Closer to the Land

Rav Ḥisda and Rav Hamnuna were seated at a meal, and dates and pomegranates were set before them. Rav Hamnuna took some dates and said a blessing over them. Said Rav Ḥisda to him: Does not the Master agree with what Rav Joseph, or as some say Rav Isaac, said: Whatever is mentioned earlier in this verse has precedence in the matter of benediction? — He replied: This (the date) comes second after the word 'Land' [eretz] and this (the pomegranate) comes fifth. [The verse referred to is Deuteronomy 8:8, where two lists are given of the products of the Land of Israel, each introduced with the word 'Land', and in the first pomegranates are mentioned fifth, while in the second honey (i.e., date honey) is mentioned second.]       Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 41b

            Rabbi Kook comments that love of the Holy Land is a foundation of Torah, as it brings the nation of God and the entire world closer to perfection, and for this reason, the Torah connects the blessings to the Land. Rav Hamnuna’s teaching that whatever is closer to the Land takes precedence can be understood to mean that whoever has a greater love for the Land and demonstrates the higher level of striving to settle the Land has the greater blessing and is closer to achieving perfection.

            There are different approaches to appreciating the Land: some love the Land for its precious qualities, and thirst “to take pleasure in her stones and love her dust” [Psalms 102:15] and to fulfill the mitzvot which are dependent upon the Land, appreciating the Land’s role in furthering the spiritual development of Israel and of the entire world. Others appreciate the Land simply as a place for the physical welfare of Klal Yisrael. While this latter approach is lofty, it does not attain the level of appreciating the spiritual aspect of the Land.

            Through the double use of “eretz”, the verse divides the seven species into groups of five and two, the group of five representing the higher level of yearning for the Land, while the two represent those who yearn for the Land only for nationalistic reasons. Rav Hamnuna thus teaches that even those who do not appreciate the spiritual aspect of the Land are worthy of great blessings. Indeed, our Sages taught [Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 102b] that Omri (King of Israel, who was an idolater) merited monarchy because he added a single city to the Land.

The Future of Non Fruit Bearing Trees

          Rabbi Kook notes that our Sages taught that we have the power to actually change nature. The Talmud [Ketubot 112b] states:

Rabbi Ḥiyya, son of Ashi says, quoting Rav: all the non fruit bearing trees within the Land of Israel are destined to produce fruit

          Rabbi Kook elucidates the Talmudic comment thus: the ideal situation is for man to reach a harmonious fusion between matter and spirit. The spiritual dimension is provided by Torah and mitzvot. As humans progress spiritually, they necessarily influence the natural world. Thus, Rav says that when we reach the highest spiritual level the influence will be felt even on non fruit bearing trees.

          In truth, the content of the Talmudic comment was already conveyed in Isaiah’s prophecy of the end of days:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid      and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them. [11:6]

          In the end of days, when mankind achieves harmony, this will be reflected in the rest of creation, and there will no longer be beasts of prey.

          Finally, Rabbi Kook explains why the Talmud specifies “the non fruit bearing trees within the Land of Israel.” Since, as stated, the spiritual aspect is endowed through Torah and mitzvot, the natural venue is the Land of Israel, which is the place from which Torah comes forth [Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2]. 

The Holiday of the Land and its Fruit

There are four new years … the first of Shvat is new year for trees, in the opinion of the House of Shamai, the House of Hillel says: the fifteenth of the month.     Mishnah Rosh haShana 1:1    

Rashi [Babylonian Talmud, Rosh haShana 14a] explains that the month of Shvat was chosen as the new year for trees because it is the period by which most trees blossom. Thus, strictly speaking, Tu biShvat is not a holiday of the fruit of the Land, which will ripen only months later. Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed notes that, of all the holidays in the Jewish calendar, Tu biShvat is unique in being forward-looking rather than looking back to Israel’s history. Further, it has been pointed out that Tu biShvat conveys a message of faith that God will bless the fruit trees of His Land and the blossoms will produce their fruit.

            Rabbi Eliyahu KiTov writes of Tu biShvat: this New Year carries with it praise of the Land. This is the day on which the Land renews its potential to yield its fruit and to demonstrate its praise (which is primarily of its produce [Deuteronomy 8:8]). The day on which the Land of Israel renews its power to bring forth its richness and fullness is indeed a day of joy for Israel, who settle her and love and yearn for the Land.    

            Thus, Tu biShvat has become connected not only to the fruit of the Land, but to the Land itself.

Tu biShvat Seder

There   are   four   (Halachic)   New  Years ... the first of Shvat is the new year for trees, in   the   opinion   of  the  House  of  Shamai. The House of Hillel says: on the fifteenth of the month                                                         Mishna, Rosh haShana 1:1

          Tu biShvat is the date which determines to which year of the Shemitta cycle fruit belongs. (In the first and second, fourth and fifth years, ma’aser sheni [the second tithe, to be brought to Jerusalem and eaten within the walls of the Holy City] is given. In the third and sixth years of the seven year cycle, ma’aser ani, [the tithe for the poor] is given.) Thus, it has been suggested that Tu biShvat essentially is the crucial date for “tax” purposes.

