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THE TREES ARE DAVENING
A Tu B'Shevat Haggadah
Abridged from the original "The Trees are Davening",by Dr. Barak Gale and Dr. Ami Goodman
With excerpts from P'ri Etz Hadar Fruit of the Tree, the original 17th century Tu B'Shevat seder
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
The ecological crisis threaten
our health,
our children's future,
If I am only for myself, what am I?
the well-being of all of God's children,
the survival of multitudes of species,
the very integrity of Creation.
If not now, WHEN?
Rabbi Hillel, Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Father
God led Adam around the Garden of Eden and said, "Look at My works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy My world -for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you." (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.13)
Tu B'Shevat, the 15th of the month of Shevat, was designated by the Talmud as the New Year for the Trees. It was tax time for HaShem, a time of tithing for the poor. This tithing has its origin in the following Torah verse: "Every year, you shall set aside a tenth part of the yield, so that you may learn to revere your God forever." (Deuteronomy 14.22-23) The Kabbalists of 17th century Safed developed the model of tikkun olam that we embrace today healing the world by gathering the scattered holy sparks. To encourage the Divine flow shefa and to effect Tikkun Olam, the Kabbalists of Safed (16th century) created a Tu B'Shevat seder loosely modeled after the Passover seder.
In recent decades we have learned how the well being of trees is intimately connected to the well being of all creation. This relationship is clearly stated in the following Midrash: "If not for the trees, human life could not exist." (Midrsh Sifre to Deut. 20:19) Today the stakes of environmental stewardship have become very high. Tu B'Shevat calls upon us to cry out against the enormity of destruction and degradation being inflicted upon God's world. This degradation includes global warming, massive deforestation, the extinction of species, poisonous deposits of toxic chemicals and nuclear wastes, and exponential population growth. We are also deeply concerned that the poor suffer disproportionately from environmental degradation. Rabbi Abraham Heschel wrote: "Human beings have indeed become primarily tool-making animals, and the world is now a gigantic tool box for the satisfaction of their needs..."
Rabbi Heschel continues "It is when nature is sensed as mystery and grandeur that it calls upon us to look beyond it." On this night we express our joy and thankfulness for the mystery and grandeur of nature, and renew our commitment to be responsible custodians of God's world. Tonight we will crack open some shells of nuts, and like the Kabbalists of the 16th century, release some sparks of holy light.
A Psalm and blessings in nature to get in the Tu B'Shevat spirit
ESAH EINAI PSALM 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Eternal, Maker of heaven and earth
Esah einai el he-harim, Mei -ayin, mei- ayin ya-avo ezri (2x) Ezri me-im Hashem Oseh shamayim va-aretz (2x)
We praise You, YHWH our God, Creator of the universe, who continually does the work of creation.
Baruch ata, YHWH Eloheinu, melech [ruach] ha-olam, o-seh ma-asei v'rei-sheet.
We praise You, YHWH our God, Creator of the universe, whose world is filled with beauty.
Baruch ata, YHWH Eloheinu, melech [ruach] ha-olam, she-kacha lo b'olamo.
We praise You, YHWH our God, Creator of the universe, Your world lacks nothing needful; You have fashioned goodly creatures and lovely trees that enchant the heart
Baruch ata, YHWH Eloheinu, melech [ruach] ha-olam, shelo chisar ba-olam davar u-varavo b'ri-ot tovot v'ilanot tovim l'hanot bahem b'nei adam
Structure of the Seder
The Tu B'Shvat seder, like the Passover seder, follows a specific order. The seder is divided into four parts, representing the four worlds of the mystics. As in the Pesach seder, we drink four cups of wine, each cup here changing color to correspond to the changing seasons. Unique to the Tu B'Shvat seder is the ritual consumption of fifteen types of fruits and nuts, with special significance for the first three of the four worlds. According to kabbalah, the four worlds are: Assiyah (action our world of physical reality), Y'tzirah (formation- feeling), B'riah (creation- knowledge), and Atzilut (emanation-spirit).Pri Eitz Hadar Prayer (excerpts), said before eating the fruit
(Same text font continues throughout for Pri Eitz Hadar excerpts.)
