A month for love and tree-planting

"Chodesh Shvat שבט- Month of Shvat" is indeed a lovely season in Israel. Rains and after-rains, drizzling drops, still chilly at night in Jerusalem and we feel that nature flourishes, buds, burgeons into plants, fruits, junior and senior teen skins. And, on Shvat 15\ט"ו שבט (February 9th) people will plant trees all through the country. It is the Rosh HaShanah le'eylanot \ ראש השנה לאילנות - New year of the trees. Planting trees is a must and an Israeli bang-on rendezvous. "Eleh אילה" is not a cute baby tree-trunk; it is a sort of terebinth in Tractate Shiviit 7:5, i.e. a prominentplant, not a frail lanky branch. Eylanot \ אילנות would impress by some refreshing spring renewal. But trees also express something more: again, a new opportunity to celebrate a feast: as if each month was a "Rosh HaShanah ראש השנה- New Year's elation" along the year.

Now, we reached the time of the trees as stated: "Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked (resha'im רשעים), or taken the path of the sinners (chata'im חטאים = those who trespassed) or joined the company of the insolent (jester, fake clown; letzim לצים). He rather finds his delight in the teaching/Torah of the Lord and recites (yehgeh יהגה = ruminates) that day and night. He is like a tree (Vehayah ke'etz והיה כעץ) planted beside (al palgey על פלגי= in the middle of) streams of water (shatul al-palgey mayim שתול על פלגי), which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades and whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:1-4). Humans are indeed compared to trees in the Jewish Scripture, which may look fully appetizing according to the seasons or decrepit.

Waters, mayim! A tree requires some water, maybe not that much because it copes with the environment. Waters that cleanse, purify as the Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrated the Baptism-Epiphany of Jesus at the Jordan River recently; as any Jew should go to the mikveh (purification pool) and bathe.Then, "Al palgey mayim על פלגי מיים= in the middle of the waters" is peculiar in this psalm: it relates to the rising waters in the Temple: "(the big tree) was beautiful in its height, the length of its branches, because its stock stood by abundant waters" (sharshu al mayim rabbim רשו על מיים רבים; Ezekiel 31:7 and the abundant waters in chapter 47). A true disciple does not fear to drown in high waters. This is why mikveh (as Oriental Christian baptism) is full "diving" - the sort of scuba that does not require any air assistance. It is similar to some "shatul/shatil שתול- שתיל- transplant" as said in the first verses of the initial psalm. It plays on "shadal" (to persuade, entice) as "where there is no man, strive to be a real man" (Tractate Avot 2:5). This implies to be transplanted (shatul\שתול) in a life context that would normally cause our death: who can live in the middle of the water. Even a tree would be on the edge. The Jewish tradition - as thus the Christian teaching - have seen, in "mayim khayyim מיים חיים - a source of living, flowing waters", the flourishing source of spiritual forces and renewal in the shape of a permanent transplantation of our existence. This is due to the roots in Noah's account that concerns every human being.

The parshat hashavua or reading portion of the week is "Bo בא" in Shemot/Exodus 10:1-13:16):"Bo el-Pharaoh בא אל פרעה - go to Pharaoh". Pharaoh was still battling and crossing snakes with Moses and Aaron. The locusts invaded the Land of Egypt; no way! Not stubborn, because Aaron also had his mood at times. Moshe is unique in terms of humility. Pharaoh is obstinate but the point is that all this historical and beyond historical account is conducted from Above, by the Almighty. This is quite something! Pigheaded Pharaoh, for reasons of delivery, will provoke the Israelites to organize, against his will, their first festive and kosher lamb (tzeli) ha'esh (full-roasted) meal צלי האש (Ex. 12:8)! We saw in the previous blog (Makkot) that the death of all Egyptian firstborns – and Pharaoh's son as well-, finally inflected the dogged potentate. We could cite numerous tyrants and despots who were lovable daddies and unshakeable dictators. Ceausescu, Pol Pot, Ivan Groznyi- Иван Грозный (the Terrible), Stalin – both regretted as paternal leaders… Think that our late Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek had the nerve to convince A. Eichmann to liberate 3000 Jews…True. But Eichmann was a dove and a pigeon compared to Pharaoh. Freedom faces more than any rational quest at that price.

