As a teenager, one of my favorite rock bands was the Canadian trio, Rush. One of Rush’s many well known classics, is the rock anthem, The Trees. This song, about “unrest in the forest,” is really a metaphor for the challenges of human nature and the many conflicts of contemporary society.
“There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees.
For the maples want more sunlight,
And the oaks ignore their pleas...
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
‘The oaks are much too greedy,
We will make them give us light.
Now there’s no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law-
And the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, axe and
saw...”
The song uses contemporary sensitivities for environmental concerns, a concern for what’s happening in the forest, as a metaphor for teaching the need for compassion for our fellow human beings. The message of The Trees is not only to reiterate man’s responsibility to appreciate and protect our natural resources, but to remind us not to take our human resources for granted either.
I find this message particularly relevant this time of year. In just a few days we will commemorate Tu B’Shevat, referred to in the oral tradition as Rosh HaShana La’Ilanot- The New Year of the Trees.
As a child, I never really understood this idea, of a new year for the trees. I recall eating fruits including that very peculiar looking and even more peculiar tasting piece of carob, and remember getting those certificates saying that my parents had planted a tree in Israel in my honor on Tu B’Shevat, but that was about the extent of my Tu B’Shevat commemoration. As I grew older, I came to understand that in Israel today, Tu B’Shevat has become a Jewish “Arbor Day”, when schools schedule trips to plant saplings. Of course there is also practical legal reasoning behind a new year for the trees. There are many laws regarding farming, planting and harvesting outlined in the Torah for produce grown in Israel, for example the Shnat Shemita, the sabbatical year when the fields and orchards of Eretz Yisrael are not to be harvested.
In recent years, I have begun to reflect, and examine this idea of a Rosh Hashana La’Ilanot, a Rosh Hashana for the trees. What are the many familiar themes associated with Rosh Hashana- self evaluation, reflection, examining and working to better our inter-personal relationships, achieving spiritual and physical fulfillment in our daily lives- how can these themes be understood within the context of a Rosh HaShana La’Ilanot?
There is a beautiful Chasidic teaching from Rabbi Yisrael of Chartikov (as cited in the work Sefer Tehila Ledavid, Tu B’Shevat in Halacha and Agada, pg. 138), which I feel really clarifies the parallel to be drawn between our more well known holiday , Rosh HaShana, and Tu B’Shevat.
“The Holy Rabbi Israel of Chartikov, of blessed memory, explained: When a person takes a fruit in his hand, he must contemplate how it is that this fruit exists. Seeds are planted in the ground, and the seeds begin to decay, and just as it appears to be disintegrating it gains strength, and begins to grow and becomes a tree and produces fruit. So too, a human being even if capable and of good character, involved in Torah and mitzvot, whenever he acts with haughtiness, then man loses his equilibrium. Only when a person recognizes and works at improving this deficiency can they begin to grow upwards and be capable of receiving the sparks of holiness, and become a ‘respectable tree.’ And this is the meaning of the verse: ‘...for man is a tree of the field... (Devarim 20:20).’ If a person desires to ascend spiritually to the highest level of humanity, he should look to the trees of the field, and ponder ‘how do these trees continue to exist?’ A tree is planted and remains anchored in the ground, and from this we learn that in order to grow branches that reach great heights, in order to achieve and approach the highest spiritual realms, we must begin grounded, anchored in humility...”
This is such a profound message! One who wishes to truly grow and attain heightened spiritual consciousness does not remove himself, or envision himself as above or beyond this world, rather remains grounded and humbly anchored right here in the present! True spiritual health and growth finds its basis anchored in humility and introspection.
Perhaps this offers us some perspective and clarity as to the message of Tu B’Shevat. Just as on Rosh Hashana we feel humbled, and work hard to improve and refine our character, so too as we look to the trees, as we plant our Tu B’Shevat saplings, we are again reminded of this profound and compelling idea... Warmest wishes for a Shana Tova U’metuka- A year full of goodness and sweetness....
Rabbi Sam Shor