Tu B’Shvat On Fire - Who Do You Salute?

quite possibly the best way to know what a country stands for and truly values is to look at what that country celebrates with a parade a parade is not just an event it's a statement people line the street and salute what they consider meaningful and celebratory a parade reveals almost more than anything else the core of a country's culture and priorities in in America for example the largest and most iconic parade by far is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade each year 3.5 million people crowd the streets of New York City while another 50 million watch from their homes it is with without question a defining symbol of American culture what exactly does it celebrate is it celebrating gratitude is it celebrating thankfulness is it celebrating community no it celebrates shopping it celebrates Macy's consumerism materialism millions of people gather to watch a four story inflatable SpongeBob and a towering Macy's shopping bag float down 6th Avenue it's one gigantic spectacle glorifying commercialism because in America shopping is more than a necessity it's an end unto itself or take sports for example sports or another cultural Cornerstone when a team wins a Super Bowl or a World Series or a Stanley Cup the streets fill with Victory parades and cities are shut down and people celebrate as if their personal identities hinge on their team's Victory because in America we're obsessed with sports and competition and the idealization of athletes another parade happens on the first Monday in September every year the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September have Labor Day parades Labor Day parades are a celebration of work of Labor because in these societies success is measured by economic productivity and wealth money isn't just a means to an end it is the end it's the very measuring grad used to determine if your life is well- lived other countries parades are equally revealing in Russia the annual Victory Day Parade which takes place on May 9th is a grand military display with tanks and with missile launchers and fighter jets rolling through the streets it's just one big show of strength a nationalistic flex of Russia's muscles and Russia's tremendous this pride in its military power or take Japan in Japan's akiabara District tens of thousands of people every year dress up as their favorite anime and video game characters parading through Tokyo because Japan is obsessed with pop culture and fantasy and cartoons and then there's Thailand's monkey parade and Belgium's duck parade and France's snail parade and Japan's snake parade and British Columbia's bath Tade parade bathtub parade and Nova scotia's pumpkin parade the list goes on each country's parade offers a glimpse into their heart into what they consider important and meaningful because parades are more than celebrations they're cultural mirrors reflecting the values and the passions and oftentimes the ridiculous quirks of the societies that hold them in many cases they're far more revealing about a country's true Spirit than any Constitution or legal code ever could Jews on the other hand don't have parades for shopping we don't flood the streets for military display or Sports championships or cartoon characters we don't March for shopping sales or movie stars or celebrity Idols Believe It or Not Jews put on a parade for only one thing Jews parade for fruit the only real parade the Jewish people ever held was the yearly bikum parade every year when we brought our BM our first fruits of our cop to Y we didn't just walk into the City and find the cen's house and drop it off on the doorstep and leave we danced our way to yam in a full-blown joyous procession and there were oxen that led the way their horns covered in gold and musicians played music and people carried their beautifully decorated baskets overflowing with the best fruits of their Harvest huge crowds of people would dance people would sing it was an outpour of joy and the question is why why did Big kurum of all things get such a massive parade of happiness and joy we don't make massive parades when we bring my sheni to yam on the first night of PES we don't break out into the streets parading matah we don't march with inflatable sukus suas to showcase our happiness on sukus so what is it about fruit that makes it so special what makes this Mitzvah more than any other Mitzvah worthy of such an explosion of public Joy I believe the answer is buried in tubish tubish is strange we know it's a day about fruit but beyond that we don't know much every year people rush into the grocery store which for a week looks more like a fruit Museum and we load up on exotic looking barely recognizable fruit in every possible color shape and texture but what exactly are we celebrating yeah tubish has some technical calendar significance marking the cutoff date for counting the early years of a tree as well as a Meer but is that really what we're celebrating are are people really filling their carts with dried figs and guava rounds because of some agricultural tax deadline obviously not there's got to be something deeper the problem