Parshas HaShavua Parshas Beshalach and Tu B'Shvat (with Laws)

This coming Shabbos is Tu B'Shvat when we eat different fruits and sample
new fruits that we say shehechiyanu on. Following we have a regular write up
on this week's Parsha. Additionally, we have the laws of Tu B'Shvat by Rav
Avraham Goldstein, as well as a write up on Tu B'Shvat from Rabbi Efraim
Sprecher.

Parshas Beshalach

No Short Cuts

by Rabbi Efraim Sprecher, Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva, Jerusalem

"G-d did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines although it was
nearer." (Exodus 13:17)

When Pharaoh let the Isrealites leave Egypt G-d did not lead them through
Philistine territory. Philistia lay on the coast of Southern Palestine and,
after the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, the obvious route for them to
have taken was a north-easterly one in the direction of the Mediterranean.
They would then have entered the Holy Land through Philistia at the south on
the coast. Even in Bible times such a journey would have taken only about
ten days. Joseph's brothers had made that journey to Egypt from Canaan many
times without difficulty.

Instead of that direct routre G-d led the people in a south-easterly
direction, past the Holy Land on the south and up into what is now the
Kingdom of Jordan. Then, being opposite Eretz Yisrael horizontally, the
Isrealites entered the country from the East of the Jordan, crossing the
Jordan river. With the many setbacks and delays that occurred that journey
took forty years.

The Torah itself states why G-d led Israel on the circuitous route. When the
Israelites would see the Philistines and would have had to engage them in
battle they would lose heart and would return to Egypt, as indeed they
threatened to do on a later occasion. Rashi and Ibn Ezra render the opening
verse of the sidra: "G-d did not lead them by way of the land of the
Philistines because it was near." The proximity of Philistine territory was
the very reason why G-d led them in a different direction. Israel had to be
weaned away gradually from their slave mentality and from the idolatry of
Egyptian life. The transition between all that Egypt stood for and what the
Promised Land stood for could not be made suddnely. The Israelites had to be
changed from a rabble into something like a disciplinary army. It has been
said that it took one day to take Israel out of Egypt but forty years to
take Egypt our of Israel.

The Midrash relates that Rabbi Yochanan once asked a small boy the best way
to get to a certain place and was told that the shorter route was the longer
because there were impediments in the way; the longer route was the quicker
one. A somewhat similar story is related of Euclid, the great mathematician.
He was teaching geometry to Ptolemy, King of Alexandria, and he King found
the going rather difficult. "Isn't there a shorter way of learning
geometry?", he asked. Euclid replied, "Sire, in our country there are two
kinds of roads, the hard road for the peasants and the easy road for the
royal family. But in geometry all must go the same way. There is no royal
road to learning."

In all important areas of life there are no short cuts. G-d himself chose to
create the world not in an instant, but through various stages before it
reached its full development. Even if the Biblical account of the creation
be taken literally, man was not created immediately when the world began,
but on the last day of the six days of creation as the culmination of the
creative process. So too, is it with all human endeavour. Anything
worthwhile requires toil and application and cannot be achieved in a day.
The gord in the Book of Jonah which came up suddenly in a night also
perished as suddenly in a night. Goals are attained by roads full of
difficulties and setbacks, and the very difficulties help to develop
discipline and character. Often in life the longer the way, in spite of its
appatent disadvantages, is the one to be preferred. The beguiling short cut,
for all its seeming attractiveness, may turn out to be the way of the
Philistines.

