Tu B'Shevat - חג האילנות - ט"ו בשבט
By Paqid Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
In this study I would like to examine the minor festival of Tu B’Shevat, the new year for the trees. This festival begins the spring cyle of festivals as we explored in our study of rains. This festival celebrates the beginning of spring as the sap begins to rise in the trees that have been dormant during the winter.
So, when is Tu B’Shevat? The following dates detail the dates for Tu B’Shevat for the next few years:
Shevat 15, 5768 Begins at sundown on Monday, January 21 and ends at sundown on Tuesday, January 22, 2008.
Shevat 15, 5769 Begins at sundown on Sunday, February 8 and ends at sundown on Monday, February 9, 2009.
Shevat 15, 5770 Begins at sundown Friday, January 29 and ends at sundown on Saturday, Jan 30, 2010
The name "Tu B'Shevat", or Hamishah Asar B'Shevat, are ways of saying the fifteenth of Shevat which corresponds with January/February on the Gregorian calendar. To understand the “Tu” we need to understand that the "T" is the English transliteration of the of the Hebrew letter "Tav", which is used to represent the number nine. The "u" is the English transliteration of the Hebrew letter "Vav", which is used to represent the number six. In Hebrew the numbers are the letters. So, nine plus six is fifteen.
Tu B'Shevat is not an appointment with HaShem; it is not a festival. Never the less, it is a Biblically significant day. This is one of four days which are called Rosh Hashana, New Year, because it is the New Year for the titheing of the fruit of the tree. The Talmud speaks of this:
Rosh
HaShana 2a CHAPTER I, MISHNAH. THERE ARE FOUR NEW YEARS. ON THE
FIRST OF NISAN IS NEW YEAR FOR KINGS AND FOR
FESTIVALS. ON THE FIRST OF ELUL IS NEW YEAR FOR THE
TITHE OF CATTLE. R. ELEAZAR AND R. SIMEON, HOWEVER, PLACE THIS ON THE FIRST OF TISHRI. ON THE FIRST OF TISHRI IS NEW YEAR FOR
YEARS, FOR RELEASE AND JUBILEE YEARS, FOR
The Mishna tells us that the
Rosh Hashanah for
The Tree
The Pri Tzaddik points out, it is not called the
"Rosh Hashanah for the trees," but for "the tree"
(singular); whenever the word "tree" is used, it always refers to
Torah, which is called "Aitz Chaim," the Tree
of Life.
We all know that the agricultural seasons for planting and
harvesting do not usually coincide with the beginning and end of our calendar. As these gifts are gifts of produce which
depend on a yearly cycle (as each year's
harvest is subject to these gifts, in addition to the fact that the gift may
differ from year to year, as mentioned above), a definition of a year is needed so we know the cut-off
point for inclusion of the produce in a specific year, and hence subject to a
specific year's gift requirement. The beginning of the agricultural year for
trees as far as these gifts go is the fifteenth of Shevat, the New Year for
Trees. For example: The present Jewish year is 5768. If a fruit was formed on
the tree before the fifteenth of Shevat 5768, it is included with all fruits
that were formed from Shevat fifteen, 5767 until
Shevat fifteen, 5768. If the fruit was formed after Shevat fifteen, 5768, it is
included with the fruits formed from Shevat fifteen, 5768 until Shevat fifteen,
5769 for purposes of determining to which year's gift it will be subject. This
is the significance of the New Year for Trees.
No Ta'anith (fasting) is permitted on Tu B’Shevat since it is the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) of the trees.
Tu B’Shevat is the day when the fruit of a tree is evaluated for the purpose of tithing. There are three Biblical tithes that applied to the fruit of the tree. The portions are separated according to the seven years of the Shmita cycle. In the following scriptures, we will examine the scripture that relate to this tithe:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 25:2-9 "Speak to
the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give
you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to HaShem. For six years sow your
fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in
the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to HaShem. Do
not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself
or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the
sabbath year will be food for you--for yourself, your
manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live
among you, As well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land.