The "seh שה – lamb" will mark the first seder or meal before anyone is freed; its blood will be sign of "protective offering/Passover – bechipazon Pesach בחיפזון פסח"; and while eating entire lambs with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (matzot al marorim), God will pass and kill all the firstborns of Egypt, both man and beast. The Jews are then eating the flesh of the protective sacrifice, the bread of the needy with the herbs that still recalls them the bitterness of their slavery. Throughout Pesach/Passover, the Israelites are poor, nought but still God's instruments. "Haynu avadim היינו עבדים – we are slaves" – "Ha lachma de'aniya הא לחמא דעניא – this is the bread of poverty" is our living teaching, the true memorizing method of how to learn the value of our days as bney chorin ני חורין(free people). On the 14th of the month (of Nissan), God allows us to actualize through a year-to-year memorizing meal this covenant of freedom. We read this portion and we shall only celebrate, on the 14th of Shvat, the New Year of the Trees! As if Jews were going merry all through the months to celebrate New Year all the time! Even when we recall early harvest = Pesach or late harvest = Rosh HaShanah in Autumn, God acts with zero'a nituyiah זרוע נטויה(outstretched arm) to unchain us according to an agenda that firstly delivered our ancestors from Egypt. This calendar is articulated within history and major significant events that surpass nature to bring us into a more metaphysical realm (physis = nature is active in Greek).

"matzah –pl. matzot מצה-מצות" = "unleavened bread(root: "dry, pressed bread; also "untanned hide" as in Talmud Kelim 17:15")" which was the bread of the poor. It is made only with water and flour, is thin and is eaten instead of leavened bread during the seven days of the Feast of Pesach. In our days, some matzot are made with fruit juice or onions, but they could not get to that for the first meal! It is also a sign of humility, obedience to God and compassion for the killed firstborns while the Jews were on their way to freedom. Interestingly, Hebrew "MaTZoT מצות" can both be read as "matzot = bread" and "mitzvot = Commandments". During this first Passover night, the Jews are given specific Commandments which are, till now, included in the 613 Mitzvot. a) To commemorate this unique historical night of freedom; b) to eat whole lambs roasted on the fire without any remains, c) unleavened bread d) with bitter herbs during seven days. These are the first Commandments of the Exodus event. There is one more Commandment which is rarely mentioned in that context: e) to don the tefillin – phylacteries (Ex./Shemot 13:9).

The exodus of the Land of Egypt is the top historical Jewish event. It is also an ethical act that brings moral attitudes and produce moral expectations among the Jewish people. The move from slavery to freedom is not just a sort of a leave for holidays in the desert. Say, it works; good enough. If not, then we shall come back and get our sweet onions… This is how the historical event almost turned to happen in the Sinai. No way! Nobody can cheat God's schedule. We will be free: this implies we are freely bound to Commandments that show how much we are enabled to be free.These Mitzvot/Commandments are not orders. They pave a humble, exiguous path to achieving God's will and correspond to the bread of the needy mixed with bitter herbs. Oh, we can bake sophisticated unleavened bread and produce bitter-sweet herbs! Again, the historical event is also a metaphysical one because it induces to joyfully accept the food of the living Commandments. Paul of Tarsus adopts this attitude: "Let's celebrate the Feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). The Oriental Churches focus on leavened bread in opposition with Judaism and the Western Churches, but also positively as leaven makes the bread rise and then is considered as a "sign of resurrection" (challot חלות, the two loaves of Pentecost and Shabbat).

Exodus/Shemot chapter 13 summarizes the commandment of the Feast of the Matzot. Firstborns of Israel will be consecrated to the Lord. Secondly, "Vehayah lecha le'ot al-yad'cha ulezikkaron beyn eyneicha והיה לך לאות על-ידך ולזיכרון בין עיניך– and this shall be a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes (forehead), in order that the Teaching of the Lord may be in your mouth". The first mitzvah/commandment is to wear the tefillin-תפילין or phylacteries. Guess: most people know nothing about that. But this is a key commandment. These are two boxes (batim בתים = houses) made of kosher untanned hide (unleaven). Each of them include different texts recalling the miracles that God performed in order to release the Hebrews. Made of leather, they should be donned on the left arm (close to the heart) and on the forehead as the new service of bondage that links every bar mitzvah (13 years) to a life-long service of El Shaddai, God Who saves and protects. Thus, the straps bound along the arm show twice the shape of the Hebrew letter "Shin - ש". On the one hand, to wear the hand box (yad-יד) close to the heart because love and compassion come first; then, the head box (rosh-ראש) is like a diadem on the forehead because God alone is King. The tefillin do remind that Israel left human slavery to clutch to God's releasing Presence and action, tied up on our bodies for the best of life.


av Aleksandr [Winogradsky Frenkel]

January 25/12, 2009 – 1 deShvat 5769 - א' דשבט תשס"ט

tefillin: from bones to life-houses