"May it be Your will, O Lord our God and God of our ancestors, that through the sacred power of our eating fruit, which we are now eating and blessing, while reflecting on the secret of their supernal roots upon which they depend, that shefa (life-force, Divine flow), favor, blessing and bounty be bestowed upon them. May the angels appointed over them also be filled by the powerful shefa of their glory, may it return and cause them to grow a second time, from the beginning of the year and until its end, for bounty and blessing, for good life and peace.
And fulfill for us the word which you promised us through Malachi, Your seer, "And I will banish the devourer from among you and he will not destroy the fruit of the earth and the vine of your field will not miscarry, says the Lord of Hosts." Look down from your sacred dwelling place in heaven and bless us this year with bounty and blessing...
May shefa, favor, and compassion be bestowed upon us, to pardon and forgive the iniquities and misdeeds that we committed and sinned. We violated the covenant and damaged the fruit of Tzaddik, the Life of the Worlds, and caused the rains of its beneficence to be withheld, so that all the sources of shefa were harmed...
May all evil be removed...And may everything return to its original might and not be rejected...
"Then the trees of the forest will rejoice" and the tree of the field lift its branches and bear fruit daily...
May it occur swiftly, in our days, amen...
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart find favor before You, YHVH, my rock and my redeemer.
"May the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us...""
World of Assiyah Action
"And establish for us, the work of our hands." Through the special power of this tikkun, performed on this very day, through the power of the blessings and contemplation of the mystery of the fruit's divine roots, an effect will be produced in their structure and character above. Moreover the person performing the tikkun can also be affected."How might we engage "the work of our hands" in tikkun olam, in repairing the earth? How might we "be affected" by such work?
"In order to effect this tikkun, it is fitting for us to eat all kinds of fruit on this very day and to bless them with this intention. For a mitzvah is best when performed at the proper time."
Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, a Talmudic sage of the 1st century CE, said: Anytime our wisdom exceeds our good deeds, to what are we likened? to a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few; then the wind comes and uproots it and turns it upside down.... But when our good deed exceed our wisdom, to what are we 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..."
Rav, Rabbi Hanina, Rabbi Yochanan, and Rav Habiba taught the following: Whoever can protest and prevent their household from committing a wrongdoing and does not, is accountable for the wrongdoings of their household...
Are there any particularly egregious wrongdoings that we need to protest?
We drink pure white wine to symbolize the winter. The fruit is soft on the inside, with a hard outer shell, like our own protective layers.
THE ALMOND TREE
The almond tree is growing. A golden sun is glowing. Birds sing out from tree to tree.
And this is what they say to me. Tu B'Shvat is coming The birthday of the trees.
Hash'keidiyah porachat, V'shemesh paz zorachat, Tsiporim meirosh kol, gag,
Me-vas-rot et bo hachag. Tu Bishvat higi-ah Chag ha-ilanot
First course: choose five from the following: pomegranates, walnuts, almonds, coconuts, pine nuts, pistachios, chestnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts or pecans.
The following blessings are recited before eating the fruits and nuts, and drinking the wine.
May it be your will, Hashem, that by virtue of our blessing and eating these fruits, we (offer your own blessing).
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe who creates the fruit of the tree.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, borei p'ri ha-etz
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, borei p'ri hagafen.
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe for giving us life, for sustaining us and for enabling us to reach this season.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, she-he-cheyanu ve-kiyemanu ve-higi-anu laz'man ha-zeh
World of Yetzirah Feeling
"...speech has the power to arouse the sefirot and to cause them to shine more wondrously with a very great light that sheds abundance, favor, blessing, and benefit throughout all the worlds."How can we use our power of speech to "arouse the sefirot"? What feeling can we convey?