Whatever the land produces may be eaten. "'Count
off seven sabbaths of years--seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths
of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth
day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement
sound the trumpet throughout your land.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 27:30-31 "'A tithe of everything from the land,
whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to HaShem; it is
holy to HaShem. If a man redeems any of his
tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 18:25-32 HaShem said to Moses, "Speak to the
Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give
you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of
that tithe as HaShem’s offering. Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain
from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.
In this way you also will present an offering to HaShem from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites.
From these tithes you must give HaShem’s portion to Aaron the priest. You must present as HaShem’s portion the best
and holiest part of everything given to you.' "Say to the Levites: 'When
you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. You and your households may eat the rest
of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the Tent
of Meeting. By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in
this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings
of the Israelites, and you will not die.'"
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:1-16 When you have entered the land HaShem your G-d is giving you as an inheritance and have taken
possession of it and settled in it, Take some of the firstfruits of all that
you produce from the soil of the land HaShem your G-d is giving you and put
them in a basket. Then go to the place HaShem your G-d will choose as a dwelling for his Name And say to the priest in office
at the time, "I declare today to HaShem your G-d that I have come to the
land HaShem swore to our forefathers
to give us." The priest shall take the basket
from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of HaShem your G-d. Then
you shall declare before HaShem your G-d: "My father was a wandering
Aramean, and he went down into
Nehemiah 10:34-39 "We--the priests, the Levites and the
people--have cast lots to determine when each of our families is to bring to
the house of our G-d at set times each year a
contribution of wood to burn on the altar of HaShem our G-d, as it is written
in the Law. "We also assume responsibility for
bringing to the house of HaShem each year the firstfruits of our crops and of
every fruit tree. "As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the
firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the
house of our G-d, to the priests ministering there. "Moreover, we will
bring to the storerooms of the house of our G-d, to the priests, the first of
our ground meal, of our [grain] offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of
our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites,
for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work. A
priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the
tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of
our HaShem, to the storerooms of the treasury. The people of
In Shulchan Aruch[1],
which discusses the days on which we do not say Tachanun (a special prayer of
supplications which is not recited on joyous days), we find that Tu B'Shevat is
one of those festive days on which we do not recite the Tachanun prayer. Commenting on this law,
the Magen Avraham writes that "The custom of the Ashkenaz is to increase
the consumption of different types of fruits on this day," in honor of the
significance of the day to trees and their fruits. This is a custom which many
people keep today, using fruits which the Torah mentions in conjunction with
the
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 8:6-10 Observe the
commands of HaShem your G-d, walking in his ways and
revering him. For HaShem your G-d is bringing you into a good land--a land with
streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; A
land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and
honey; A land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land
where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have
eaten and are satisfied, praise HaShem your God for the
good land he has given you.
The honey, in the above passage is date honey. This means that the land of Israel is especially praised for the following fruits:
|
Wheat |
Barley |
Grapes |
Figs |
Pomegranates |
Olives |
Dates |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Since the Torah mentions them in a particular order, so too do we bless HaShem in this order if we have any or all of the above fruits.
The three tithes associated with Tu B’Shevat are:
1. Terumah or Maaser rishon - A 1% portion separated for the Levites every year.
2. Maaser shini - Literally, the second tithe (tenth). A 10% portion the owner was to eat "before HaShem" on the first, second, fourth, and fifth Shmita years. Any Jew who lived too far away from the Sanctuary to bring this tithe there could instead bring its monetary value with which he was to purchase food there and enjoy a festive meal with his family and the Levi'im. (The Ma'aser Sheni was taken after the Terumah [Kohen's portion] and Ma'aser Rishon [Levite's portion] had been removed.
