Volume 7, Issue 5 February 2020 Shvat-Adar 5780 The 15th of Shevat is the New Year for Trees, known the Tachanun sections (petitions for forgiveness and as Tu b'Shevat. This year, February 10, 2020 confession) from the prayers. According to Biblical law, there is a seven year agricul- ↔ tural cycle, concluding with the Sabbatical year. When In describing the extraordinary beauty and uniqueness the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, on years one, two, of the Land of Israel, Scripture tells us, “For the L‑rd four and five of this cycle, farmers were required to your G‑d is bringing you to a good land, a land with separate a tenth of their produce and eat it in Jerusa- brooks of water . a land of wheat and barley, lem. This tithe is called Maaser Sheni, the Second [grape] vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of Tithe, because it is in addition to the (two percent oil-producing olives and honey [from dates] . .”1 which must be given to the Kohain, and the) ten per- cent which is given to the Levite. On the third and This isn’t just a flowery verse. These seven species are sixth years of the cycle, instead of the owners eating the specifically connected to the Land of Israel, and in fact Maaser Sheni in Jerusalem, they gave this second tithe there is a mitzvah to bring the first of these fruits to the to the poor, who were permitted to consume it wher- Holy Temple in Jerusalem. And there is a special after- 2 ever they wished. blessing for when one snacks on one of these fruits. [On the Sabbatical year, no tithes are separated. All Israel produces many other fruits (Jaffa oranges, any- produce which grows during this year is ownerless and one?). What is so significant about these seven species? free for anyone to take.] The commentaries offer several explanations. On a It was therefore of vital importance to ascertain when basic level, these fruits are unique in that they provide 3 the new year started for produce. Our Rabbis estab- the necessary nutrients for sustenance. Some com- lished that a fruit which blossomed before the 15th of mentaries add that the Land of Israel is the only place Shevat is produce of the previous year. If it blossomed where all these very diverse species naturally grow in 4 afterwards, it is produce of the "new year." [By com- close proximity. parison, grains, vegetables, and legumes have the same The Seven Attributes New Year as humans, the 1st of Tishrei.] Why is this The Kabbalists explain that there is a much deeper so? In the Mediterranean region, the rainy season be- significance to these fruits. Each corresponds to one of gins with the festival of Sukkot. It takes approximately the seven sefirot (Divine emotive attributes):5 four months (from Sukkot, the 15th of Tishrei, until the 15th of Shevat) for the rains of the new year to Wheat: Chesed—Kindness saturate the soil and trees, and produce fruit. All fruit Barley: Gevurah—Severity which blossom beforehand are a product of the rains Grapes: Tiferet—Harmony of the previous year, and are tithed together with the crops of the previous year. Figs: Netzach—Perseverance Pomegranates: Hod—Humility Helping INDividuals AscendHelping INDividuals Although this day is Rosh Hashanah for trees, we at- tach special significance to this holiday because "Man is Olives: Yesod—Foundation [compared to] the tree of the field" (Deuteronomy Dates: Malchut—Royalty 20:19). Through cultivating strong roots – faith and Every soul possesses all seven of these sefirot. But for commitment to G‑d – we produce many fruits— each person, one of these traits is most dominant, Torah and Mitzvot. shaping the individual soul’s unique path to G‑d. Thus, Observances and Customs these seven fruits correspond to our serving G‑d with On this day it is customary to partake of the fruit with our personal attributes, as well as with all seven general which the Holy Land is praised (Deuteronomy 8:8): modes of Divine service. olives, dates, grapes, figs and pomegranates. If tasting Blessings to All Vegetation any of these fruit for the first time this season, remem- The mystics explain that just as the Divine blessings for ber to recite the Shehecheyanu blessing. (A blessing the entire world flow via the Land of Israel, so too the recited on joyous occasions, thanking G‑d for Divine energy and blessings for all growing things flow "sustaining us and enabling us to reach this occasion." via these seven special species of fruit that the land of This blessing is recited before the standard "Ha'etz" Israel is blessed with.6 blessing recited on fruit.) Pleasure From the Get-Go Due to the festive nature of the day, we omit Monthly Newsletter Monthly THE HINDA INSTITUTE Continued on back page Page 2 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Yud Shvat - 70 Years “receiving line”; every visitor received a dollar to give to chari- February 5, 2020—The 10th day of the Jewish month ty.) of Shevat (Yud Shevat in Hebrew) is a most significant date on In the evening Mr. Cohen drove to the airport. There was still the chassidic calendar. It is the anniversary of pass- time before the 10:30 PM departure. “If an answer from the ing (yahrtzeit) of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Rebbe comes, I’ll be ready to go,” he thought as he checked in. Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880–1950), of righteous memory. While other passengers relaxed in the departure lobby, Mr. Co- It is also the day when, in 1951, the seventh Rebbe, Rabbi Men- hen nervously called Lubavitch headquarters several times. achem Mendel Schneerson formally accepted the leadership Friends in Crown Heights also tried to verify if there was an of C h a b a d - L u b a v i t c h with a histor- answer for him. In his dilemma, he called his brother-in- ic discourse (maamar) and address at a gathering marking the law, David Jaffe, for advice. After he hung up the phone, David first anniversary of his predecessor’s passing. had an idea. He hurried over to the dollar line and asked the ↔ Rebbe for a reply for his brother-in-law. Here are two stories of the Rebbe’s reach The 9:00 PM news reported that another cyclone had hit Bang- ladesh. That, and the fact that by 10:00 PM he had not received an answer from the Rebbe, were enough to cause Mr. Cohen to Mr. Max Cohen from Manchester received a call from a busi- cancel his flight. ness associate in Bangladesh. “Mr. Cohen, we’ve prepared a As his baggage was being removed from the plane, he placed a large shipment of merchandise for you. We are eagerly awaiting final call to his father-in-law, Abraham Jaffe, in Manchester. “I’ll your arrival, so we can close the deal.” Mr. Cohen was equally have to stay overnight in London,” he said. “I’ll return to Man- keen on the deal. For years, he had benefited from his associa- chester tomorrow.” As they conversed, Mr. Cohen began to tion with the textile industry in that country. And yet he had unwind and relax from the tense hours he had gone through. mixed feelings. The men continued talking casually for a while, when Mr. Jaffe He was familiar with the country, rife with civil uprisings and heard a beep on his line. “Excuse me, Max, I have another call. natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. I’ll put you on hold for just a moment.” Only a year earlier, he had fled the country without concluding On the other line was his son David from Crown Heights. “I his business, after violent fighting had broken out in the streets. have news for Max,” he said excitedly, “but I don’t know how Some months later, en route from Hong Kong, he canceled a to reach him.” With a press on the button, the elder Mr. Jaffe stopover in Bangladesh because a full-force cyclone had ripped connected Max with a conference call. The two men listened in through the country. anticipation as David related his story. His associates tried repeatedly to calm his fears. “Things are “When I reached the Rebbe, it was 5:00 PM, and already 10:00 quiet now, Max,” they reassured him. “The streets are calm and PM in London. I described Max’s situation to the Rebbe, ex- the worst is over. There’s nothing to worry about.” plaining that he was at the airport waiting for the Rebbe’s bless- Mr. Cohen still was not convinced. After considerable delibera- ing. ‘It’s tumultuous there,’ the Rebbe said. I ventured to tell the tion, he proceeded with the arrangements for the trip, but faxed Rebbe that things had become calmer. The Rebbe then handed the details of his plans to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Men- me a dollar for Max, and gave him his blessing for a successful achem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, asking his journey. advice and blessing. “I turned to go, but the Rebbe’s attendant called me back. The His flight was scheduled for the following Sunday. Throughout Rebbe gave me another dollar and said: ‘This is for the entire week Mr. Cohen remained in contact with the shaliach (emissary) in Bangladesh.’ I stood transfixed in the Rebbe’s office in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, amazement. ‘Jews in Bangladesh?’ I wondered. ‘And a Lubav- inquiring whether or not he had received a reply, but to no avail.