BH
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| Tu B'Shvat |
Dearest friends
and comrades. Shalom. I hope this post finds everyone healthy, happy and
holding on.
A few ideas
about the personal significance of Tu B'Shvat - the New Year of fruit-bearing
trees:
The Torah
teaches us that from the time of planting a fruit-bearing tree, it is forbidden
to eat of its fruits for the first 3 full years. These 3 years are called
"Orlah". The 4th year fruits have a special holiness to them in that
they can only be eaten in Yerushalayim when the Holy Temple was standing
(today, since there is no Temple yet, these 4th year fruit are also forbidden
to be eaten). These are called "Neta Reva-ii". After that, the fruits
of the tree are totally permissible.
The yearly
cycle of the fruit trees are counted starting from their new year which begins
on the 15th day of Shvat - Tu B'Shvat. This means that if a tree was planted -
say - in the month of Kislev (2 months before Shvat), then those 2 months are
considered already as being the first year when reaching Tu B'Shvat.
* * *
In Kabbalistic and
Chassidic teachings the significance of these 3+1 years is as follows:
The creation is
divided into 3 categories of status:
- the totally impure
- the in-between
- the totally purê
These are
expressed in Yechezkel's vision of the Divine Chariot (Ezekiel 1:4):
"I looked and behold, from the north came forth a "Ruach
Se'arah" - storm wind, "Anan Kaved" - a great cloud, and an
"Esh Mitlakachat" - a burning fire, with a "Nogah" -
brightness surrounding it; and from within the fire there was a
"Chashmal" - glow."
The first 3
images - Ruach Se'arah, Anan Kaved and Esh Mitlakachat - signify the totally
impure forces in this world. They correspond to the stages in getting a person
to stumble and sin:
- First a person is thrown off-path and off-guard in order to get him imbalanced and more susceptible and subdued to sin and leave the proper path. This is the storm wind - Ruach Se'arah.
- Next a person's mind and proper consciousness is "clouded" with rationalizations and justifications to "permit" his improper and wrong actions. This is the great cloud - Anan Kaved.
- Then, with all the barriers broken, one is left overwhelmed and over"heated" to simply commit the sinful and wrong act. This is the burning fire - Esh Mitlakachat.
The 4th image -
Nogah - is a type of shell which surrounds the first 3. Although it is not an
impure force, due to it's close proximity to the first 3, it has the
characteristics and admixture of both good and bad. Thus it is a brightness
that can shine and illuminate towards the 3 evil forces or to the opposite side
of holiness.
The 5th image -
Chashmal - is a holy and positive force which has within it the power to battle
and "burn-out" the 3 evil forces.
*
Man - due to his ability to
exercise free-will - is placed in the category of Nogah. It is up to him to
sanctify himself by drawing himself towards the force of Chashmal, or to,
Heaven forbid, the opposite direction. The main force and weapon of man to use
in order to reach the level of Chashmal is his speech, i.e.
to sanctify and purify his speech through words of holiness. In
this vein our Sages teach that 'Cha'Sh'Mal is an acronym for "Chayot Esh
Melalelot" - fire-speaking creatures. By speaking words of "holy
fire", i.e. fiery words of holiness and purity, we can burn off and break
the influences of the 3 impure forces.
(for more on
this, see Likutey Moharan #19, along with the commentary Parparaot LeChokhmah)
*
Fruit-bearing trees - which
are compared to man, as in the verse (Devarim 20:19): "... For
man [is like] the [fruit-bearing] tree of the field..." - thus share a
common characteristic.
Just as man
must totally avoid the first 3 impure forces, so too the fruit-bearing tree has
these 3 impurities attached to its fruit during the first 3 years. One must
wait for Tu B'Shvat to activate the change of status to the next 4th level -
Nogah. By Nogah, too, one is limited to eating the fruit only in Yerushalayim -
an extreme level of holiness. If one cannot do so, one must wait until the next
Tu B'Shvat New Year to pass on to the domain of holiness.
This is
reflected in Adam's commandment of not eating of the fruit of the Tree of
Knowledge of good and bad (which corresponds to Nogah). The Kabbalah teaches
that if Adam were to have "waited" until the commencement of the
Shabbat he would have then been allowed to eat of the tree's fruit.
This time-lapse
of waiting for the upcoming new year, is also an example of the holy force of
the Chashmal, since "waiting" and yearning for holiness is mainly
expressed in speech (see Likutey Moharan, lesson 31).
May we merit
this Tu B'Shvat - like the fruit-bearing trees of the field - to be
renewed with fiery and strong energy to utilize our faculty of pure, sanctified
speech, thus connecting us to the primary force of Creation - Hashem's
speech/Lashon HaKodesh (the Holy Tongue). And through all this may we rectify
the sin of Adam - to eat of the Tree of Knowledge in it's proper time,
Amen.
* * *
For those
interested in the Mitzvah of helping support poor and needy large families
living in the Holy Land during these tough financial times may do so
by following this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=43L2R4XSC7GL4
As a token for your help
and support please include your Hebrew name along with
mother's Hebrew name (if applicable) so that we can daven for you -
bli neder - for the next 40 consecutive days including sporadic prayers
at the Holy Cites here (e.g. the Kotel, Kever Rachel, King David's
grave etc.)
Shalom, be well and be
strong
Sincerely
 |
| Meir Elkabas |
Meir Elkabas from Jerusalem
email: breslovtherapy@gmail.com
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