"Master of the universe, let me seclude myself in meditation and prayer every day, going out to the fields to meditate, among the trees and grass, pouring out my heart in prayer. For all the leaves and grass, all the trees and plants, will stir themselves to greet me; they will rise to imbue my words and prayers with their energy and life force… They will combine all their spiritual power and bring my words up to their supernal Source…"
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Tu B’Shevat, the 15th of the month of Shevat, is the new year and birthday of the trees! Why do the trees need a birthday?
The Torah says that the fruit from trees should not be picked during the first 3 years of its planting. Keeping track of the birthday of each tree would be very complicated for a farmer! The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 1:1) states that the 15th of Shevat was chosen to be the birthday for all of the trees, simplifying the process of knowing the age of each tree and when its fruit can be harvested.
What does Jewish thought say about trees?
(א) רְאֵה אֶת מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי מִי יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן אֵת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתוֹ, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נְטָלוֹ וְהֶחֱזִירוֹ עַל כָּל אִילָנֵי גַּן עֵדֶן, וְאָמַר לוֹ, רְאֵה מַעֲשַׂי כַּמָּה נָאִים וּמְשֻׁבָּחִין הֵן, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָאתִי בִּשְׁבִילְךָ בָּרָאתִי, תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹא תְקַלְקֵל וְתַחֲרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ אֵין מִי שֶׁיְתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ.
When the Holy One created the human being, He took him and led him around all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: Behold my works, how beautiful they are. All that I have created is within your domain. Take care, therefore, that you do not destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one else to set it right after you.
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יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה אָזֵל בְּאוֹרְחָא, חַזְיֵיהּ לְהָהוּא גַּבְרָא דַּהֲוָה נָטַע חָרוּבָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הַאי, עַד כַּמָּה שְׁנִין טָעֵין? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עַד שִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: פְּשִׁיטָא לָךְ דְּחָיֵית שִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין? אֲמַר לֵיהּ הַאי גַּבְרָא: עָלְמָא בְּחָרוּבָא אַשְׁכַּחְתֵּיהּ. כִּי הֵיכִי דִּשְׁתַלוּ לִי אֲבָהָתִי — שְׁתַלִי נָמֵי לִבְרָאִי.
One day, he was walking along the road when he saw a certain man planting a carob tree. Ḥoni said to him: This tree, after how many years will it bear fruit? The man said to him: It will not produce fruit until seventy years have passed. Ḥoni said to him: Is it obvious to you that you will live seventy years, that you expect to benefit from this tree? He said to him: That man himself found a world full of carob trees. Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants.
- Do you think we should more concerned about the future or the present? This text warns Adam about no one to “set it right after you.” Should that be our focus, or should our focus be on the ways we are impacting ourselves right now?
- How do we mirror this act of "planting" for our descendants?
(יט) כִּֽי־תָצ֣וּר אֶל־עִיר֩ יָמִ֨ים רַבִּ֜ים לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם עָלֶ֣יהָ לְתׇפְשָׂ֗הּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִ֤ית אֶת־עֵצָהּ֙ לִנְדֹּ֤חַ עָלָיו֙ גַּרְזֶ֔ן כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ תֹאכֵ֔ל וְאֹת֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִכְרֹ֑ת כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה לָבֹ֥א מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃
(19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?
- Why might soldiers in a war destroy trees in the first place?
- What reasoning does the Torah give for why it is forbidden to destroy trees?
Rabbi Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (16th century), Yiddish Bible interpretation Tze'enah u-Re'enah
[The Torah compares humans to trees] because, like humans, trees have the power to grow. And as humans have children, so trees bear fruit. And when a human is hurt, cries of pain are heard throughout the world, so when a tree is chopped down, its cries are heard throughout the world.
(יח) עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר.
(18) [The Torah] is a tree of life to them that hold upon her, And happy are all that hold on to her.
Thought Starters:
- Why is the Torah like a tree?
- What comes to mind when you visualize a tree of life?
Environmental Justice & Trees
Fast Forest Facts
- 13 million hectares of forest have been converted for other uses or destroyed by natural causes. While I’m writing this, almost 3 hectares have been cleared.
- Up to 28,000 species can go extinct in the next quarter century due to deforestation.
- By the year 2030, we might only have 10% of Rainforests left and it can all disappear in a hundred years.
- 10% of the world’s forests are now protected areas. This is roughly the size of India.
- Tropical Rainforests store more than 210 gigatons of carbon and deforestation is the cause of 15% of carbon emissions.
- Cures for diseases have been found in plants and the raw materials come from our tropical rainforests.
- Trees filter clean air, provide fresh drinking water, help curb climate change, and create homes for thousands of species of plants and animals.
Tree-planting is an ancient Jewish tradition. The Talmudic rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai used to say that if a person planting a tree heard that the Messiah had arrived, he should finish planting before going to greet him.With over 240 million planted trees, Israel is one of only two countries that entered the 21st century with a net gain in the number of trees. Israeli forests are the product of a major afforestation campaign by the Jewish National Fund (JNF).
Other ways to use trees responsibly:
- Only buying wood from producers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
- Receive only the mail you want and need and view your bills online.
- Borrow books from friends or libraries instead of buying them.
- Plant and tend your own fruit trees.
- Buy products in bulk. Doing so requires less packaging, much of which is paper.
Conclusion
“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit each person under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken" (See Micah 4:3-4).