In order to serve God, one needs access to the enjoyment of the beauties of nature, such as the contemplation of flower-decorated meadows, majestic mountains, flowing rivers, and so forth. For all these are essential to the spiritual development of even the holiest of people. (Rabbi Abraham ben Maimonides)
And if you ask me of God, my God. 'Where is God that in joy we may worship?' Here on Earth too God lives, not in Heaven alone. A striking fir, a rich furrow, in them you will find God's likeness. Divine image incarnate in every high mountain. Wherever the breath of life flows, you will find God embodied. And God's household? All being: the gazelle, the turtle, the shrub, the cloud pregnant with thunder. God in creation is God's eternal name.
(Saul Tchernikovsky, Haskalah poet)
We drink white wine with a dash of red, reminding us of early spring, when the thawing from winter begins in earnest. We find deep feelings hidden within, like the fruit with pits inside.
Date Tamar
The date palm abounds in blessing, for every part of it can be used, every part is needed. Its dates are for eating, its branches are for blessing on Sukkot; its fronds are for thatching, its fibers are for ropes; its webbing for sieves; its thick trunks for builiding. The date reminds us of the commandment Bal Tashchit to not waste.
A land flowing with milk and honey
Eretz zavat chalav. Eretz zavat chalav. Chalav ud'vash
Choose from five of the following: dates, peaches, olives, cherries, apricots, plums.
The following blessings are recited before eating the fruits and nuts, and drinking the wine.
May it be your will, Hashem, that by virtue of our blessing and eating these fruits, we (offer your own blessing).
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe who creates the fruit of the tree.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, borei p'ri ha-etz
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, borei p'ri hagafen.
World of Briyah Knowledge
"Please, God, who makes, forms, creates, and emanates supernal worlds and created their likeness on the earth below, according to their supernal form and character. "All of them You made with wisdom"... You caused trees and grass to grow from the earth, according to the structure and character of the forms above, so that human beings might gain wisdom and understanding through them..."In what ways do the forests, the many creatures, the climate, teach us wisdom and understanding? What do we learn from their "structure and character"?
The branch and the tree
An Israelite in her relationship to the community has been likened to a branch growing on a tree. As long as the branch is still attached to the tree, there is hope it may renew its vigor no matter how withered it has become; but, once the living branch falls away, all hope is lost. So it is with a species if endangered, there is still hope. Once extinct, all hope is lost. Nachmanides said: Scripture does not permit a destructive act that will cause the extinction of a species.
How do we grapple with the stark reality that humanity is causing an extinction spasm, the likes of which the planet has seldom seen? According to the World Resources Institute, we are heading towards losing fifty percent of the species of our planet by the end of the century.
"Its fruit is food and its leaves a source of healing."...
How is nature healing? How is this statement a teaching of bal tashchit? Why is biodiversity so important?
Bal Tashchit not wasting a thing
"When you besiege a city many days to bring it into your power by making war against it, you shall not destroy the trees thereof by swinging an axe against them; from them you may eat but you may not destroy them; for is the tree of the field human to withdraw before you?" Deut.20:19-20. This prohibition serves as the foundation for an important principle of Jewish law: bal tashchit the needless destruction of anything is wrong (various interpretations of this principle in the Talmud!).
"This text becomes the most comprehensive warning to human beings not to misuse the position which God has given them as masters of the world and its matter by capricious, passionate or merely thoughtless wasteful destruction of anything on earth. Only for wise use has God laid the world at our feet..." S.R. Hirsh, 19th century
Walnuts and ecosystems importance of biodiversity
Rabbi Tarfon likened the people of Israel to a pile of walnuts. If one walnut is removed, each and every walnut in the pile will be shaken. When a single Jew is shaken, every other Jew is shaken and affected. (Avot D'Rabbi Natan) Likewise, when a single species is endangered, the entire ecosystem is shaken and affected. The northern ancient forest, with its downed logs, snags or broken top trunks, beds of moss and lichen, towering canopies of branches and leaves, and cool streams, provide homes for martens, fishers, coho salmon, marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl. When the coho salmon, the owl or the murrelet are endangered, the ancient forest is crying.