          The custom common in Israel of eating all types of fruits, including imported dried fruits, misses the point of Tu biShvat. The day has significance only in relation to mitzvot hatluyot baAretz (laws which pertain to the Land), therefore only fruits grown in Israel are appropriate for Tu biShvat.

          There is a custom, which apparently originated with the Kabbalists of Zefat, to hold a Tu biShvat Seder. The Seder features six of the seven species for which the Torah praises the Land of Israel: the five fruits (grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates), as well as wheat. While wheat is not a tree, our Sages refer to it as such.  In the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 70b), the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge Good and Bad (Genesis 3:6) was wheat!

          The Seder includes verses and comments of our Sages on the significance of each of the fruits.

          Following are brief examples, which are included in our Seder Tu biShvat.

Olive: Jeremiah [11:16] says: “The Lord called your name a leafy olive tree, fair with goodly fruit...” Our Sages comment that just as the olive tree requires a long time to produce its fruit, but then produces copious quantities, so too is Israel. The Talmudic legend is that following the destruction of the Temple, when Abraham feared that his descendants would be lost forever, God quoted this verse to show Abraham that there is hope for his children’s future. [Menaḥot 53b] Thus, the olive represents optimism. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the Temple menorah was lit specifically with olive oil.

Date: Psalms [92:13] says: “The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree...” Rabbi Levi adds a comment: “just as the palm has but a single heart (the spine of the frond), so too Israel has but one heart (focused) on their Father in heaven”. [Babylonian Talmud, Sukka 45b] Thus, the date palm is the symbol of the unity of Israel and the centrality of God in its national life. In essence, having God as Israel’s focal point defines the verse in Psalms.

Grape: Isaiah [5:7] calls Israel God’s vineyard: “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel...” The great Talmudic sage Reish Lakish follows up on Isaiah’s metaphor. The nation of Israel is compared to a grape vine... the clusters of grapes represent the scholars, the leaves represent the amei ha’aretz (the uneducated). If not for the leaves, the clusters could not be maintained. [Babylonian Talmud, Ḥullin 92a] Thus, the grape vine represents the importance of each individual Israelite, even those who are unlearned.

Fig: Rabbi Ḥiyya says, quoting Rebbi Yoḥanan: why is Torah compared to figs? Just as a fig-tree yields its fruit whenever it is shaken (figs ripen over a lengthy period), so does the Torah always yield new teachings whenever it is repeated.  [Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 54a] The fig thus represents the unlimited depths of Torah study.

Pomegranate: In the Song of Songs, King Solomon writes: “... your temples (rakatech) are like a pomegranate split open...” [4:3] Making a play on words, Reish Lakish comments “even the basest (reikanim) of you (Israel) are full of mitzvot as a pomegranate (is full of seeds). [Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a]

In parallel with his comment on the grape, Reish Lakish sees the pomegranate as well as the symbol of the greatness of even the ordinary Israelite.

          In summary, the fruits for which the Land is praised symbolize important lessons for the People of Israel: the unity of Israel, based upon devotion to God, the importance of each individual within Israel, optimism for Israel’s end and the tremendous value of Torah study. If we take these lessons to heart, Tu biShvat will be much more than a tree’s birthday.

Tu biShvat and the Primacy of Eretz Yisrael

          Rabbi Zadok haKohen of Lublin questions the relevance of Tu biShvat outside Israel. The “new year for trees”, [Mishna, Rosh haShana 1:1] after all, relates to the giving of ma’asrot (tithes), which applies only in the Holy Land. Further, Rabbi Zadok specifically asks: what is the point of eating fruit not grown in Israel in celebration of Tu biShvat?

          Finally, Rabbi Zadok quotes the Talmudic discussion (Berachot 20b) of whether the Torah itself obligates woman in the Grace After Meals, or perhaps their obligation is only by Rabbinic decree. Rashi explains the basis of the question thus: the Torah (Deuteronomy 8:10) states “You shall eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord for the good Land He has given you”; since women did not receive a portion of the Land, perhaps the Torah did not require them to bless God for the food they eat. According to this, Rabbi Zadok comments that perhaps the same question should arise concerning Jews living outside Israel. 

          The answer, says Rabbi Zadok, is found in a Talmudic comment in Tractate Ta’anit (10a): “Eretz Yisrael drinks of rain water, and the rest of the world drinks of remnant.” The lands outside the Holy Land receive their rain, as it were, only through the Holy Land. Therefore, the fruits of Hutz l’Aretz, exist only because of the influence of the Holy Land. Hence, it is appropriate to celebrate Tu biShvat even outside Israel and even with fruits not grown in the Holy Land.