3. Maaser Oni - A 10% portion that was given to the poor in the third and sixth years. This tithe was consumed at home, rather than brought to the Sanctuary
In the seventh year, there is no planting or reaping, so there are no portions to separate
The Halachic proposition is that the seven year shmita cycle obligates us to give fruit tithes to the Levites (who are landless), according to and also to the poor, Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:1-16.. These gifts are given during the first, second, fourth and fifth years. However, during the third year, and so too the sixth year, this self-same tithe is eaten by the land owner, but only within the domain of Jerusalem, as "Maaser Shini", the second tithe.
What is the decisive border-line date used to decide what belongs to the second year and what to the third year? The decision is made by ascertaining just when the tree blossomed its fruits, before Tu-B'Shevat or after. Because technically the day when trees stop absorbing water from the ground, and instead draw nourishment from their sap. In Jewish law, this means that fruit which has blossomed prior to the fifteenth of Shevat could not be used as tithe for fruit which blossomed after that date. Until this critical date, it yet belongs to the previous (second) year. After that, it is considered to belong to the "third year". (Note: likewise with orlah (fruits produced by a tree during the first three years after its planting), fruits are prohibited until Tu-B'Shevat of the fourth year, and so too the stipulation not to deliver "terumot (the 1% portion separated for the Levites every year) or bikurim" (firstfruits) from fruits of one year, as consideration for fruits of another year, the demarcation line is Tu-B'Shevat.)
Since the
Why Tu B'Shevat?
Rosh
HaShana 14a ON THE FIRST OF SHEVAT IS NEW YEAR FOR TREES. What is
the reason? R. Eleazar said in the name
of R. Oshaia: Because [by then] the greater part of the year's rain has fallen[2] and the greater part of the cycle[3] is still to come. What is the sense of this?
What it means is this: `Although the greater part of the cycle
is still to come, yet since the greater part of the year's rain
has fallen, [therefore etc.]'.
The above Talmud says that the majority of winter rains fall before Tu B'Shevat. How so? Since the first rains are expected by the seventeenth of Cheshvan, three months pass until Tu B'Shevat, and the rest of the winter season is only two and a half months (until the end of Nisan).
In Jewish law the
"majority" is given full weight and authority
as if unanimous. We find that all of the agricultural laws of the Holy land of
So too, in our winter rain season. If three months pass, out of a sum total of five and a half months (starting with 17th of Cheshvan) it is legally considered as if the entire year has passed.
A fruit which blossomed before the fifteenth of Shevat is considered to be produce of the previous
year. If it blossomed afterwards, it is produce of the new year. [By
comparison, grains, vegetables, and legumes have the same New Year as humans,
the 1st of Tishri.] In
"FOR MAN IS AS A TREE IN
THE FIELD"
(Devarim 20:19)
Rabbi Uri from Strelisk used to say :"A man should work forever, doing full and honest labor in order to rise step by step in the service of HaShem. But do not look back every few minutes to see if you are progressing. For man is like a tree. And do you look at a tree continually to see how it is growing? If you did, you would see nothing and become tired of looking, unless you prune it and protect it, trim and fertilize and water it to protect it from damage and danger and strong winds. Then the tree will grow and prosper and become beautiful. So must man rid himself of all those things which spoil him, and tend all the qualities which aid him in the service of HaShem so that he will grow and prosper. It is, however, not a virtue to measure from hour to hour how much he has grown."
Many fruits and vegetables from Eretz Yisrael are now
available in the
Here is the tithe-taking procedure:
