A Word From The Rabbi
Dear Friend,
This Wednesday, we celebrate the holiday of Tu B'Shevat - The New Year for the Trees. As kids, many of us saved our pennies and bought trees to be planted in Israel in honor of Tu B'Shevat.
We knew that it was the "New Year for Trees," whatever that meant, and that was about it. But why the big emphasis on trees - so much so that there is a special mitzva in the Torah not to destroy fruit-bearing trees when conquering enemy lands?!
The Torah itself tells us that a person is similar to a tree. This likeness is particularly noticeable in a spiritual sense.
A tree has roots, a trunk and branches, and fruit or seed.
The root is the means of obtaining the nourishing substances from the earth necessary to the tree's life. It also provides a firm entrenchment for the plant against the wind. It is by far the most important life-giving agent of the plant, though the leaves also contribute toward the nourishment of the tree.
The trunk and branches provide the main body of the tree, and clearly mark the growth and development of the tree.
But the tree reaches perfection only upon producing a nut, or seed, or seed-bearing fruit, for in it lies the potential for the procreation of its kind, generation after generation.
How are these three components similar to a person's spiritual life?
The root is his faith which links the Jew with his origin, and which constantly obtains for him his spiritual nourishment.
The trunk and branches are the Torah and mitzvot. These must grow even as the age of a tree increases its stem and branches.
But the fruit, which more than anything else justifies the existence of the tree, is the good deeds of man, those mitzvot which benefit others as well as self, and which have within them the seed that produces similar good deeds.
The roots of the Jew and his very link with the origin of this life lie in his true faith in G‑d and in all the fundamental principles of our religion. Unless the roots are firm, and firmly embodied in the soil, the tree, despite its trunk and branches and leaves, will not withstand the strong wind. The development and advancement—and, in fact, the entire stature—of the Jew can be seen through his good deeds, in the practice of the Torah and the performance of mitzvot. Finally, his perfection comes through the fruit, by benefitting others, and helping to perpetuate our great heritage.
Wishing you a successful week,
Rabbi Yudy Shemtov
Senior Rabbi/Executive Director