Tu Bishvat

The custom is to eat fruits on both the evening and day of Tu Bishvat, and people try to give preference to those fruits for which the land of Israel is famous. Furthermore, it is preferable to eat fruits that were grown in the land of Israel.

The food we consume also influences our spiritual composition. The excellence of the fruits of the land of Israel does not stem from their flavor, size, and beauty alone. Beyond these virtues they enjoy a spiritual distinction: they possess sanctity.

In my humble opinion, we have merited an opportunity to widen the parameters of sanctity by allowing the sciences to enter the confines of the Torah. This, of course, must be carried out with the appropriate caution and zeal for the Torah.

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai said, “If while holding a sapling in your hand you are told that the Messiah is about to arrive, first plant the sapling and then go out to receive the Messiah.” Settling the land complements the advent of the Messiah.

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir elaborated upon a Talmudic text dealing with Tu BiShvat. The Rebbe of Kotzk said to him, “Were we in the land of Israel, it would be sufficient to go out to the fields and look at the trees in order to grasp Tu BiShvat's meaning.”