1. A penny, nickel, or dime must be in front of you (at least one cent for every ingredient that grew in Eretz Yisrael).
2. Break or cut off slightly more than one one-hundredth of the food and set it aside from the rest.
3. Say the following: IF THERE IS ONLY ONE TYPE OF FOOD THAT REQUIRES SEPARATIONS, THEN WHATEVER IS MORE THAN ONE ONE-HUNDREDTH OF THAT FOOD SHALL BE TERUMAH ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PIECE WHICH I HAVE SET ASIDE, THE REST OF IT ALONG WITH NINE OTHER SIMILAR PIECES ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ORIGINAL FOOD SHALL BE MAASER RISHON. THAT SAME REMAINDER OF THE BROKEN-OFF PIECE SHALL BE TERUMAS MAASER. FURTHERMORE, I AM PROCLAIMING MAASER SHENI TO BE IN EFFECT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE FOOD, AND I AM REDEEMING IT AND ITS FIFTH ON A PERUTA OF THIS COIN WHICH I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME. IF THIS FOOD NEEDS MAASER ONI, THE MAASER ONI SHALL TAKE EFFECT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE FOOD. IF THIS FOOD IS SUBJECT TO THE LAWS OF NETA REVOI THEN IT AND ITS FIFTH (a redemption surcharge) SHALL BE REDEEMED ON A PERUTA OF THIS COIN WHICH I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME. IF THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF FOOD HERE WHICH REQUIRES SEPARATIONS, TITHE-TAKING AND/OR REDEMPTION, THEN THIS DECLARATION SHALL HAVE EFFECT ON EACH TYPE OF FOOD SEPARATELY FOR ITS OWN TYPE.
There is a short-cut to the above declaration. Hang this declaration up in a conspicuous place in your room. Follow steps one and two. When you get to step three, say: ALL SEPARATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS SHALL TAKE EFFECT AS SPECIFIED ON THE PIECE OF PAPER OUTLINING THE PROCEDURE OF SEPARATING TITHES AND OF REDEMPTIONS THAT IS HANGING IN MY ROOM.
4. Wrap the broken or cut-off piece in a piece of plastic and discard.
5. The penny, nickel, or dime coin must be disposed of in a manner such that it will never be used again (by anyone).
NOTE: If the Maaser Sheni (9% of the food) is not worth a U.S. penny the above procedure cannot be followed.
There is a connection between Tu B'Shevat and Shavuot. Tu B'Shevat is the New Year for the trees. Any tree that has bloomed before Tu B'Shevat is considered to be bearing fruit from the previous calendar year. A tree that blooms on or after Tu B'Shevat is therefore bearing the fruit of the current calendar year. On Shavuot the world is judged concerning the fruits of the trees. How are they judged? If the fruits are the children and the trees are the parents, and Tu B'Shevat is the New Year upon which hinges the bloom of the trees, then it is clear that the factor which is being judged is that which Shavuot comes to teach us: The Torah.
This next section contains most of the Talmudic material on Tu B'Shevat that does not appear elsewhere in this paper. I have provided it as reference material:
Rosh
HaShana 14b Our Rabbis taught: `It is recorded of R. Akiba that he
once plucked a citron tree on the first of Shevat and gave two tithes from it[4],
one[5] in accordance with the ruling of Beth Shammai
and one[6] in accordance with the ruling of Beth Hillel.[7] R. Jose b. Judah said: He did not follow the
[two] rulings of Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel, but the [two] rulings of Rabban
Gamaliel and R. Eliezer, as we have learnt:[8] `A citron tree follows the rule of a tree in
three respects and of a vegetable in one respect. It follows the rule of a tree
in three respects _ for `uncircumcision,'[9] for fourth-year fruit, and for the Sabbatical year. It follows the rule of a vegetable in
one respect, its tithe [year] being determined by its plucking. So Rabban
Gamaliel. R. Eliezer, however, says that a citron follows the rule of a tree in
all respects.[10]
But is it right to adopt the harder
rule from both sides?[11] Has it not been taught: `As a general
principle, the halachah follows Beth Hillel. If one
prefers, however, to adopt the rule of Beth Shammai, he may do so, and if he
desires to adopt the rule of Beth Hillel he may do so. One, however, who adopts
the more lenient rulings of both Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel [on the same
subject] is a bad man, while to one who adopts the more stringent rulings of
both Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel may be applied the verse, But the fool walketh in darkness.[12] No; either one must follow Beth Shammai both
where they are more severe and more lenient or Beth Hillel both where they are
more severe and more lenient'? [The answer is that] R. Akiba was doubtful about
the tradition, and did not know whether Beth Hillel fixed [the New Year for
trees] on the first of Shevat or on the fifteenth of Shevat.[13]
Tu B'Shevat[14]
Trees contribute so much to our lives as human beings that it is only fitting that we take a day out of the year to honor them. In ancient Hebrew poetry, and in the Garden of Eden, the tree symbolized the secret of life. Today, with scientific knowledge we know that this is true. Trees give us oxygen, shelter, food, the basic necessities of survival.
