The Jofa Tu B’Shvat Seder

WALNUTS—ALMONDS—APRICOTS

The midrash in Song of Songs Raba 6 likens the people of Israel to a walnut pile to show how we are all influenced by each other. If one walnut is removed, each and every walnut in the pile will be shaken.

We drink the Second Cup of Wine. (Since we have already said the blessing on the first cup of wine, we need not make another blessing on the other cups.)

Please take the Third Cup of Wine.

THE THIRD CUP: A Time for Every Season…

לַכֹּל, זְמָן; וְעֵת לְכָל-חֵפֶץ, תַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם
        עֵת לָלֶדֶת,        וְעֵת לָמוּת
          עֵת לָטַעַת,        וְעֵת לַעֲקוֹר נָטוּעַ
        עֵת לַהֲרוֹג        וְעֵת לִרְפּוֹא
          עֵת לִפְרוֹץ        וְעֵת לִבְנוֹת
        עֵת לִבְכּוֹת          וְעֵת לִשְׂחוֹק
          עֵת סְפוֹד         וְעֵת רְקוֹד
        עֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ אֲבָנִים,        וְעֵת כְּנוֹס אֲבָנִים
          עֵת לַחֲבוֹק,         וְעֵת לִרְחֹק מֵחַבֵּק
        עֵת לְבַקֵּשׁ         וְעֵת לְאַבֵּד
          עֵת לִשְׁמוֹר        וְעֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ
        עֵת לִקְרוֹעַ        וְעֵת לִתְפּוֹר
          עֵת לַחֲשׁוֹת        וְעֵת לְדַבֵּר
        עֵת לֶאֱהֹב         וְעֵת לִשְׂנֹא
          עֵת מִלְחָמָה        וְעֵת שָׁלוֹם

Lekol zeman ve’eit lekhol kheifetz takhat hashamayim. Eit laledet, ve’eit lamut. Eit lata’at ve’eit la’akor natu’a. Eit laharog ve’eit lirpo. Eit lifrotz ve’eit livnot. Eit livkot ve’eit liskhok. Eit sepod ve’eit rekod. Eit lehashlikh avanim ve’eit kenos avanim. Eit lakhavok ve’eit lirkhok meikhabeik. Eit levakeish ve’eit l’eabeid. Eit lishmor ve’eit l’ehashlikh. Eit likro’a ve’eit litpor. Eit lakhashot ve’eit ledaber. Eit le’ehov ve’eit lisno. Eit milkhamah ve’eit shalom.

To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven;
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, a time to uproot that which has been planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Kohelet 3:1-2)

There is a time to plant trees, Kohelet teaches, and a time to uproot. Indeed, there is a time and season for every purpose. Often the question is, in which time do we live?

On this coming Shabbat, Shabbat Shirah, we will read of Yitzyiat Mitzrayim, a glorious time for Am Yisrael. Shirat Hayam, ends with Miriam’s song, in which she is called a “prophetess” and leads the women in song and dance to the accompaniment of timbrels. Rashi writes that the righteous women of that generation possessed great insight and faith. So certain were they that God would bring them out of Egypt and perform miracles, that they brought their instruments with them out of Egypt7. They had faith that they would be singing a song of victory, that it would be, in the words of Kohelet, a time to dance.

Hatam Sofer implies that the women possess a higher level of faith that sustained them during times of challenge. He writes that when Moshe ascended Har Sinai, the men feared that Moshe would not return and perhaps for this reason built the golden calf. The women understood, however, that even had Moshe not returned, there would be another prophet with whom the Shechinah would rest.

This Shabbat also includes the Song of Devorah in the Haftorah. She is also a model of great faith and insight—she led the nation through a time of war, and then on to a time of peace.

APPLE—PEAR

The apple tree has a special fragrance:

“And the apple tree has the fragrance of Gan Eden and the fragrance of Gan Eden was that of a field of apples.” (Ta’anit 29b)

Jewish women gave birth to their children in the field in Egypt under apple trees. This is one reason the Gemara gives for requiring charoset at the Pesach seder:

R. Eleazar son of R. Zadok said: Charoset is a religious requirement. Why is it a religious requirement? R. Levi said: In memory of the apple-tree under which the Jewish women in Egypt gave birth to their children. (Pesachim II6a)

And the Gemara teaches (Sotah IIb) that “the reward for the righteous women who lived in that generation was that the Israelites were delivered from Egypt”. Those women realized the importance of continuing to ensure the survival of Am Yisrael despite demoralization and degradation. They understood the time in which they lived and had faith that Am Yisrael would be redeemed.

We drink the third cup of wine.

Please take the Fourth Cup of Wine.

THE FOURTH CUP: Israel, Renewal and Redemption

R. Yohanan Ben Zakai used to say: “If you have a sapling in your hand and they tell you ‘The Messiah is coming!’ first plant the sapling and then go to greet him.” (Avot D’Rabi Natan)

רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֵּן זַכָּאי הָיָה אוֹמֵר אִם הָיְתָה נְטִיעָה בְּתוֹךְ יָדֶךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לְךָ הֲרֵי לְךָ הַמָּשִׁיחַ בֹּא וְנָטַע הַנְּטִיעָה וְאֶחָד כָּךְ צֵא וְהַקְבִּילֵהוּ

Rabi yokhanan bein zakai hayah omer im haitah neti’ah betokh yadekha veyomru lekha harei lekha hamashiakh bo venata hanti’ah ve’ekhad kakh tzei vehakbileihu.

Trees are called an “everlasting Ot” or “sign” from haShem, like the rainbow.

CAROB

Once Honi the circle-maker was walking on the road and saw a man planting a carob tree. He said to him: “In how many years will this tree give fruit?” He answered: “In seventy years.” Honi asked him, “Are you so healthy that you will live seventy years and eat its fruit?” And he replied, ” I found the world full of carob trees when I came into it, and as my fathers planted for me, so will I plant for my children.” (Taanit 23A)

ORANGES—GRAPEFRUIT

These are the last of the 15 fruits. They symbolize our return to Eretz Yisrael and its renewal and rejuvenation. The blooming of Israel, with the flourishing of trees and fruit therein, has been described as the clearest possible sign that the Messiah is coming:

R. Abba also said: There can be no more manifest [sign of] redemption than this… When Eretz Yisrael becomes so very fertile, Mashiakh’s coming is near, and there can be no clearer sign than this (Rashi). (Sanhedrin 98a)

CONCLUSION

We spoke before we began our seder of the spiritual hashkafa of the kabbalists. Central to their celebration of Tu B’shvat was the prayer that God provide a beautiful etrog for the coming Sukkot. In closing, we would like to add that a unique characteristic of the etrog tree is that it is constantly adorned with its fruit because the fruit takes several years to ripen. Thus, it is a tree that is never bare; the ripe fruit remains on the tree while the new fruit appears. (See Rashi, Vayikra 23:40 and Ramban, Malbim and Biur on this pasuk.)