is that when you try to understand tubish you often get sucked into some mystical calistic teachings that are so abstract they stay stuck in the realm of the intellectual and the esoteric they sound profound but they often leave you with nothing but a half-baked inspiration and some vague sense that something meaningful is happening but you're not sure what there has to be a simple tangible reason for the happiness of tubish the question is what is it the answer is that fruit at first glance might seem like it's just like every other category of food but the truth is it's not it's drastically different when you put all the foods we eat into categories they pretty much all seem to be the same there are grains there are vegetables there's fruit meat fungi legumes dairy products there doesn't appear to be any spiritual significance in one category more than any other category they all seem to be just different sections on God's menu but that's a mistake not all food were created equally one category rises above the rest when it comes to the spiritual potential and that is fruit the difference is in their purpose vegetables legumes grains exist to sustain us Hashem put them in this world to make sure that we have what to eat to survive They are packed with nutrients and minerals and essential fats which without them we become now malnourished and weak and we die fruit you could live your entire life without ever eating a single fruit and be perfectly healthy so why do they exist because Hashem didn't put them here to nourish our body IES he put them here to nourish our souls fruits are a kiss from Hashem a completely unnecessary extravagant beautiful delicious gift placed in the world for no other reason than to bring us closer to him and because their purpose is different their very nature is different look at vegetables and Grains they're often dull they're brown they're green they're pale think potatoes onions wheat barley celery lettuce spinach turnips that's because there's no need for us to make them beautiful we have to eat them anyway our hunger will make sure that we eat them but fruit on the other hand they explode with color blueberries and apples and cherries and oranges and passion fruit and grapes Hashem made them with vibrant colors because if they weren't maybe we wouldn't bother with them and that would be a tragedy because their entire purpose is to bring us closer to Hashem it's the same with taste vegetables are often Bland they need salt they need oil they need spices fruits are perfect straight off the tree why because because it's a kiss from Hashem and Hashem is perfect it's the same with where they grow vegetables are buried in the ground hiding in the dirt requiring plowing and sewing and planting and effort fruit grow from trees at eye level easy to reach just waiting there to be taken there's no planting there's no sewing there's no toiling just wake up and pluck a peach off the tree vegetables must be cooked to be edible fruits are almost always eaten exactly as they grow vegetables have no scent fruits fill the air with fragrance vegetables you got to replant them every year a fruit tree you plant it once and it keeps producing forever precisely because of the different roles that fruits and vegetables play in our lives do they have drastically different characteristics because while grains and vegetables exist to sustain our bodies fruit exists to direct our hearts to Hashem their very presence calls our attention heavenward reminding us that we're not just here to survive we're here to see Hashem to experience his kindness to come closer to him and the closer we are to him the more he wants to shower us with BR and she which at the end of the day is the very reason he made the world in the first place it's precisely because of this concept that the very last gar in thei and kadan says something seemingly bizarre it says when a person dies and he goes to the Heavenly Court they're going to be shown all the foods of the world and asked why did you not taste this why did you not try that when we go up to sh we'll be held accountable for all the Natural Foods our eyes laid sight on and we didn't try now at first glance it seems odd why in the world would we be held accountable for such a thing the tyo wants us to go out of our way and try different types of Natural Foods Hashem is really keeping a checklist of who ate papaya and who passed up the pomelo section of the grocery store the Taya really wants us to go venturing out on culinary Explorations doesn't that fly in the face of the Mandate and pis peric Vish that says that the proper way to live as a Jew is by eating the bare minimum and focusing on spiritual Pursuits over physical Indulgence how does this make any sense the answer is that this is not about physical Indulgence at all in fact it's about as spiritual as it gets the Tyra isn't telling us to become Foodies and go chase culinary experiences this is about spiritual awareness the tah encourages us to try the diverse Foods Hashem created because they were were made for one reason and one reason only to deepen our appreciation and love of Hashem that's why they're