Tu B'Shevat, the new year of the trees, falls on the fifteenth
day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is on this day that the first almond
trees of
The almond tree (Sh'keidiyah) has special significance for Tu B’Shevat. It is the first of the fruit trees to blossom each year in Israel. The word for almond in Hebrew also means to watch. It is the subject of one of Jeremiah's prophecies:
Jeremiah
This reminds us that we must be watchful and vigilant to HaShem's commandments.
Returning to
On Tu B’Shevat, we return to the place of our first encounter with trees: The Garden of Eden. We enter once again into harmony with nature as we were in the garden. The antagonism between humans and nature is set aside. In Bereshit (Genesis), for eating of the Tree of Knowledge, HaShem punishes us:
Bereshit (Genesis) 3:17-19 To Adam he said,
"Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I
commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed
is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the
days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will
eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you
were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
We were driven from the garden, driven from a symbiotic relationship with HaShem and nature into one of bitter struggle. However, on Tu B'Shevat we reconnect to trees and to the Tree of Life. We grasp the eternity symbolized by the long-living trees. We glimpse what the Garden was and how life could be again. No thorns or thistles, no returning unto dust.
On Tu B'Shevat we return to the Garden of Eden, beckoned by the trees all around us pointing the way to the Tree of Life.
For more insights
on The Tree of Life, check out my study on this interesting tree: ETERNAL Remember that the Tree of Life is Yeshua HaMashiach according
to Proverbs chapter three. For more insight on the garden’s other famous tree,
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, look at: Thetree.
* * *
Tu B'Shevat
appears to be the day when we will be able to eat, for the first time, from the
Tree of Life!
* * *
This next section is an excerpt of a paper written by Rabbi Pinchas Winston:
Conceptually, Tu B'Shevat means much more, especially coming in the weeks of Shov'vim (see Parashat Bo). As the Pri Tzaddik points out, it is not called the "Rosh Hashanah for the trees," but for "the tree" (singular); whenever the word "tree" is used, it always refers to Torah, which is called "Aitz Chaim," the Tree of Life. What is this supposed to allude to?
Most people are aware that there were at least two trees in the Garden of Eden: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Tree of Life. What many are not aware of is that, really, there had only been one tree before Adam ate the Forbidden Fruit: the Tree of Life.
But the Torah speaks about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil before the sin as well? Yes, says the Zohar, but before the sin, it existed merely as a branch off the Tree of Life itself. Only once Adam ate from the Tree against God's will not to did the "branch" break off and become an independent tree and source of knowledge.
Rectification of creation means re-unifying the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil with the Tree of Life; Mashiach comes once they are one, just as with the reunification of God's Ineffable Name (see Rashi at the end of Parashat BeShallach). We do this primarily by learning Torah and doing mitzvot, which serves to remove the veil of nature from over HaShem's hand and make His Presence clearer.
Therefore, Tu B'Shevat is not simply a non-holiday, to be marked merely by the consumption of carob. It is a time of deep contemplation, of developing a spiritual unity with Torah and Eretz Yisrael. Like on Purim after it, the festive mood of Tu B'Shevat is to help us elevate our consciousness to tap into God's master plan for creation, and find our place within that plan. In doing so, we bring the Tree of Knowledge closer to unification with the Tree of Life.
