Dvar Torah for Tu b'Shevat

Tu b'Shevat, the 15th of Shevat, is the Rosh HaShanah for trees (Rosh HaShanah 1:1). This means that fruits that have matured sufficiently before Tu b'Shevat are tithed separately from fruits that mature after Tu b'Shevat.

Of course, Kabbalah and Chassidut can't leave something so inviting unexplored. After all, the human being is compared to a tree (Deuteronomy 20:19). There must be some way we can use the onset of an arboreal fiscal year to come closer to Hashem (God).

The etrog {citron} is the only fruit that we actually use in performing a mitzvah (on Sukkot; Leviticus 23:40). (Even though we use grapes for making wine for kiddush and wheat to make matzah for Pesach, the etrog is the only fruit that we use 'hands on.Ó) The Bnei Yisaskhar (Reb Tzvi Elimelekh of Dinov) writes that Tu b'Shevat is a very auspicious time to pray for a kosher and beautiful etrog.

Rebbe Nachman writes:

The concept of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur calls for the possession of a beautiful etrog. People say that a fool has a beautiful wife; the etrog is analogous to a wife. It is written, 'My beloved, every part of you is beautiful; you have no blemishÓ (Song of Songs 4:7). The Tikuney Zohar (#13) states that this is the etrog.

It is also written, 'Behold a child was crying, and she had mercy on himÓ (Exodus 2:6). The Tikuney Zohar says that when the Jews are like this crying child, they awaken God's mercy. On Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur the Jews resemble just such a child.

The crying child is naar in Hebrew. Naar also means 'fool.Ó When the Jews become such a child, they must have a beautiful etrog for a fool has a beautiful wife. The more they personify 'a child crying,Ó the more they deserve this beautiful etrog.

[Rebbe Nachman goes on to explain why it is that a fool has a beautiful wife and how this phenomenon relates to the mitzvah of etrog. Click here for the full text.]

On Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the Jew enters into an aspect of 'Behold a child was crying, and she had mercy on him.Ó
        Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom #87

One can ask for a beautiful etrog on Tu b'Shevat. But there's so much more to ask for: The Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur that go into having such an etrog; the honest child-like crying; the guilelessness of a fool; the appreciation of Hashem's wisdom and authority (chakhmah and malkhut) that etrog embodies–each of these, is a 'havingÓ an etrog.

May we have a fruitful year. Shanah tovah!

[Reb Noson's prayer based on Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom #87, Likutey Tefilot II, #57 (rendered and abridged)]

Hear my prayer God; give ear to my cry; be not deaf to my tears.

Master of the World, full of compassion Who hears the crying of His people Israel. Help us to cry a lot to You, every day, with a heart that is truly broken, broken from joy.

Help me to be worthy of breaking in tears, like a child for a parent, in crying to you over the gap between us. Help me to cry so that You'll pity me and allow me to return to You.

God Almighty! You know much I would have to cry to clear the yawning chasm between us. Have mercy on me! Open my heart and let me feel the pain so that I can cry to You, truly cry, every day.

Especially in the days and weeks preceding Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, help me to cry with a complete heart.

'May my eyes cry for their not having kept Your Torah.Ó

Help me to let my down my guard, all my defenses and denial, so that I can pray and serve You in a straightforward way.

Help me, along with every Jew, to be a 'crying childÓ and shower me with Your love and mercy so I can let go of all my bad and confusion, and leave me evil ways, confused, inappropriate thinking.

Have pity on me and bless me with a wonderful Days of Awe that are truly holy and pure. Help me to become holier from now on.

Master of the World! Master of the World! Give me new words now, words that will appease You, so that even from my present situation I can truly return to You from now on.

Draw me to clear, straightforward thinking so I no longer get tangled up in my 'what-ifsÓ and 'could-have/should-have/would-havesÓ. Help me to remember that I have absolutely no clue as to what Your plan for me is or why You're guiding the world the way You do.

You are full of mercy–have mercy on me! Help me to always live my life honestly and without pretensions so I can quickly close the gap between us.

May we be worthy on the holy festival of Sukkot to have a beautiful etrog–an etrog that is kosher, beautiful and splendid in every way. May all its complementary species be equally beautiful. Help me on Sukkot to fulfill cheerfully and with utter devotion the mitzvah of waving them....