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The Laws of Tu B�Shvat

By Rav Avraham Goldstein, Diapsora Yeshiva

Introduction

The fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, Tu B�Shvat which corresponds
this year to February 13, 2006, starting the night of February 12, 2006, is
known as the �New Year of the Trees�. For halachic purposes, this date is
used to establish the age of the tree.
The reason why we use Tu B�Shvat for this pupose is that by Tu B�Shvat the
fruits of the tree have ripened and the greatest part of the rainfall of the
current year has occurred which the tree will have absorbed. From Tu
B�Shvat on, any rain that falls is considered to belong to the new year.
The enumeration of the age of a tree has practical application in the
performance of the laws of tithing and terumah, as well as the prohibition
of Orlah (eating fruit from a tree in its first three years) and of Neta
Revai (the fruit of the fourth year, which is considered to be holy and
which used to be brought to the Temple to be eaten there).
Since Tu B�Shvat is a joyous day, the Tachanun (a prayer of repentance and
supplication) is not recited and one does not fast on this day.
It is customary to eat the fruits of the Land of Israel, as well as such
fruits as can be purchased in one�s area. Some wear their Sabbath clothing
on this day.
The Kabbalists introduced the custom of celebrating on Tu B�Shvat night with
a special Seder, an order of recitation of verses from Scripture and
quotations from Rabbinic literature that are said accompanied by eating the
Seven Species, foods for which the Land of Israel is famous (wheat, barley,
grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives and dates) as well as a bounty of other
fruits and nuts. In anticipation and in imitation of Passover, four cups of
wine are drunk at the Tu B�Shvat Seder. In Isreal today, Tu B�Shvat is also
commemorated by planting trees.
Tu B�Shvat is the New Year of the Trees. What are the obligations of this
holiday?
Fruits (that have been grown in the Land of Israel) that received most of
their rainwater and ripened before Tu B�Shvat belong to the past year in the
matter of tithes. Fruit which will receive most of its rainwater after Tu
B�Shvat belong to the coming year. The practical consequence of this is
that one cannot give tithes from the past year to cover the coming year1.
What are the laws governing the produce of the Land of Israel which concern
Tu B�Shvat?
1) Orlah � Fruit may not be taken to eat during the first three years
of the tree�s life.
2) Neta Revai � Fruit which grew on the tree during the fourth year of
the tree�s life is permitted to be eaten, but only in Jerusalem. If one
lives at a far distance from Jerusalem and the fruit will spoil, it is
permitted to redeem it for money and to spend the money in Jerusalem for
foodstuff2.