in the world in the first place Hashem handcrafted a world bursting with diversity and beauty and fever for one reason alone so that we should see him through it every Cherry every kiwi every Gooseberry every rambutan every mango was created for one purpose to be tasted and savored and used as a means to feel asm's presence and magnify our appreciation of his endless kindness each bite we deepen our awareness of Hashem and the magnificence of the world he designed for us the people that passed through life without pausing to Marvel at the wondrous foods that Hashem placed before us are sort of in essence overlooking the very tools Hashem gave us to awaken a greater love and connection to him the T isn't telling us to chase physicality it's telling us to hunt down spirituality hidden within the natural world fruit represents hashem's deep and burning desire to bestow goodness and love on us we don't just grow our fruit and dig in we celebrate it we parade with it we gather our first fruits with joy parading through the land dancing our way to yam singing praises to the one above not because other mitzah don't bring happiness but because fruit was specifically designed to make us dance to awaken us to hashem's love that's their entire purpose the mitzah of Bikur isn't just about bringing a fruit off offering it's about recognizing and reciprocating hashem's kindness fruit is the ultimate symbol of Hashem hugging us BM is US hugging him back contrary to what you were taught in kindergarten tubish isn't merely a birthday party for fruit trees it's not about indulging in a fruit platter just to satisfy some esoteric concept or to keep yourish in-laws happy toat is the exact day when fruit begins to grow again which is signaling that hashem's love for us is renewing itself it's a reminder that even in the depth of winter when everything outside seems so cold and lifeless hashem's kindness is already in motion and preparing to shower us with goodness once more tubish isn't a celebration of fruit it's the celebration of hashem's Love symbolized by the fruit it's a day we take the single most tangible expression of hashem's kindness and we taste it and we savor it and we allow it to fill us not just with flavor but with spiritual Joy this concept clarifies a pretty peculiar statement found in says anyone who eats something without first making a is as if they stole Fromm now the question is so obvious it pretty much asks itself what does it mean you stole something from Hashem you stole what from Hashem hashm is perfect he lacks nothing what could a human possibly take from him does does Hashem need our BR we're a bunch of ants he is perfect with or without what does this mean so in his he says something powerful he says there is one thing we know for sure that Hashem wants and that is to shower goodness on the world that's the whole reason he created the world in the first place the greatest way to receive hasem and divine goodness is by getting closer to him the closer you get to hasem the more shef and BR is released into the world that is where br's come in a br is not merely some ritualistic recitation it's a tool to elevate the act of eating it's there purely to ensure that the food we eat connects us to hem as opposed to distancing us from him when you make a br and you acknowledge hashem's kindness and eat with the intention of coming closer to him you unlock the shefa hidden within that food bringing more Divine goodness into the world but when someone eats without mea they block that flow they deny the world the blessing Hashem intended to release by creating in that particular fruit or vegetable that is the true meaning of stealing from Hashem not that hhm is lacking anything but that we have withheld the Divine goodness he intended to channel into the world through that food by neglecting to say a and by not using the food to get close to Hashem the way it was meant to we disrupt the flow of shefa that was meant to be Unleashed into the world Hashem designed food as a means to draw us closer to him and when we eat with the proper mindset and gratitude we unlock that spiritual connection allowing His blessings to pour into the world but when we don't all we are are a bunch of Thieves it's very simple sheel comes when we draw close to Hashem fruit exists to bring us closer to him and Bros make sure that they actually do now this idea sheds light and another seemingly odd gamar found in San the gamar there outlines the Essential Elements a city must have for a to live there can't just pick a city at random and plop himself down there has to be certain things in that City to make it worthy enough for the's presence and the list contains exactly what you expected it to a show a bath house a doctor a a school a proper infrastructure but then at the very end of the list Rea throws in one more surprising requirement Aus one should not live in a city that does not have fruit trees so at first glance this seems a little random what's wrong with the city that doesn't have fruit trees so thear explains because they illuminate the eyes so some people take this literally fruit being very rich in vitamins a c and