SiaCH haSadeh – Field TalK Collected Essays for Tu B’Shvat 2015 MIDRESHET LINDENBAUM SIACH HASADEh – FIELD TALK שיח השדה Chana and Yaacov Tilles Women’s Campus Besen Family Center for Advanced Women’s Studies 51 Leib Yaffe Street, Jerusalem 9339082 Tel: +972-2-671-0043 | Fax: +972-2-671-0144 [email protected] | www.Midreshet-Lindenbaum.org.il America Latina Programa Midreshet Darkaynu Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute for Halachic Leadership The Maria and Joel Finkle Overseas Program Tochnit Hadas Tochnit Bruriah Tochnit Tushia Design: JK Jen Klor Photos of the Seven Species by Sara Eichler, class of 1989-90, who currently lives in Jerusalem. שיח השדה SIACH HASADEh – FIELD TALK AND THE ALMOND-TREE SHALL BLOssOM HaRav Ohad Teharlev, Director, Israeli Programs Tu b’Shvat, the New Year particularly] almonds? of Trees, is identified That is the fruit that with the blossoming blossoms quicker than of the almond tree in other fruits. Likewise, the winter, around the he who opposes time of Tu b’Shvat. The the kehunah, his familiar words that we punishment comes hear in kindergartens quickly.” and school assemblies, From here we remind us of that: understand that rashi derives that the almond – השקדיה פורחת “The almond tree is tree symbolizes the blossoming … Tu b’Shvat speedy blossoming has arrived, a holiday for before the coming the trees.” of Spring and the blossoming of other Why? What is the meaning fruits. In contrast, the of the early flowering of chizkuni explains that the almond tree? Is there the almond (shaked) a link between this and Tu symbolizes diligence b’Shvat? To answer these (shakdanut): questions, we will try to trace the emergence It gave forth and significance of the blossoms, sprouted almond tree in Biblical buds – a sign that and rabbinic literature. from there came forth Kohanim who are diligent in their work, as We find the almond tree in three different dimensions it is said, ’Kohanim, they are diligent.’ (Bamidbar, – human, place and time. 17,23) The AppearancE of the Almond Tree in the It appears that the chizkuni based his explanation Human Dimension on the pshat – the most simple explanation of G-d’s In Parshat Korach, in Bamidbar, after the earth opened words to Jeremiah (1, 11-12): its mouth and swallowed Korach and his community, Moreover, the word of G-d came to me, saying: Moses asks in the name of G-d that the head of each ’Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said: ’I see a tribe bring his staff to the Tent of the Testimony – rod of an almond-tree.’ Then G-d said to me: Ohel haEdut – in order to show the people who has ’You have seen well; for I watch over My word been chosen by G-d. And so it is written in Bamidbar, to perform it.’ 17, 23: The chizkuni explains that the Kohanim have an And on the following day Moses came to the important distinction that is essential to their Tent of Testimony, and behold, Aaron’s staff daily service – it is the quality of diligence – the for the house of Levi had blossomed! It gave Kohanim are diligent and persevere in their work. forth blossoms, sprouted buds, and produced rashi, on the other hand, drew on his concept of the ripe almonds. almond, and wrote similarly in his commentary on rashi points out: “…why [did Aaron’s staff bear Jeremiah: g SIACH HASADEh – FIELD TALK שיח השדה And the Almond-Tree Shall Blossom, continued g You did well to see – this almond The almond is the tailbone, because as one rushes to blossom before all approaches old age, the flesh declines and the the trees, just as I rush to bone becomes prominent and resembles the keep my word. bud of the almond, that very same bone which conceals the promise of resurrection. The AppearancE of the Almond in the Human The AppearancE of the Almond in the Body Dimension of SpacE In the book of Kohelet, there is We do not know of a place called ’Shaked’ but we do an illustration of the end of a man’s know of a place called Luz in Breishit 28, 19: “And he life. Kohelet uses beautiful imagery to named the place Beit El, but Luz was orignally the illustrate how the eyes cease to see, the name of the city.” teeth cease to grind, and the entire body Why was Beit El called ’Luz’? decays and decomposes, and just then, there is one bone that begins to bloom “and rabbenu Bechaye explains: from that city the world the almond tree shall blossom.” (Kohelet 12, 3-7) began to modernize and revive: it is implied in the name, the world started to On the day that the