Tu B'Shvat and the Tree of Life

Tu B'Shvat — the “New Year of the Trees” is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Shvat. Some dedicate it to love of the Land of Israel and to planting trees, and many celebrate the day by eating various fruits and reciting blessings, a custom whose early source appears in the Magen Avraham on the Shulchan Aruch. Others place special emphasis on the Seven Species with which the Land of Israel was praised.

Looking more deeply — what is our connection to this “New Year”?

We already celebrate Rosh HaShanah on the first of Tishrei, the day of the creation of mankind and the day on which humans are judged. We may also speak of another “New Year” — the first of Nissan, about which we read: “This month shall be for you the beginning of months.”

In its primary halachic sense, the New Year for Trees concerns the calculation of agricultural years in the laws of tithes — distinguishing between fruit that blossomed before Tu B'Shvat and fruit that blossomed afterward.

However, in Chassidic writings we find an additional, symbolic dimension to Tu B'Shvat — one that parallels the human being to a tree, based on the verse: “For man is like the tree of the field” (Devarim 20:19).

The Maharal discusses this comparison in several places in a fascinating way. According to him, the human being is like an inverted tree:

• The roots of the person are planted Above — in the higher spiritual realms, in the root of the soul.

• The body, like the trunk of a tree, exists in this physical world.

A person disconnected from spiritual life — from Torah and mitzvot, is like a tree whose roots have been severed. But the more deeply one strengthens those roots, the more vitality and inner strength one gains.

“Planted in the House of Hashem — they shall flourish in the courtyards of our God”

The essential human quality that parallels plant life is the capacity to grow.

Every person contains within themselves traits, tendencies, ideas, and energies that can develop and build one’s character. In youth this growth is often more visible — sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally and spiritually. Later in life, some people continue to grow and develop, while in others, growth becomes almost imperceptible.

There is no doubt that a person who continues to grow and flourish experiences fulfillment. One may even say: Only a growing person is truly alive.

The Talmud says: “There is no Beit Midrash without innovation.”
By its very nature, the Beit Midrash — the home of Torah study, is a place of renewal and creativity, where thought grows and expands, and where a person can develop new strengths and spiritual vitality through learning.

A person who sets aside fixed times for in-depth Torah study — who carries Torah questions with him throughout the day and reflects on them even when away from his books, is someone truly “planted in the House of Hashem.” Such a person fulfills the verse: “Planted in the House of the Lord — they will flourish in the courtyards of our God.”

This fresh, renewed mode of thinking radiates through one’s entire being — turning the person into that “inverted tree,” whose roots are anchored in higher spiritual worlds.

Tree or Soil?

The Zohar states that a Torah scholar is called a “tree.” The broader application of the term — that every human being may be compared to a tree, appears in Yalkut Shimoni on Yechezkel: “All the trees of the field shall know — these are human beings, as it is said: ‘For man is the tree of the field.’”

As we have said — a person can grow and blossom, especially when rooted in Torah, like one “planted in the House of Hashem.”

But a person is also called adamah — “earth,” which is the root of the word adam.

The Maharal explains that a human being is like the soil into which God planted the seeds of soul and intellect — the divine elements of the person. When one develops and cultivates these spiritual seeds, one becomes fertile soil. But if one neglects them and allows intellect and soul to dry up, such a person becomes like an “uncultivated field,” called in halachic terminology — a bor (a spiritually unrefined person).

Thus, the person can be both:

• A tree producing fruits — Torah insights and good deeds

• And earth that nurtures and develops the divine spiritual seed within

How great is the human being — when they realize and grow into their potential!

Adamah — Edameh (“I will resemble”)

The word adamah (earth) indicates our physical origin — yet it also hints to our spiritual mission: Edameh la’Elyon — I shall strive to resemble the One Above.

This ideal appears in the Torah portion of the week, in the verse:
“This is my God and I will glorify Him” — which the Sages interpret as: “Be like Him — just as He is compassionate, so too you be compassionate; just as He is gracious, so too you be gracious.”

Fulfilling the divine image within us — the spiritual seed planted in the human soul, means striving to resemble the Creator in His qualities, especially in kindness, generosity, and compassion.

The Seven Species

The Land of Israel was praised in Scripture with the Seven Species, which receive a special blessing (Me’ein Shalosh). In that blessing we explicitly express our yearning for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple: “Bring us up into it, gladden us in its rebuilding, and let us eat of its fruit and be satisfied with its goodness.”

Even today, when our land yields many other species not mentioned in Scripture — the spiritual significance of the Seven Species remains.

In Chassidic thought, the Seven Species are seen as corresponding to seven foundational soul-qualities. In this sense, the fruits of the Land of Israel nourish the inner powers of the human being — which can be directed toward either positive or negative growth.

The Seven Canaanite nations embodied unchecked physicality and self-indulgent power. The conquest of these nations represents the refinement and elevation of those same inner human forces — redirecting them toward spiritual growth.

From the Manna — to the Fruits of the Land

This week’s Torah portion describes the manna that sustained the Israelites in the wilderness — a unique, spiritual form of nourishment, called by the Sages “the bread of angels.” It sustained physical needs but did not satisfy worldly appetite or sensual pleasure, and so they complained: “Our soul is dried up — there is nothing at all.”

Yet despite the lofty spiritual level of manna — entering the Land of Israel and eating of its fruits is considered a higher spiritual ascent.

From here we learn: Within the fruits of the Land of Israel lies an extraordinary spiritual potential — capable of elevating a person even higher than the exalted level of one who eats the “bread of angels.”