Is it preferable to eat fruits of the Land of Israel on Tu B�Shvat?
It is the custom to eat the fruit of the Land of Israel on Tu B�Shvat in
order to emphasize the belovedness of the Land of Israel and its mitzvot and
also to eat fruit of the Land of Israel which one has not yet eaten this
season to give one the opportunity of to recite the blessing Shehecheyanu3.
Is the prayer Tachanun (a pentitential prayer recited after Shemoneh Esreh
at Shacharis and Minchah) recited on Tu B�Shvat?
It is customary not to recite Tachanun on Tu B�Shvat because it is a day of
rejoicing. Therefore, Tachanun is recited at Minchah of the previous day4.
When one recites the blessings over the fruit which blessings should be
recited first?
When one recites the blessings over the fruit, one should make the blessing
over the �important or prestigious� fruit first. Such a fruit is one that
is enumerated in the verse:
Deuteronomy 8:8: ��A land of wheat and barley and the vine, and the fig and
the pomegranate and land of oil olives and date honey.� The priority of
importance is determined by the proximity of the name of the fruit to the
words �the land� which appears twice in the verse. Therefore, the order is
as follows; bread, cake, wine, olives, dates, grapes, figs, pomegranate.
After that one should eat any other fruits that grow on trees and afterward
say the blessing over fruits that grow from the ground and after that food
whose blessing is Shehakol and after that say the blessing over fragrant
things such as spices and flowers5.
If one has already recited the blessing, �Boreh Pri HaEtz� should one eat an
important fruit first or not?
If one immediately after the recitation of the blessing had already tasted
an ordinary fruit, not an important fruit, there is no reason to eat the
fruits in the order of their importance, but one may eat whatever he likes
first6.
Should one observe the Seder Tu B�Shvat � a special ceremony of drinking
wine and eating fruit, accompanied by the recitation of verses of Scripture,
Psalms and special liturgical poems?
At the Diaspora Yeshiva, we have the custom to make the entire Seder Tu
B�Shvat ceremony on the night of Tu B�Shvat with four cups of wine (like the
Passover Seder) and with all kinds and forms of fruit for which the Land of
Israel is reknowned. Those fruits which cannot be obtained in Israel are
supplemented by using imported fruit7.
On which fruits does one recite the blessing Shehecheyanu?
The general rule is that one recites Shecheyanu over fruits that are new in
the season and over those fruits that are not always available. This
applies whether the blessing is Boreh Pri HaEtz or Boreh Pri HaAdamah. This
applies in particular to those fruits that do not appear all year long, but
appear only from time to time8.
Should a bride and groom fast on their wedding day if it occurs on Tu
B�Shvat?
A bride and groom should not fast if their wedding day occurs on Tu B�Shvat
because it is the New Year of the Trees, therefore Tachanun is also not
recited9.
What is the order of priority of the recitation of the blessings over foods?
In general, just as the Rabbi instituted blessings over foods and drinks in
the order of their importance, so there is an order of priority for the
recitations of blessings over foods. The priority of the recitation of the
blessings depends upon the belovedness of the fruit (if it is a favorite of
the person), on its whole state and its importance.
The order of priority is as follows and is summarized in the mnemonic �Maga
Esh�, Mem, Gimmel, Ayin, Aleph, Shin. That is, Mem � Motzi (HaMotzi Lechem
Min Haaretz, Who brings forth bread from the Earth and Mezonos (Boreh Minei
mezonos, Who creates kinds of foods), Gimmel (Boreh Pri Hagefen, Who creates
the fruit of the vine), Ayin (Boreh Pri HaEtz, Who creates the fruit of the
tree), but in the case of fruits of the tree, what is beloved (a person�s
favorite or preferred to other fruits) is given priority over the Seven
Species or other species. Aleph (Borei Pri HaAdamah, Who creates the fruit
of the ground) and also concerning this blessing, what is beloved is
preferred to the Seven Species, for example, whole wheat or other kinds of
ground food.
Shin, Shehakol Nihiyeh Bidvaro and after that foods about which blessing to
use one is uncertain10.
What is the order of priority when one is eating different kinds of bread?
This is summarized in the acrostic Zayin, Shin, Nun, Gimmel. Zayin stands
for the Seven Species, Shin stands for �shalem� (the wholeness of the loaf
or bread type), Nun stands for Nekiya which means cleanliness and Gimmel
stands for �Gadol� a large size loaf11.
If one made a mistake in the order of the recitation of blessings, does one
have to repeat the blessings in the proper order?
If one made a mistake and recited the blessings out of order, one has
fulfilled one�s obligation and does not have to repeat the blessings12.
What does one do when Tu B�Shvat occurs on a Shabbat?
If Tu B�Shvat occurs on a Shabbat, one should first eat the Sabbath meal and
afterward observe the Tu B�Shvat seder so that one will have observed the
Mitzvah of Oneg Shabbat13.
1) Shulchan Aruch Kuf Lamed Aleph: Vav
2) Rabbi Mordecai Goldstein, shlitah, Rosh HaYeshiva, the Diaspora
Yeshiva, Jerusalem
3) Shulchan Aruch Kuf Lamed Aleph and Mishneh Brerurah Lamed Aleph
4) Shulchan Aruch Kuf Lamed Aleph and Mishneh Berurah Mem Bet, Ot Lamed
Bet
5) Rabbi Mordecai Goldstein, shlitah, Rosh HaYeshiva, the Diaspora
Yeshiva, Jerusalem
6) Rabbi Mordecai Goldstein, shlitah, Rosh HaYeshiva, the Diaspora
Yeshiva, Jerusalem
7) Rabbi Mordecai Goldstein, shlitah, Rosh HaYeshiva, the Diaspora
Yeshiva, Jerusalem
8) Shulchan Aruch Resh Kaf heh: Vav, Mishneh Berurah Yud Chet
9) Mishneh Berurah Kuf Lamed Aleph: Lamed Bet
10) Shulchan Aruch: Resh Yud Aleph: Aleph, Bet, Gimmel
11) Mishneh Beurah, Kuf Samech Het: Tet Vav
12) Rabbi Mordecai Goldstein, shlitah, Rosh HaYeshiva, the Diaspora
Yeshiva, Jerusalem

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The Mystical Meaning of Tu B'Shvat

by Rabbi Efraim Sprecher, Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva, Jerusalem

The source for Tu B'Shvat is the opening statement of the Talmudic Tractate
Rosh Hashana: "The Academy of Hillel taught that the 15th of Shvat is the
New Year for the Trees."

What does that mean, "New Year for the Trees?"

Tu B'Shvat is technically the day when trees stop absorbing water from the
ground and instead draw nourishment from their sap. In Jewish law, this
means that fruit which has blossomed prior to the 15th of Shvat could not be
used as tithe for fruit which blossomed after that date.