Once when Rav Kook was walking in the fields, lost deep in thought, the young student with him plucked a leaf off a branch. Rav Kook was visibly shaken by this act, and turning to his companion he said gently, "Believe me when I tell you, I never simply pluck a leaf or a blade of grass or any living thing, unless I have to." He explained further, "Every part of the vegetable world is singing a song and breathing forth a secret of the divine mystery of the Creation." For the first time the young student understood what it means to show compassion to all creatures. (Wisdom of the Jewish Mystics)
We drink red wine with a dash of white, reminding us that as the land becomes warmer and the colors of the fruits deepen as they ripen, we too become warmer and more open. At this moment of I-Thou there is no inner shell, like the fruits of B'riyah. We feel at one with each other and with all creation.
Carob Charuv
The carob has a special place in Jewish life; during the war with Rome, the Israelites lived under a siege and managed to survive by eating the fruit of the carob tree. The Hebrew words for carob (charuv), sword (cherev), and destruction (churban) have a similar linguistic root. The carob is even sword shaped. It reminds us to temper even this joyous occasion with the remembrance of suffering throughout the world.
A Talmudic story is told about Honi, who saw an old man planting a carob tree. His grandchild was helping him. Honi laughed. "Foolish man", he said, "do you think you will still be alive to eat the fruit of this tree?" The old man replied, "I found trees in the world when I was born. My grandparents planted them for me. So, too, I am planting for my grandchildren."
Choose from five of the following: carobs, strawberry, figs, apples, raisins, grapes, pears, quince, mango, berries.
The following blessings are recited before eating the fruits and nuts, and drinking the wine.
May it be your will, Hashem, that by virtue of our blessing and eating these fruits, we (offer your own blessing).
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe who creates the fruit of the tree.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, borei p'ri ha-etz
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, borei p'ri hagafen.
World of Atzilut pure Spirit.
"...by means of the blessing, one draws down shefa. The angel who is assigned to that fruit (which was eaten) is filled by the shefa so that a second fruit can replace the first."We drink deep red wine and eat no fruit, for this world cannot be represented by any fruit. The pure red wine represents the full bloom of nature before the cold winter. As nature expends its last bit of energy, a full cycle is completed.
The following blessing is recited before drinking the wine.
We praise You, YHWH our God, Ruler [Breathing Spirit] of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine.
Baruch ata YHWH Eloheinu melech [ruach] ha-olam, borei p'ri hagafen.
As we have passed through each world, we have changed with each season. We began by cracking open the protective shell of winter, allowing our inner sparks to engage the world, to engage in tikkun olam. We then found a pit deep within. An ego. Feelings. We came to a place where there was no distinction between the protected and the protective. Knowledge of the interdependence of all things. Finally, we become aware of God's love, mercy, wisdom and other realities perceived with our hearts, not our senses. Our hearts are full and we praise the Source which renews all creation.
Prayer of Reb Nachman of Bratslav
Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone;
may it be my custom to go outdoors each day
among the trees and grass among all growing things and there may I be alone, and enter into prayer, to talk with the One to whom I belong.
May I express there everything in my heart,
and may all the foliage of the field
all grasses, trees, and plants
awake at my coming,
to send the powers of their life into the words of my prayer
so that my prayer and speech are made whole
through the life and spirit of all growing things,
which are made as one by their transcendent Source.
May I then pour out the words of my heart
before your Presence like water, O Lord,
and lift up my hands to You in worship,
on my behalf, and that of my children!
Please reproduce this Haggadah only on 100% post consumer content paper or tree-free paper.
