Tu B’Shvat:
The New Year of Trees
It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. What appears to one person as beautiful may not be appealing at all to another. In fact, within beauty itself there are many forms. Let us posit that there are three varying grades of beauty; the first being “hollow beauty”, the next being “true beauty” and finally, “inner beauty.”
“Hollow beauty” is much like a front in a theatrical setting. While the exterior conveys a sense of reality and beauty, there is really nothing beyond what meets the eye, as a matter of fact, there is less than the eye would assume it would find. Venturing slightly beyond the external, one is disappointed to find that there is absolutely nothing there. This is a beauty wherein the exterior appearance is more appealing than the interior reality. Such beauty is merely an outward expression, and once a deeper look is available there is a deep sense of disillusionment. In this ‘hollow’ and outer beauty the packaging is much more pleasant than the product inside.
The next grade of beauty would be “true beauty.” This would be a pleasant appearance externally which reflects a similar pleasantness within. The truth of the beauty seeps into and pervades all levels of existence. Here, the external wrapping authentically represents what lies therein; the packaging does justice to the product. This beauty is truth, because there is a consistency between the external appearance and the internal reality.
Finally, there is ‘inner beauty,’ a beauty so profound that no outer representation or manifestation can do justice to what lies within. Yes, indeed this is a beauty which meets the eye and is visually pleasing, yet the inner beauty is such that it overwhelms the outer appearance. The beauty is an inner beauty which is so prevalent that the exterior becomes secondary.
We encounter these forms of beauty in our lives on a daily basis. There are those whose appearance impress immediately, yet upon interaction the beauty becomes less obvious and the more one becomes familiar with the person, the less beautiful that person appears. There are also the happy occasions where one meets a beautiful person, only to find that they are beautiful inside as well and the exterior appearance is a true reflection of their inner self, a perfect harmonious being. On rare occasion one chances upon a person who is beautiful on the outside, yet surprisingly, become more beautiful as the relationship progresses and their inner self is revealed.
At our very core, at the essence of our reality we are all beautiful, how else could you describe that which lives within us, a spark of the Infinite light, part and parcel of the Creator of all that is beautiful. And yet, though we all have the amazing potential to actualize our divine beauty this is not what necessarily occurs.
Tu B’Shevat the fifteenth day of the month of shevat is the Rosh Hashanah for the ilan, The tree. It is written, “man is like a tree” (Devarim 20:19), and when we celebrate the new year for the tree, it is a time for us to reflect on our own personal life and see to take a life lesson from the tree and its fruit.
Over the course of years various customs and practices were introduced as ways to celebrate this Rosh Hashanah, from simply attempting to eat new fruit to eating fruit that Israel was blessed with, to the elaborate custom of drinking four cups of wine and tasting four kinds of fruit.
Corresponding to the “four worlds” the four levels of “concealment” of Ultimate Unity, four cups of wine and four types of fruit are enjoyed. From higher to lower we begin with pure white wine, white being a “color” that is as “colorless” as possible. Then we drink white wine with some red wine mixed in. Red wine with some white wine. And then pure red wine. In the reverse order, in the ascending order, we begin with eating a fruit that is protected by an inedible outer shell, while the inside is eaten, for example nuts, then we move to a fruit which the outer shell is edible as the fruit within, with an inedible pit, say an apple for example. Next we eat fruits that are fully edible, inside and out, as figs. Ultimately, ascending to fruit with pleasant fragrance, and most specifically eating the Esrog.
The eating of these fruit, and generally the mindful kavanah –intentionality of eating comes to “rectify” all improper or mindless eating, and ultimately inspiring a tikun for the eating of the “tree of knowledge.” (Pri Tzadik)
Tu B’sehvat is called Rosh Hashanah, which is literally translated as the ‘head of the year.’ We don’t refer to the holiday as techilas hashana the ‘beginning of the year,’ rather the word ‘head’ is used. There is a marked distinction between a beginning and a head; namely, ‘beginning’ implies the first of many, as in the number one in a sequence of numbers to follow, while by contrast, the head indicates a space or concept that contains everything that will follow, as in the primary, or germ of the idea that is later articulated in detail.
Rosh Hashanah suggests a potential, as in the potential of the actual year to follow, and so fittingly the Rosh Hashanah of the year is on the first day of the month of Tishrei. On the first day of the month the moon is for the most part undetectable and unnoticeable, it is merely ‘potential.’ Yet, the Rosh Hashanah for the tree is on the fifteenth day of the month, in mid cycle, the day of the full moon. (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1) Tu B’shvat is a day in which the potential is actualized, the seed of the tree is realized in the budding of the fruit.
The power of this day gives us the opportunity to rediscover our authentic beauty and more importantly to express outwardly, in our actions and words what is inherent inwardly.
Kabbalisticaly speaking the word ilan has the numeric value of ninety one. The ineffable name havaya, (Hashem) otherwise known as the Tetragrammaton has the numeric value of twenty six. This essential, sacred and inner divine ‘name’ cannot be fathomed or expressed. Precisely for this reason it is ineffable. When this name is written it is pronounced as ad’nai. In other words the vessel, that outer shell that affords us the ability to grasp the inner-most name is ad’nai. This name has the numeric value of sixty five. Together these two names, the inner name and outer expression equal ninety one. The Rosh Hashanah of the ilan empowers us to make manifest our innermost essence, to harness our endless reservoir of Infinite force and allow it to reflect in our fruits, our thoughts, words and actions.
The Talmudic sage R. Nachman asked his teacher to bless him, and his master replied with a parable;
There was once a man who traveling in the desert. Hungry, weary and thirsty, he chanced upon a tree where the fruits were sweet, its shade was pleasant, and a stream of flowing water ran beneath it. And so he ate of its fruits, drank of the water, and rested under its shade. When he was about to continue on his journey, he wished to thank the tree by bestowing a blessing upon it. He turned to this wonderful life giving tree and said: Tree, O Tree, with what shall I bless you ? Shall I say to you, ‘May your fruits be sweet’? They are sweet already; that your shade be pleasant? It is already pleasant; that a stream of water may flow beneath you? A stream of water flows already beneath you, and so I say, ‘May it be God’s will that all the produce taken from you shall be like you. ‘And so the teacher concluded. With what shall I bless you? With the knowledge of the Torah? You already possess knowledge of the Torah. With riches? You have riches already. With children? You have children already. Therefore I say to you; ‘May it be the Creators will that your offspring be as you are’. (Taanis 5b)
This indeed is the ultimate blessings we hope to be blessed with; the blessings that the seeds of beauty and light that are deep within us, will grow to a majestic tree. The beauty that we possess within should appear without and we should be whole and beautiful. Our thoughts, words and actions are our fruit, our ‘offspring’, the blessings are that they will reflect the deepest perfection within.
Let’s make this blessing a reality.
