The head of our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem-Mendel Schneerson, paid great attention to explaining the meanings of Jewish holidays, including Tu Bi Shvat, which we celebrate today. In particular, the Rebbe explained in detail the symbolism and meaning of the seven fruits for which the Land of Israel is famous and which are inextricably linked to this holiday.
Based on Sefer Asikhot 5750, vol. I, pp. 273-282; Sefer Asikhot 5752, vol. I, pp. 325-328, an adapted text was prepared by Janki Tauber and translated from English by J. Krupenin.
Seven fruits
Based on the writings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
For the L-rd your G-d is leading you into a good land, into a land of water streams….. to the land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranate trees, and to the land of oil trees and honey. (Pentateuch, Book of Dvarim, 8:8)
Our Sages tell us that in the beginning all trees were fruit-bearing trees (the same will be true in the era of Mashiach). Trees that do not bear fruit are a sign of an imperfect world, because the meaning of the life of any tree is its fruit.
While the Torah calls man a “tree of the field” (Dvarim 20:19), and fruit is the tree’s main accomplishment, there are seven types of fruit that are the crown of fruitfulness. These are the seven fruits that are singled out by the Torah as the primary symbols of the fertility of the holy Land of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.
On the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shvat, we celebrate the New Year of Trees. On this day we celebrate not only the trees around us, but also the “tree” of our souls, using the seven plants listed above as symbols of the various components of human life.
Food and feed
The Kabbalah says that each of us has two souls: the animal soul, the embodiment of our natural self-interest, and the G-dly soul, the embodiment of our spiritual desires – the desire to transcend our own self and connect with that which is immeasurably higher.
The animal soul is inherent in all living beings and carries the instinct of self-preservation and continuation of the species. But man is not just a highly evolved animal, some of his qualities are unique. These are the very qualities that we receive from our G-dly soul. Where we go beyond our natural self-centered needs and desires (how to survive in this world, how to obtain food, shelter, money, power and respect), we cease to be merely a member of the animal world and begin to realize our uniqueness.
But this does not mean that we must reject the animal soul for the sake of the G-dly soul. Both souls are a necessary part of the meaning and purpose of our lives.As we develop the G-dly soul to rise above the purely animal, we must also refine and purify our animal essence by developing the constructive aspects of our own self (such as self-confidence, courage, perseverance), while at the same time bringing out all that is selfish and vile.
In the Torah, wheat is considered the foundation of human food, while barley is the typical fodder for livestock.1 Thus, “wheat” symbolizes our efforts to nurture the human in us, to nourish our spiritual aspirations – the essence of human nature. “Barley,” on the other hand, symbolizes our efforts to nourish and develop our animal soul, a task no less important in our lives.
Joy
Wheat and barley, the two grains among the “seven plants,” are the main elements of our inner structure. They are followed by the five fruits, the “aperitif” and “dessert” of our spiritual menu, which add flavor and aroma to our basic endeavors to develop the animal and G-dly souls.
The first fruit is the grape, whose defining quality is the sensation of joy. As it says in the parable of Yoram2: “my wine that pleases G-d and man”.
Joy is disclosure. A person in joy or without it has the same mental qualities: the same knowledge and intelligence, the same love and hatred, the same desires and passion. But when a person experiences a feeling of joy, all this becomes much brighter: consciousness is more intense, love is deeper, hatred is sharper, desires are more aggressive. Emotions that are not very visible in ordinary times are manifested to the fullest. As the Talmud says: “Wine goes in, hidden things come out.
A joyless life may be full, but it will be a shallow life: everything seems to be in place, but it is very superficial. Both souls contain a vast store of understanding and feeling that may never come out because nothing stimulates them. Grapes symbolize the element of joy in our lives – the kind of joy that stimulates our possibilities and adds depth, color and energy to everything we do.
Ownership
We can do a thing very seriously. We may even do it with joy. But are we doing it with full commitment?