          The Gaon of Vilna makes the same point, that the fruit of other lands is blessed incidentally through the blessing of the fruit of the Land of Israel. This, according to the Gaon, is the reason that throughout the world Jews pray for rain based upon the rainy season in the Holy Land. The Gaon goes even further and explains that the blessing for bread “Who brings forth bread from the land”’ refers to the Land of Israel, which is known in the Bible as “the Land”.

          Essentially, commemorating Tu biShvat should remind the Jews of Hutz l’Aretz of the primacy of Eretz Yisrael.

Much More Than the Trees' Birthday

Rabbi Ḥizkiya (says) in the name of Rav: a person is destined to give a reckoning for everything which his eyes saw and of which he did not partake. Rabbi Lazar was concerned about this comment and saved his pennies in order to be able to eat each thing once per year.     Jerusalem Talmud,  Kiddushin 4:12

            The Torah giant, Rabbi Meir Simḥa of Dvinsk, notes [Meshech Ḥochma, Genesis 2:16] that the source for Rav’s comment is a verse in Genesis:

God gave the man a commandment, saying, “You shall eat from every tree of the garden.” [2:16]

            God did not allow man to eat of the fruits of the Garden of Eden (except for the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge), rather He commanded him to benefit from them. It is fascinating to note that this is the first (and only!) mitzva given to Man before he sinned.

            The late Rabbi Ya’akov Nayman, Rosh Yeshivat Or Yisrael of Petaḥ Tikva, stresses the philosophical aspect of the mitzva to eat and benefit from “every tree of the garden.” Certainly, God could have made do with creating only what is necessary for mankind, yet He, in His goodness towards us, chose to provide things which increase man’s enjoyment. God’s expanded creation was for the sole purpose of providing benefit and pleasure for the pinnacle of His creation. Therefore, one who fails to take advantage of God’s bounty expresses his lack of appreciation of God’s creation, and essentially asserts that God’s work is unnecessary. As it were, God’s work should have been finished with the creation of bread and water. Beyond this, the tremendous variety of good things that God created for man should, ideally, bring man closer to God. Thus, one who does not partake of God’s goodliness is destined to give a reckoning both for being ungrateful to the Creator and for failing to take advantage of creation to achieve a greater closeness with the Creator.    

            Rabbi Nayman concludes that Tu biShvat, as the New Year for trees, should serve as a day of appreciation and examination of the wonders of creation. Through appreciating every type of fruit God provided, we must appreciate the Divine wisdom within nature and utilize this understanding to come closer to God through acknowledgment of His provision not only for our needs, but for our enjoyment as well.

            Thus, Tu biShvat is vastly more than the birthday of fruit trees. It is a day of reflection on creation and through that an opportunity to draw closer to the Creator.

Tu biShvat and Hanukka

            Though in contemporary times we relate to Tu biShvat as a holiday, it is not a true holiday. The earliest mention of the significance of the date is the Mishna’s statement [Rosh haShana 1:1] that the fifteenth of Shvat is the “new year for trees” (in the opinion of the House of Hillel, which is the accepted Halacha). The Mishna’s statement indeed conveys Halachic implications, as the relevance of this new year is in determining to which year of the six year cycle of ma’asrot (tithes) fruit belongs.

            Tu biShvat is mentioned in Shulḥan Aruch Oraḥ Ḥayyim only twice:

The custom is not to say taḥanun (penitential prayers) on the fifteenth of Shvat.                                                             131:6 The community does not institute a public fast on the fifteenth of Shvat, since it is the new year for trees.                            572:3

            Interestingly, Maimonides, in his codification of the Halacha [Mishneh Torah Laws of Prayer 5:15] omits Tu biShvat from the list of days on which it is customary to omit reciting taḥanun. Thus, it would seem that Tu biShvat was added to this list only sometime during the last eight hundred years.

            Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed notes two unique points concerning Tu biShvat versus all other holidays within the Jewish calendar. Firstly, other holidays commemorate historic events, while Tu biShvat does not. In essence, the other holidays look towards the past, while Tu biShvat looks to the future. This is especially true as the fifteen of Shvat is well before the trees will actually bear fruit. Secondly, every other holiday within our calendar commemorates a miraculous event, while Tu biShvat relates to nature, and conveys the message that nature is not independent of God, but is under His direct and constant supervision.

            It is worth noting that the holiday which precedes Tu biShvat is Hanukka. As we noted in a Dvar Torah for Hanukka, the concept of Divine supervision of nature was important in the Hanukka story as well. Greek culture and philosophy clashed with the traditional Jewish approach. The Greeks deified nature, while Judaism sees nature as being governed in a direct and ongoing way by the Almighty. Rabbi Yehoshua David Hartman phrases it thus: “for the Greeks, the miraculous was natural, while for Jews, nature is miraculous.”

            Thus, there is a conceptual continuity between the celebration of the Maccabean victory over the Greeks and the new year for trees.