This week has two very special dates with each one deserving its own special focus and attention. Although I will reserve my comments to sharing some insights on Tu B'Shvat - the New Year for Trees, it is however worth noting that many ideas expressed below share similarities and ideas for Yud Shevat which appear in the special discourse of Basi Legani.
"The righteous person shall flourish like the date palm..." wrote King David in Psalms. A righteous person is compared to a date palm as it bears exceptional fruit. Dates are one of the seven species for which the Land of Israel is praised. The Torah describes the Land of Israel as "a land of wheat, barley, vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olives that produce oil and honey (dates)." This Thursday, we will be celebrating Tu B'Shevat - the "New Year" of trees - thus, it is fitting to briefly discuss these seven types of produce and how they connect with our spiritual service:
- Wheat: Our Sages described wheat as "food for humans," an allusion to that aspect of our existence that makes us human - the G-dly soul. Like actual food, our G-dly soul's mission must be assimilated into the totality of our being.
- Barley: Barley is described as "food for animals." It refers to the elevation of the animal soul.
- Grapes: Grapes are used to produce wine, which "gladdens G-d and people."
- Figs: The Torah relates that fig leaves were used to make the first garments worn by Adam. Later, G-d gave man "garments of leather" ("ohr" spelled with the letter "ayin"), which Rabbi Meir in the Talmud refers to as "garments of light" (spelled with an "alef"). From this we learn that a Jew's service must involve spreading G-dly light.
- Pomegranates: We must always remember that every Jew is "as filled with mitzvot as a pomegranate is filled with seeds."
- Olives: Olives are bitter. A Jew's life should be characterized by sweetness, but in times of introspection, he must come to a state of bitterness when evaluating his spiritual achievements.
- Dates: Dates refer to the Torah's mystical dimensions, the study of which strengthens the inner dimensions of the Jewish soul.
Through developing our spiritual potential that relates to all these qualities, and spreading these concepts to others, may we merit to all dwell together in the Land of Israel so that we can all "partake of its produce and be sated with its goodness" in a manner of complete peace and tranquillity.
