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Tw B'Shevat Celebrates

New Year Of The limes

On this holiday, it is determined which trees will
flourish and which will wither.

OZZIE NOGG

Special to The Jewish News

Exclusively
Serving Our
Jewish Community and
Featuring The
Gardens of

THE TREE OF LIFE and
THE TWELVE TRIBES
OF ISRAEL

FOR COMPLETE
DETAILS CONTACT

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n the Third Day, after
God created the
plants, He asked
them where they wanted to
grow and blossom. The
haughty replied, "On top of a
great mountain, so all must
look up to us." The lazy said,
"Plant us where the air is
pleasant and rain is plentiful
so we may grow in ease and
comfort." But the olive, fig
and date trees, the
pomegranate, barley and
wheat asked to be planted in
a land that was small and dry.
"Why do you make this odd
request?" asked God.
They answered, "One day
You will give the land of Is-
rael to the Jewish people. Let
us help them make the desert
bloom. Let us grow green on
the rocky hillsides and flower
in the valleys and fields. Let
us provide Your people with
shelter in our shade and
nourishment from our fruit so
they may dwell in a good
land. A land of plenty and
peace."
This gentle story, set in the
very Beginning, can help us
better understand the nature
of Tu B'Shevat, which this
year falls on Wednesday, Jan.
30, the day we call the New
Year of the Trees.
Just as the fate of man is
decided on Rosh Hashanah so,
according to the rabbis, is the
fate of the trees decided on 15
Shevat, "Rosh Hashanah DE-
anot," when it is determined
which trees will flourish and
which will wither and suffer.
Trees suffer? Did the rabbis
think trees had feelings, like
humans? Next thing you
know, someone will suggest
(and then put in writing) that
our unsophisticated forebears
went even further. That they
watched the trees "die" in
winter — watched them,
miraculously, come "alive"
again in spring and were then
led to say, "What's this?
When a man dies he stays
dead. But trees are reborn!
Trees are more powerful than
man! Trees must be gods!"
Indeed, many early people
worshipped in sacred groves,
heard oracles speak from
trees, and believed that when
a tree was chopped down its

Ozzie Nogg is a writer in
Omaha, Neb.

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soul shrieked and groaned
and he who had cut down the
tree would die.
Before you argue that only
pagans went for such "nar-
ishkite," look to the Talmud,
where it is written that the
son of Rabbi Haninah died.
And why? Because he cut
down a fig tree!
Many rabbis thought that
trees had a special language.
God spoke to Moses from a
thorn-bush. On Abraham's
journey towards monotheism,
he smashed his father's idols.
But when the three angels
paid him their famous visit,
he relied on the magical
movements of the oak tree
growing near his tent to
determine whether the visi-
tors were idolators or pious
believers in God.
Much of the Kabbalists of
old Safed's philosophy is
based on the Tree of Life,
growing (in their description)
upside down, its roots in hea-
ven with God — its branches
reaching down to bring us the
flow of divine energy which
continually recreates Crea-
tion renews the world and
gives sparks of life to every-
thing. These sages revived the
observance of Tu B'Shevat so
that the people could express

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joy and thankfulness for the
trees which God created.
The Tree of Life (right-side
up in another version) stands
in the middle of Paradise. It
would take a man 500 years
to walk around its trunk.
From its roots flow streams of
milk, honey, wine and oil that
nourish the entire world.
Under the shade of its
branches groups of pious men
study Torah.
How can we bring a bit of
this luminous Tree of Life to
our lives? How can we best
observe Tu B'Shevat?

• Have a seder Tu B'She-
vat. This ritual meal consists
of reciting Psalms, eating
fruits and discussing the
mystical meaning of nuts,
shells, seeds and fruit pits
which symbolize the holiness
within us and the presence of
God, hidden yet available in
everything around us.
• Give charity. On Rosh
Hashanah, charity averts the
severity of the decree. Like-
wise, charity will help the
trees on Tu B'Shevat.
• Plant some pots of pars-
ley and romaine and put
them in a sunny window.
With luck and TLC they'll be
ready for your Passover seder.
• Plant a tree, of course. ❑

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