So what relevance does this have for us in the 21st century? In various
places, the Bible compares a person to a tree:

"A person is like the tree of a field�" (Deut. 20:19)
"For as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people." (Isaiah 65:22)
"He will be like a tree planted near water�" (Jeremiah 17:8)
Why the comparison? A tree needs the four basic elements in order to
survive � soil, water, air and fire (sun). Human beings also require the
same basic elements. Let's examine these, one at a time:

SOIL A tree needs to be planted firmly in the earth. The soil is not only
the source through which nourishment is absorbed, but also provides room for
the roots to grow.

This is true of a person as well. The Talmud explains; "A person whose
wisdom exceeds his good deeds is likened to a tree whose branches are
numerous, but whose roots are few. The wind comes and uproots it and turns
it upside down. But a person whose good deeds exceed his wisdom is likened
to a tree whose branches are few but whose roots are numerous. Even if all
the winds of the world were to come and blow against it, they could not
budge it from its place." (Avot 3:22)

A person can appear successful on the outside, with full branches and a
fancy car. "But if the roots are few" � if there is little connection to
one's community and heritage � then life can send challenges that are
impossible to withstand. "A strong wind can turn the tree upside down." A
person alone is vulnerable to trends and fads that may lead to despair and
destruction. But, if a person � irrespective of wealth and status � is
connected to community and heritage, then "even if all the winds of the
world were to come and blow against it, they could not budge it from its
place."

Humans require a strong home base, where values and morals are absorbed, and
which provide a supportive growth environment. In a world rife with
negativity; we need a "filter", a safe haven to return to and refresh. A
community provides an impervious shield � the "soil" where we can be
ourselves, make our mistakes, and still be accepted, loved and nourished.

WATER Rain-water is absorbed into the ground and � through an elaborate
system of roots � is carried throughout the trunk, branches and leaves of
the tree. Without water, the tree will wither and die. The Torah is
compared to water, as Moses proclaims: "May my teaching drop like the rain"
(Deut. 32:2). Both rain and Torah descend from the heavens and provide
relief to the thirsty and parched. The Torah flows down from G-d and has
been absorbed by Jews in every generation. Torah gives zest and vitality to
the human spirit. A life based on Torah will blossom with wisdom and good
deeds.

Deprived of water, a person will become dehydrated and ultimately
disoriented, even to the point where they may not be able to recognize their
own father. So too, without Torah, a person becomes disoriented � to the
extent they may not even recognize their Father in Heaven, the Almighty G-d
of Israel.

AIR A tree needs air to survive. The air contains oxygen that a tree needs
for respiration, and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. In an imbalanced
atmosphere, the tree would suffocate and die.

The Torah (Genesis 2:7) states that "G-d breathed life into the form of
Man." The Hebrew word for "breath" � nesheema � is the same as the word for
"soul" � neshama. Our spiritual life force comes, metaphorically, by way of
air and respiration.

We use our senses of taste, touch and sight to perceive physical matter.
(Even "hearing" involved the perception of sound waves). But "smelling" is
the most spiritual of senses, since the least "physical matter" is involved.
As the Talmud says (Brachot 43b); "Smell is that which the soul benefits
from and the body does not."

In the Holy Temple, the incense offering (sense of smell) was elevated to
the once-a-year Yom Kippur offering in the Holy of Holies. The Talmud
(Sanhedrin 93a) also says that when the Messiah comes, he will "smell and
judge" � that is, he will use his spiritual sensitivity to determine the
truth about complex matters.

FIRE A tree also needs fire � sunlight � to survive. The absorption of
energy from the light activates the process of photosynthesis, a chemical
reaction that is essential for the growth and health of the tree.

Humans also need fire � warmth � to survive. This is the warmth of
friendship and community. People absorb the energy of peers, friends,
family, neighbors and associates � and channel that into identity and
actions. All the essential observances and ceremonies of Judaism are based
on family and community � from the celebration of birth, through the
attainment of maturity, marriage, education and even death.

The power of community is illustrated in the following Talmudic story:

An old man was planting a tree. A young person passed by and asked, "What
are you planting?" "A carob tree," the old man replied. "Silly fool," said
the youth. "Don't you know that it takes 70 years for a carob tree to bear
fruit?" "That's okay," said the old man. "Just as others planted for me, I
plant for future generations."

This is what Judaism is all about.