Selflessness is more than doing something right, more than working at your best. Selflessness means that we care about what we do, put ourselves into it. What we do affects ourselves, good or bad.
Figa, the fourth of the “seven plants”, is also “the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”, which Adam and Eve ate, thereby committing the first sin in history. As explained in the teachings of Hasidism, knowledge (Da’at) of an object implies close involvement with that object (as in the words “and Adam knew his wife”). Adam’s sin occurred because he could not reconcile himself to the fact that there were certain things from which he should keep his distance. He wanted to connect with everything that G-d created, to know every corner of G-d’s world. Even evil, even that which the Creator had declared to lie beyond the bounds of permissibility.
This fruit has been the most destructive force in human history. The fig, in its equally powerful creative manifestation, represents an opportunity for deep personal involvement in every positive endeavor – an opportunity to connect with what we do.
Action
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread,” says King Solomon, praising the love of G-d’s bridegroom and His bride, the people of Israel, “Your lips are sweet; your temple is like a slice of pomegranate in your hair. “3 As the Talmud explains, the pomegranate is a symbol of the truth that “even the ’empty’ among you are full of good deeds, as a pomegranate is full of seeds.”
The pomegranate is not only an example of a whole with many parts, but also an explanation of the paradox of how a person can be empty and yet can be full of good deeds.
The pomegranate is a very cellular fruit: each pomegranate has hundreds of seeds enclosed in pulp, separated from each other by a thick membrane. Similarly, a man may do good deeds, many good deeds, and yet they may be isolated actions that do not affect his essence and character. He may possess many good qualities, and yet they do not become his essence. He may be overflowing with good deeds, yet remain morally and spiritually empty.
And while the fig represents the possibility of fully empathizing and identifying with our actions, the pomegranate is its opposite. It symbolizes our ability to outsmart ourselves and act on a level beyond our inner spiritual level. It is the ability to achieve things that are incompatible with our current state of being.
The garnet is hypocrisy in its noblest form, an unwillingness to reconcile ourselves to our spiritual and moral condition as defined by our present attributes. The desire to act nobler and loftier than we are.
Struggle
For most of us, life is a struggle. We struggle with trying to express ourselves, breaking free from the influence of our parents and our environment. We struggle trying to find the right spouse and then struggle to keep the family together. We struggle raising our children and then struggle with them as they grow up. We struggle trying to make more money, and then struggle with a guilt complex about our well-being. And all of this is superimposed on a constant process of struggle between the animal and the spiritual in us, a struggle between our inner instincts and our desire to transcend ourselves and touch the Divine.
The olive represents in us that which unfolds and blossoms in struggle, revels in struggle, does not think of life without struggle. Just as olives, our sages say, yield oil only under pressure, so we bring out the best in us only under the pressure of life’s trials and inner contradictions.
Perfection
Just as figs are the opposite of the pomegranate, the olives in us contrast with the seventh fruit, the date, which represents peace, tranquility and perfection.Although we bring out the best in ourselves under the pressure of adversity, at the same time there is a potential in our soul that can only fully manifest itself when we are at peace with ourselves, when we achieve balance and harmony between the contradictory components of our soul.
As it says in Psalms (92:13): “A tzadik (righteous person) will blossom like a date palm.” The book of Zohar states that some types of date palms do not begin to bear fruit until after 70 years of life. Human character consists of seven basic qualities, each of which in turn consists of ten sub-classes. Thus, a tzaddik who “blossoms” after the age of 70 is the fruit of absolute tranquility, the product of a soul whose every aspect and nuance has been purified and brought into complete harmony with himself, with his neighbors, and with G-d.
Although olives and dates describe opposite character traits, both of these traits coexist in every human being. For even when we are struggling hard, we can find comfort and support in the equanimous perfection that lurks deep within our souls. Conversely, when we are in a state of complete tranquility, we can always challenge ourselves to push ourselves to even greater achievements.
photo – Sicha 15 Shevat 5752, JEM.