e as well as lutein and zanthin are good for isight and the is instructing to live in a place that has easy access to eyesight improving fruits but here's the problem if this were just a health tip why does the gamar single out fruit trees why doesn't the gamar insist that the city that Tam is moving to have garlic fields to help with his blood pressure and cholesterol or maybe salmon filled rivers to help with his brain function ity why not require cabbage patches for kidney health or arugula Gardens for his liver Health if the whole point was simply to ensure lives in a place with access to proper nutrition why prioritize fruit trees over the countless other foods that benefit the body in various ways perhaps it's because living near fruit trees isn't about physical eyesight it's about spiritual vision fruit trees sharpen your awareness of Hashem they are a constant vibrant reminder of his generosity of his kindness of his abundance living among fruit trees means living in an environment where hashem's kindness is in your face it's unavoidable a place devoid of fruit trees is a place where that Clarity Fades where hashem's generosity becomes easier to overlook rea's message is very clear if you're serious about Aid hasem choose your surroundings wisely plant yourself in a place where hashem's kindness is undeniable where his generosity is on Full display live in a place that feels like an Embrace from above where you can use the very medium of fruit trees designed by Hashem to draw us closer to him and unlock the shefa he longs to bestow upon us because that is what fruit represent and that is why we celebrate mishan not just because they hold complicated esoteric calistic significance but because they embody something far simpler something even more fundamental hashem's love manifest in the physical world and we make a point to enjoy them because doing so brings us closer to him and in turn brings him closer to us now listen to this story The rebers the F he lived from 1860 to 1920 he once found himself sitting on a train on tubish deep in the Frozen Wasteland of Northern Russia and there was snow and ice stretched literally in every direction not a tree not a bush nothing but complete desolation and this just say sat there in silence for hours they stared out at the endless white void that surrounded them but then they thought to themselves how will the rebbi celebrate tubish fat here they wondered it was tubish fat forget fruit there's not a single sign of Life As far as the eye could see and so disheartened they they just sat they slumped into their seats with the spirits dampened resigning themselves to the long multi-day grueling journey ahead of them but sensing their concern that the rebba wouldn't have fruit on tuat the rebba turned to them and with a small smile he said my don't worry if we desire fruit strong enough and the just had stunned the fruit here in Northern Russia this Frozen Wasteland it was impossible but before they can even grasp the weight of the Reb's words barely half a minute after the rebba said what he said the train came to an abrupt stop and they peered out the window and they were met with an inexplicable sight a man standing alone Al in the vast frozen tundra where there wasn't so much as a train station in sight and in his hand he's holding a basket covered by a blanket and he calmly waits for the doors of the train to open and he climbs the board with the train taking off again as abruptly as it stopped and a moment later the door of their compartment creaked open and the man stepped inside and without a word he settled onto the bench directly ac across from the rebba and then he reached for the blanket covering his basket and lifted it away revealing believe it or not a basket of freshh oranges the just stared at him in the middle of this Frozen Wasteland where there wasn't even a tree there wasn't a blade of grass here said a man holding a basket of oranges how could this be oranges grow in warm tropical climates with year round Sunshine like Florida and Brazil and Spain this was Northern Russia oranges here were about as common as snow in the Sahara Desert I said they just sat there in shock but without batting an eyelash the Reb arose and he walked over to the man and he purchased the entire basket and began Distributing the oranges to his astonish and as he handed each one of fruit with a twinkle in his eye he said my dear remember Tu is not about the fruit it's about's and love within the fruit if we love Hashem with enough strength he will love us back and send us fruit no matter how cold and Barren the world around us might seem that is what we think about on tubish not just the fruit but the overwhelming love hashm has for us and this dazzling colorful world he created just to bring us closer to him Tu bishan is a time to think about who and what we celebrate what wets our appetite in life what fills us with excitement because the rest of the world gathers on sidewalks and street corners and salutes video game characters and Military might and sports teams and giant Mickey Mouse floats tuad is the time to ask yourself in The Game of Life who do you salute