Rabbi's Teachings

Trees are something I both am in awe of and can easily not think about. I drive by hundreds of trees on my way to work and I often don’t notice them. And yet, when people visit Wilmington for the first time, I always recommend they go to Fort Fisher to see the haunting Live Oak trees that are growing almost sideways from the wind. 

Jewish tradition harkens human beings to trees in many ways. Most famously in Deuteronomy 20:19, כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה because a man is like the tree of the field. Ideologically, this verse is about not letting human affairs, specifically times of war, have an ecological impact. When we go to war to defend ourselves, we must not harm fruit trees, as it will impact the ability for humans to heal after the conflict has ended. You see in this verse the same idea of noticing and not noticing trees. I imagine when one is engaged in a war to defend themselves against an invading enemy, one is probably not thinking about the apple and persimmons trees that might be in the way. However, war is temporary, and it takes much longer to plant a new fruit tree and raise it to have edible fruit than it does to build the average house. That is why Deuteronomy harkens mankind to trees, to remind us that we are inextricably linked to our ecosystem. 

The following text is an excerpt from "Netzach Yisrael", written by Judah Loew ben Bezalel (1512-1609), the Maharal of Prague:

"This is true that the man is called "the tree of the field" (Deut. 20:19), it is just that the man is an upside-down tree. A tree, its roots are stuck in the ground below whereas, man, its roots are above, because his soul is his roots and it is in the sky. And the hands are the branches of the tree, and the legs are branches on branches, his body the major part of the tree. And why is he an upside-down tree, because a tree its root is below, because the tree, its liveliness is from the ground, and the man, his liveliness is from the sky. "

In the Maharal’s understanding of the verse, we are not only connected to trees such that we depend on them for air, food, and livelihood, but we are connected to trees in a spiritual sense–the Tree of Life. Humans and trees are simultaneously stretching our roots high and low, to the heavens and to the deepest levels of the soil, balancing each other.

This year I am especially excited to have our Young Families get their hands dirty for Tu BiShvat in a partnership with Friends School of Wilmington, NC Cooperative Extension, and Friends of the Arboretum. We will be planting seeds in Friends School’s Native Tree Nursery which will help to bring back many of the native plants, some of which are fruit trees, that have been taken down in the local area as we expand to fit more people. The initiative reflects both the Quaker and Jewish value of Stewardship of the earth–that as we continue to develop this amazing city with all the gifts it brings, stretching our roots high, we can also create the balance of stretching our roots low.

Tu BiShvat in North Carolina is the perfect time to plant a tree. This year–do just that. Dedicate a place in your yard to plant a native tree. If you do not have a yard, this Tu BiShvat, you can make a small donation to a local organization dedicated to bringing local trees back to Wilmington and the surrounding areas.

I often ask you to spread your roots high. This Tu BiShvat, let us balance that by spreading our roots low.