed Kabbalists, is organized around drinking
four cups of wine, just like the Pesach seder. Drinking wine is also
central to the festivities on Purim. Indeed, the Talmud states that
“when wine goes in – the secret [sod] comes out” (Eruvin 65a). This
£Why Moses Spoke Why Moses Spoke Why Moses Spoke Why Moses Spoke Why Moses Spoke Why Moses Spoke connection between wine (yayin) and sod is also reflected in both
££££
Hebrew words having the numerical value of seventy (a number also
to the Women First
to the W alluded to by the seventy date palms mentioned above.) Delving
to the Women Firstomen First
into the inner dimensions of Torah on these holidays, a process aided
by the drinking of wine reveals deep concealed secrets and releases
In preparing Moses and the people for the Giving of the Torah at redemptive energy into the world, just as the sap rising in the trees
Mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses a number of times, providing him on Tu B’Shvat culminates in new growth and life.
with specific messages for the people. The first conversation begins Rabbi Leibel Eiger in his commentary Torat Emet reveals another
as follows:
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deep connection between Tu B’Shvat and the redemption that occurs
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Moses ascended to God, and God called to him from the mountain, in the month of Nisan. He notes that Tu B’Shvat falls forty-five days
saying, “So shall you say to the house of Jacob and relate to the before the new moon of Nisan, that is to say, forty-five day before the
children of Israel. You have seen what I did to Egypt, and that I world was actually created (see the portion of Vayikra for an in-depth
have borne you on the wings of eagles and brought you to Me. And discussion of on what day the Sages believe the world was created).
now, if you hearken well to Me and observe My covenant, you shall He explains that the Hebrew word for “thought” (machshavah) can
be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples, for Mine is the be permuted to read “thinks of what”; and the word “what” has
entire world. You shall be to Me a kingdom of ministers and a holy the numerical value of forty-five. Thus, according to Leibel Eiger,
nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the children of on Tu B’Shvat, forty-five days before the new moon of Nisan, God,
Israel.” (Exodus 19:3-6) as it were, began to focus His thought on creation. This archetypal

Moses is commanded to speak to what seems to be two different Divine act of thought parallels the sap rising in the trees in the lower
groups of people, and in two different ways. Rashi explains that world.
God instructed Moses to first speak gently to the women, “the house “Who is the wise one? He who sees the nolad” (Tamid 32a). The
of Jacob,” and only then to the men, “the children of Israel,” in a word nolad comes from the root “to be born” and denotes the sliver of
more assertive manner. Why does God command Moses to speak to the new moon. The wise person divines from the initial appearance of
the women first? There are many possible reasons for this including a situation what will ultimately transpire. Just as one cannot detect
women’s key role in educating young children, women’s greater from the exterior the sap rising from the roots to the trunk of a tree,
receptivity to spiritual matters, and the greater loyalty of women, so too the arousal of new spiritual energy on Tu B’Shvat is concealed,
in general, as evidenced by the women in the desert not taking part beginning from the point of pure potential deep inside an individual’s
in the disastrous sins of worshipping the Golden Calf and heeding soul and slowly ascending till it is fully revealed as new spiritual
the evil report of the spies who had gone to scout out the Land of energy ready for actualization on Pesach. (See Seeds and Sparks for
Israel. more insight into the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, pp. 142-151.)

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