Not only this, the Pri Tzaddik (how appropriate-his name means: Fruit of the Tzaddik!) points out, but the Jewish people are referred to as "apples hanging on the Tree in the orchard," the Tree here referring to HaShem Himself. Therefore Tu B'Shevat is also the celebration of the unique and intimate relationship the Jewish people have with their HaShem, and a day to pursue that closeness.
1. In the early 20th century, the Jewish National
Fund was founded for the promotion of planting trees in
2. In the
3. Eating of dried fruits
(often from what is native to the
4. The 17th century saw the institution of a
"set" celebration, a seder. The idea of a Tu B'Shevat seder or tikkun
is attributed to, either, Rabbi Benjamin HaLevy of Safed or Natan Benjamin of
It is a good custom to increase the number of fruits one eats, and to sing songs and praises concerning them, as is laid out in the tikkun. It is known that, in kabbalistic terms, by saying the blessings on fruits we cause the continuation of the abundance above and the angel in charge of that particular fruit receives this abundance in order to cause the fruit to grow once again.
There are supposed to be thirty (30) types of fruit:
Ten which have no pit and no peel, but are eaten the way they are. These include grapes, figs, apples, citrons, lemons, pears, quince, carob and berries.
Ten which have pits inside. These include olives and apricots, and
Ten which have a peel. These include nuts.
When eating these fruits, there is an opinion that one should have in mind that through eating them we are making a Tikkun (correction) for the Sin of Adam, who sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. In truth, we should have this intent all year round, but on Tu B’Shevat it is all the more appropriate.
The Tu B'Shevat seder contains many citations about trees and fruits from the Bible, Talmud, and Zohar. It is traditionally seventeen chapters long, each chapter dedicated to a different fruit and that fruit eaten. There are many variations.
5. In Temple times, on Tu
B'Shevat the first fruits would be brought to the
6. In all communities the tree is remembered and celebrated for as it is said: "Although you will find the land full of good things, you should not say: we will sit and not plant, rather as others have planted for you, so you must plant for your children." [16]
7. There is a Chassidic custom of praying, on Tu B'Shevat, for a beautiful etrog (citron) to be used for the following Hag HaSuccoth (the Feast of Tabernacles). Another custom linking these two holidays is to make a jam from the etrogim of Hag HaSuccoth and eating it on Tu B’Shevat. Hag HaSuccoth as the harvest festival bears witness to how the trees were judged on the previous Tu B’Shevat.
8. Another custom is to donate ninety-one cents or dollars to tzedaka since “charity averts the evil decree.” Because Tu B'Shevat is the day of judgment for the trees, we give ninety-one, which is the numerical value of the Hebrew letters that make up the word ilan, tree.
9. A good custom is to germinate something for the New Year of the Trees. One suggestion is to keep etrog pits in the freezer until a week before Tu B'Shevat, then put them in moist cotton. They will begin to sprout in a short while.
Sephardi Jews, sometimes call Tu B’Shevat: Las Frutas (Feasts of Fruits).
Sephardic Jews of the 16th century had a Ma-ot Perot
fund, money collected to provide fruit for the poor on Tu B'Shevat.
There is a beautiful custom of eating jam or a similar delicacy made from the etrog (citron) used on the festival of Succoth for the ceremony of waving the four species. Often that very same etrog was planted on Tu B'Shevat some years before.
There is a custom to plant trees, in
Vayikra
(Leviticus)
This verse not only commands us to refrain from eating the fruit, but also to plant trees! We purposely fulfill this command on Tu B’Shevat in order that we and our descendants may enjoy that which a tree provides.
The Talmud has many stories which deal with the respect Judaism has for nature. Tu B'Shevat, the fifteenth of the month of Shevat, celebrates the praise of the land of Israel. It is a renewal of our contact with the land and nature.
The Old man and the Tree
Many years ago the Emperor Hadrian was passing though the
green hills of the
"Old man", called the Emperor, "If you hadn't wasted the years of your youth you wouldn't have to work so hard now."
"Not true", replied the old man. "I didn't waste away my younger years nor do I waste them away now. I do what I have to do and let
