Tu B’Shvat

Tu B’Shvat

A few days ago was Tu B’Shvat, which chazal call Rosh Hashana La’ilan, the new year for trees, or “the tree”. It marks the dividing line between one year and the other regarding Trumos and Mayseros, and the like.

There is a popular song that we sing on Tu Be’Shvat, Ilan Ilan, whose words are (more or less) the gemara in Taanis, which recalls that when Rav Yitzchak wanted to bless Rav Nachman, he expressed himself in a parable of a person in the desert who is hungry and thirsty, who finds a tree who has sweet fruit, and whose shade is cool, and which has a water source that runs underneath it. He ate and drank and rested, and then said, “ilan ilan”, oh tree, oh tree, how should I bless you? That you should have sweet fruit? You already have sweet fruit. That you should have a nice shade? You have a nice shade. That a water source should run underneath you? You have a water source that runs underneath you. Rather, it should be His will that all of the saplings which are planted from you, should be just like you.

Searching for Jewish Beliefs? Click Here for my main article on Jewish Beliefs.

Tu B’Shvat: Sweet Fruits

We sing this song on Tu B’Shvat because of it being the Rosh Hashana for the tree. It is also appropriate in the spirit of a Torah verse which compares a person to a tree. Well, sort of, anyway that’s how it’s taken al pi drush. Tu B’Shvat, sweet fruits, all kinds of fruits. The custom indeed is to eat sweet fruits on Tu B’Shvat. It’s a good sign.

It occurred to me to ask: In the parable, he praised the tree for its sweet fruits, nice shade, and water source passing by underneath the tree. What does the water source have to do with the quality of the tree, why is that something to praise? The sweet fruits and the nice shade are good points about the tree which it would be applicable to bless that the saplings should be like the father. But a water source underneath? This is dependent on where they plant the sapling – if they plant it on a water source, then it will have a water source running underneath, and if not, not.

In the nimshal, the comparison, if we say that water stands for Torah, or children, then it makes sense, but in the parable it would seem that it doesn’t make sense.

I thought to say that the location is at least a merit, if not necessarily an intrinsic good point. Not every tree is lucky enough to have a water source flowing underneath, so just like you were found worthy, so may your saplings have the merit that they are planted by running water. Similar we find in Pirkei Avos that Rebi Yosi Ben Kisma said that he is willing to give up all the money in the world to be allowed to live in a place of Torah learning.

I met someone who added to this idea. He said that the tachlis of a tree, like all of creation, is for the use of man to do the Avodas Hashem. What is the tachlis of the fruits and the shade if not that man can enjoy them and put that enjoyment to good use. So too the water flowing underneath, it is an additional source of pleasure for the person standing underneath the tree. Therefore, we wish for the tree that the saplings will equally be able to fulfill their tachlis just like the father, to provide enjoyment for people in order to help them with Avodas Hashem.