Wednesday night and Thursday is the holiday of Tu B'Shvat - Jewish Arbor Day. In the Mishna, tractate Rosh Hashanah, we learn that there are actually four New Years or four quarters and the New Year for the Trees is one of the four.

Why such emphasis on trees in our tradition? Why dedicate one of our four annual New Years to trees? Why invest so much money in Israeli forestry? Why encourage all of us with our little blue boxes to plant trees in Israel? Why does King Solomon call the Torah the Tree of Life - Etz Hayyim Hee - the words we sing when we return the Torah to the ark?
 

Even the great Rabbi, Yochanan ben Zakkai taught that if we have a sapling in our hand and the Messiah is entering the room, plant the tree then greet the Messiah.

Clearly trees matter in our tradition.

I posit that we invest so much time and energy planting the importance of trees in our tradition because of the three-fold lesson trees share:

1. Trees remind us that all of the props and items we use for Jewish ritual are natural and connected to the environment.
2. Trees and flora connect us to God and divine creations.
3. Investing in trees is not only for the fruit and benefits it yields but also speaks of our commitment to a shared Jewish future.

While most times that we plant trees, we look forward to its health and growth, we are keenly aware that rarely will we watch and realize the full life of a tree. Our prayer is that future generations will. So too, in the life we lead, the values we model and the traditions we keep, we hope that it transcends generations and serves as the glue over the course of many generations linking us to past, present and future.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a meaningful Tu B'Shvat.

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner