Trees and Fruits and Moses Meets Moshiach

TREES AND FRUITS AND MOSES MEETS

MOSHIACH

Trees Judged on Shavuos

In many Jewish communities there is a custom to decorate the synagogues with branches and leaves of trees. One of the reasons for this practice is the fact that our Sages tell us that G-d judges the fruits of the trees on Shavuos.

A question has been raised: On Shavuos the fruits are judged. Why then do we not have custom to eat fruit on Shavuos as we do on the Fifteenth of Shevat (known colloquially as Tu Bishvat), the New Year for Trees?

And, conversely, the question has been raised, why do we have a custom to eat fruits on the 15th of Shevat? If that day is the New Year for trees, why don’t we decorate our homes and synagogues with tree branches?

There is a beautiful answer given to this question:

Judging the Tree or the Fruits

A person is likened to a tree. Our children are our fruits. There are times when we come before G-d and say to Him: “when you judge me, and you realize that I am not that strong of a tree, please bear in mind the beautiful fruits I have borne. My children are so special that I, the tree, deserve to be (and am) blessed as well.

However, the situation may be reversed. Occasionally, the fruits may leave something to be desired, but the tree remains strong and reliable. We may feel our own inadequacies, but we can always come before G-d and proudly say how we had wonderful parents and grandparents.

Thus on the day (15th of Shevat) when we focus on the trees, we eat fruit, as our way of pleading our own case before G-d: preserve the tree because of the fruits. And on the day (Shavuos) when the focus is on the fruit, we decorate the synagogues with tree branches as our way of pleading to G-d to preserve the fruits because of the trees.

Twin Message

In truth Shavuos combines both messages: Shavuos highlights the role of the children (the “fruits”) in the giving of the Torah at Sinai: The Midrash relates that when G-d was about to give the Torah to the Jewish people, He asked for guarantors. They offered their ancestors and their prophets, but G-d did not accept them as credible guarantors that the Torah would always be preserved. Only when they offered their children (their “fruits”) did G-d consent to give them the Torah.

And yet, Pirkei Avos (Ethics of the Fathers that we study in preparation for Shavuos) begins with the statement: Moses received the Torah from Sinai and passed it on to Joshua etc.” We must remember that the Torah we have came to us from our fathers, who in turn received it from their fathers, going all the way back to Moses, who received it from G-d at Sinai.

Judaism is a religion that is based on this duality. On the one hand, we look back to the earlier generations for guidance and inspiration. Each generation that is closer in time to the event of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai contains more of the “lightening” and “thunder” of that experience.

And as we travel farther away from Sinai some of that original energy may be lost. We thus always focus on the study of Talmud and other classical works of Torah, which will never become obsolete or old, because they capture the Torah’s Divine light. Through the study of these classical works of Torah we can hear the echo of Sinai.

Advantage of the Youth

On the other hand, as we approach the Messianic Age, at which time the essence of the Divine light will be manifest, there is an advantage to the youngest generation. They are the closest to the unprecedented energy that will be generated; a force that will break down all the barriers and obstacles that presently exist. Our youth is more in touch with this energy and therefore exhibits a greater propensity for rebelliousness, attempting to break down the established structures.

Finding the Balance

Obviously, this can be a double-edged sword. Our challenge thus is to create a balance between the consistent and eternal traditions of our forebears and the vibrant and explosive energy of our youth.

In simple terms this means that we must never forsake the teachings of Torah and the observance of its Mitzvos. Every day of our lives we remember the Revelation at Sinai and attempt to incorporate that memory in all that we do. This is represented by the image of the fruit recognizing that it comes from a sturdy tree.

But, simultaneously, we must recognize that while the fruit cannot grow in a vacuum, but must come from a tree, the ultimate goal of that tree is to produce fruits for the future. We must appreciate the superior spirituality of our children and allow them to infuse their Messianic Age energies into the ancient and eternal teachings of the Torah.

This is where Moses meets Moshiach.

From the book Light from the Future: Shavuos by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.