“The 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat is the official “birthday” for trees in Israel. Calculating the years of a tree is necessary for several mitzvot of the Torah: ma’asorot - tithing [of each year’s fruit]; orla-forbidden fruit of a tree’s first three years; reva’i-[redemption of] the fruit of a tree’s fourth year; […]
“Why is Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement? Shouldn’t it be reversed – first atone and then be judged?” Then he answered his own question: This is a sign of G-d’s greatness and kindness to us. First, He makes a day when we judge and assess our shortcomings. […]
1. From the Holy Kabbalists “The Mystical Dimension of Hakhel”“At the end of seven years, at the time of the Sabbatical year, on the festival of Sukkot….” [31, 10]If you will analyze the mystical dimension of the commandment of Hakhel, you will find that just as the Shemittah year itself is an allusion to the 7th millennium during which our universe will […]
“Doorways & Shady Characters” Zohar parashat Vaetchanan, p. 264a
(One of the commandments in this week’s parasha relates to writing verses from the Torah and placing them on the doorposts of the house (Deut. 6:9). The inner meaning of this commandment, to affix mezuzot (the plural of “mezuzah”), is discussed by The Faithful Shepherd (Moses) in […]
THE MEANING OF TU B’SHVAT.
Rabbi Nathan Schapira From Tuv HaAretz
The 15th day of the Jewish month of Shvat is the official “birthday” for trees in Israel. Calculating the years of a tree is necessary for several mitzvot of the Torah: ma’asorottithing [of each year’s fruit]; orlah-forbidden fruit of tree’s first three years; reva’i-[redemption of] fruit of tree’s fourth year; shmittah-the Sabbatical year. Tu b’Shvat is considered the beginning of the year for trees because it is the mid-point of winter: the strength of the cold becomes less, the majority of the year’s rains (in Israel) have fallen, and the sap of the trees starts to rise.
As a result, fruit begins to form. Fruit already ripe is known to have been nurtured by the previous year’s rain.)Know that everything G-d created, He created male and female. This was in order for them multiply. Even water was created with both aspects. G-d created the firmament to separate [i.e. distinguish] between the two types of waters.
[”Male waters” are considered those which descend from above, i.e. rain, while “female waters” are considered those which originate terrestrially, such as lake water and various forms of man-made irrigation techniques.]
Know that all the vegetables do not require the “male” waters to grow for they can even thrive with the “female” waters. That is true due to their humility. The one exception is wheat, as will be explained shortly. Whereas fruit trees, which are tall, i.e. arrogant, they will not produce fruits unless they receive “male” waters.
The exception to this is the etrog (citron). The reason for its exception is that it is the choicest of fruit, for it can be consumed entirely, as well as its status of not being arrogant as the rest of the trees. Therefore as our sages have said: “the etrog grows on all waters” (Sukka 35a), meaning, “whether ‘male’ or ‘female’”.
Wheat is elevated above all other vegetables (in that G-d has created it as the staple of nutrition) and can be considered as a fruit of the tree. [There are opinions in the Talmud that the very Tree of Knowledge was a wheat tree.] Therefore it will not produce fruit with out “male” waters. That is why you might observe that some years, despite abundant rainfall, the land doesn’t produce abundant crops, while in some years there might be a minimal rainfall, yet the crops abound. This is because the wheat harvest depends upon “male” waters. Likewise in the future, the wheat plant will produce kernels the size of ‘hot-dog’ buns.
We see that 29 of the 30 types of fruits can grow only with a particular type of “male” water. Yet the etrog can grow even by means of drawn water. This is what is meant when the sages say, “Etrogs grow on all waters” (Sukka 38a). This is why etrogs share certain laws (like those of tithing) with vegetables (which also grow with water of an earthly origin). Yet this is why it is called a “fruit of the beautiful tree” [in Hebrew, “pri etz hadar“]. It’s humility is its beauty. This is because the most significant and beautiful trait in G-d’s eyes is humility.
Know that everything physical in this corporeal world originates from a spiritual example of it in the heavens. In other words, the physical is a mere shadow of the spiritual.
In this fashion, all 30 types of fruits can be found above in their spiritual form, hue, and shape. It is only that up in heaven they are in their spiritual form and down below they are in their physical form - as a shadow of their spirit.
Rabbi Nathan Schapira, an honored member of an eminent Polish rabbinical family, moved to Israel from Cracow during the 17th century, where he became part of a consortium of kabbala scholars. It is reported that he wrote the volume Tuv Haaretz during a trip to Italy, where he was encouraged to print it by R. Moshe Zaccuto, as an effort to ease the emotional and financial hardships of the people at that time, caused by terrible pogroms.
CLASSIC THOUGHTS
We have a tradition from our fathers to pray on Tu b’Shvat that G-d should make available for us a kosher and especially beautiful esrog in time for Sukkot. -Benei Yisasschar
After Sukkot we fry the esrog that we used for the Four Species, and on Tu b’Shvat we eat it. –Likutei Maharich
Rabbi Nathan Schapira From Tuv HaAretz
