Beth Shalom
Oceanside Jewish Center

Planting Trees and Hope

Parshat BeShalach
Shabbat Shira/ Tu Bishvat
January 18, 2003  -  15 Shevat 5763

It's not often that Tu Bishvat and Shabbat fall on the same day as they do this year. Add to that the fact that this is also Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath on which we read "Az Yashir," the song which Israel sang at Red Sea, and we become aware that we have ample reason to celebrate today. This is the day on which we not only plant trees (when it's not Shabbat, of course) but also a season that gives us the sense of hope. Shabbat Shira always comes out in close proximity to Tu Bishvat - one might say we plant the seeds of hope on Shabbat Shira. Right here in the middle of winter we have our first taste of spring.

You might be surprised to learn, then, that Tu Bishvat was not always the Jewish version of Arbor Day. That's a relatively recent reincarnation of this ancient observance. In fact I'm not even sure that Tu Bishvat was originally even a holiday in the true sense of the word.

The Mishnah mentions that there are four "Roshei Shanah," four new years, in the Jewish calendar: the first of Tishrei, the first of Nissan, the first day of Elul and the month of Shevat. These were not necessarily occasions for celebration but rather significant dates in the Jewish calendar which marked important events in the cycle of the year. While Tishrei and Nisan each welcomed the beginning of an important holiday season they served other purposes as well. Tishrei was also the beginning of the year for marking the Jubilee and Sabbatical year, while Nisan was "the beginning of the year for kings." In other words, no matter when a king took office, the first day of Nissan marked the beginning of the second year of his monarchy.

Elul and Shevat, on the other hand, had to do with the yearly agricultural cycle. Elul was the new year for tithing one's livestock. The Torah required our ancestors to set aside a tenth of the herd and flock for God. One judged what the tithe for the past year was based on the first of Elul. In other words, it was ancient Israel's version of April 15th. Similarly, Shevat was the day for setting aside one's priestly obligations from trees. By the way, the day of Rosh Hashanah Li'elanot was not completely clear: According to Beit Shammai it was the first of Shevat and according to Beit Hillel it was the fifteenth of Shevat.

In ancient Israel there was no fanfare or celebration on Tu Bishvat. I'm not even sure people went out and planted trees. It was simply a day to be marked by filling out the proper Jewish version of the 1040 form so that you could pay your annual tithe to the temple. It's only been in the last century that Tu Bishvat has taken on greater significance with the reclamation of the land of Israel by the Jewish National Fund. Suddenly planting trees became a Mitzvah in which every child in religious school had to participate. Songs were written about the blossoming of the Almond tree and Tu Bishvat became a celebration of our connection to the land of Israel. Tu Bishvat, it seems to me has more to do with modern miracles than ancient traditions - in the course of the past century the JNF has planted over 200 million trees in Israel. That is truly an awesome acclompishment!

I was reminded of the importance of the JNF recently while closing up my mother's apartment in Harrisburg. Among the many papers that I found there was a document from the JNF that was at least 60 years. It acknowledged a contribution made in memory of Morris Greenspan, my grand-father and namesake for the reclamation for a fifth of a dunam of land in Palestine. We sometimes forget that the JNF is more than just trees - it was responsible for purchasing and reclaiming thousand of acres of land before Israel even existed. That work continues today with the building of Israel's infrastructure and creating a system of water works so that Israel can survive.

Actually, Jewish mystics in the sixteenth century already began to sense the importance of Tu Bishvat four centuries ago. They composed a special Seder modeled after the Haggadah which celebrated the importance of the fruit that grew in the land of Israel and the seasonal changes they witnessed taking place around them. Today the Tu Bishvat Seder has become a popular custom in many communities though it has been colored more by the agenda of the JNF than the mystical ideas of the ancient Kabbalists. Still, it acknowledges that every tree, every blossom is a miracle.

Maybe what's most significant about Tu Bishvat is the importance of trees in the minds of the Jewish people. From the opening chapters of the Bible, great importance has been placed on trees and the role they play in our lives. The Garden of Eden centered on an Etz Ha Hayim. And for our forefathers, trees were often places of dwelling and contemplation. Abraham, we are told, dwelled at "Elon Moreh, the terebinth of Moreh, literally the tree of a teacher, and the prophetess Deborah is remembered for sitting beneath a palm tree, Tomer Devorah. Later in the book of Deuteronomy, we're told that trees must be protected, even in times of war. "Are the trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?" the Torah asks in warning us against cutting down fruit trees when laying siege to a city. Trees represent the future. And even in times of war we must protect them.

The tree as a symbol of hope and the future is best illustrated in the well known story of the folk hero, Honi the circle maker, found in the Talmud. Honi comes upon an elderly man planting a carob tree. Surprised that his man would go to such effort, he says to him: Why do you bother to plant this carob - don't you know that it will not bear fruit for seventy years: long after you're dead?" The old man replies, "Just as my grandparents planted for me, so I plant for my grand- children." In the end Honi becomes the Jewish Rip Van Winkle. The Talmud says that he slept for seventy years only to awaken to find the old man's grandchildren feasting on the carob from his tree. Trees are a powerful symbol that what we plant today will bear fruit in future generation. And that applies as much to the tree of life as it does to fruit trees.

It's not surprising, then, that trees would become so important to the Jewish people. Trees are a symbol of hope and illumination - even the Torah is referred to as a "tree of life." When we plant seeds or seedlings we plant hope. We prepare for the next generation. We must make this effort not only physically but spiritually by planting the seeds of the tree of life, our Torah to future generations.

Before I end this morning, I feel that I must mention one more symbolic "tree" that symbolizes the special nature of this week. A few days ago the Shuttle took off for a sixteen day mission with Elan Ramon, the son of Holocaust survivor and the first representative of the state of Israel to visit outer space. Elan's first name means tree (we call Tu Bishvat Hag Ha-elan-ot.) Is it only a coincidence that his space mission is taking place this week? Although Elan does not consider himself a religious Jew he is most definitely a proud Jew - he went to great trouble to make sure that he would have kosher food on his mission and he has announced that he plans to mark the Sabbath while circling the earth. No doubt as he looks down at the earth he'll be able to see the lush green that now covers the state of Israel - a product of our efforts as a people to replenish the land of Israel.

So in the face of a dark and sometimes dismal times in which we are living, when we live in fear of war and destruction, maybe we can find a some reason for hope. If we can plant a tree today, maybe there is still reason to believe that we can assure the future for our children and grandchildren.

Maybe we should remember what the Talmud says: "If you are planting a tree and someone tells you that the Messiah has come, first finish planting the tree and then follow the Messiah." As long as we can plant trees there will be seeds of hope for the future!

Shabbat Shalom