keepers of the house modernize, it is the beginning of creation and tremble, and the mighty men are seized by innovation, and therefore the … name of the cramps, and the grinders cease since they city was first Luz, as in the core of the spine of have become few, and those who look out of man, because from there it will be shaken and the windows become darkened: And the doors renewed … because as it was a wonder that … shall be shut in the street when the sound of innovation was from there, so it is a wonder the mill is low, and one shall rise at the voice of of resurrection of the dead that will start from a bird, and all the songstresses shall be brought there. low: Also from the high places they will fear, and terrors on the road, and the almond tree From the words of rabbeinu Bechaye it appears will blossom, and the grasshopper will drag that the comparison of the tailbone of man and itself along, and longing will fail, for man goes the geographic location of Luz, shows that in both to his everlasting home, and the mourners go Luz embodies the potential to shake off, regenerate about in the street: Before the silver cord g and flower in the resurrection. And so we find in snaps, and the golden fountain is shattered, the Midrash that the city of Luz is a wonderful city and the pitcher breaks at the fountain, and the from an eternal world to which no one knew of an wheel falls shattered into the pit: And the dust entrance and therefore the Angel of Death could not returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit rule there. People who wanted to die had to leave, or returns to G-d Who gave it. they would continue to live forever. In Kohelet rabbah (12, 5) the “bone” of the almond And so it appears, from the Midrash in Breishit is called “Luz Hashidra” – “the nucleus of the spine.” rabbah (69, 8) that the early flowering of the According to Midrash, this is the bone from which almond symbolizes a Spring of the future. the body will begin to flower and return during Already now, in the dead of winter, the almond peeks, white and pink flowers appear on resurrection – Tchiyat haMeytim. a backdrop of clouds and fog. The Midrash relates that rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah The AppearancE of the Almond in the showed Hadrian how the Luz Hashidra is in fact so Dimension of Time strong that one cannot grind it, so much so that the hammer with which one tries to beat it will rupture The almond represents the bud of the future that and break – and Luz is identified with the almond. appears in the present. The future is perceived as The ritv”a in Tractate Shabbat 152a explains: a time of renewal, blossoming, and redemption. g שיח השדה SIACH HASADEh – FIELD TALK And the Almond-Tree Shall Blossom, continued JUST ONE APPLE g resurrection of the dead symbolizes rebirth for Lynn Kirsche Shapiro eternity – a future of endless time without death. So Kohelet describes how, as a person is dying, at Perhaps the following story the peak of his personal winter, when each of his explains why my mother functions weakens and the body wears out, just then has always believed in the the core of the almond (the “Luz”) from which the healing power of apples. body will flourish in the resurrection of the dead, and so too, the city Luz identified also as Beit El, is a city After she had been in that is not controlled by death. There is something in Auschwitz for six months, it from the future world. my mother was transferred to Torgau, euphemistically Perhaps this is why the Kohanim identify with the called a “work camp” because it almond tree (shaked), because they are holy and lacked gas chambers. A very dear childhood friend, uplifting men who belong to a future world. As it Hindu, was also in Auschwitz with her own mother is said about the People of Israel, that in the future they will all be holy as Kohanim. “You will be to Me a (the rebbetzin or rabbi’s wife). In order to stay with kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” It is interesting my mother, Hindu and her mother had sneaked into to note that the letters of “shaked” scrambled, spell the train that was transferring my mother to Torgau, “Kadosh.” and were brutally beaten by the Nazis for doing so. While they were in Torgau, Hindu’s mother became It is possible that there is a connection between quite ill and thought that if only she could eat an rashi, who says that the almond hurries to blossom, apple, it would help her regain her strength.