Look more deeply...

Today is Tu B'Sh'vat ("the 15th of Sh'vat") which marks the beginning of a "New Year for Trees." This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

Historically, the "New Year for Trees" related to the various tithes that were to be separated from produce grown in the Holy Land. This day is marked by eating fruit, particularly from the "Seven Kinds" or "Seven Species" that are singled out by the Torah in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates). 

On this day we are reminded that we are "a tree of the field" (Deuteronomy 20:19), and reflect on the lessons we can draw from that botanical analogue.

As we know, a tree grows in two directions at once: its trunk, branches, and fruit are fully visible, reaching skywards. However, the roots are hidden from our eyes, underground. 

Tu B’Shv'at celebrates the roots of the trees. It marks the time of the year when most of the rains (in Israel) have fallen and now the roots are drinking and the wheels of growth once again have been set in motion. Though the fruits will not appear for several months, their process of growth has begun and we acknowledge growth and nourishment at the root level.

We are also like trees, with our own roots, branches and fruit. Our branches, leaves, and fruit are our achievements, the way we reach upwards and outwards to the world. They are our visible accomplishments, our goals and objectives, our strivings, our external self. our roots, though, call us to look more deeply, far below the externals and surface....

As we reflect on our roots, we might ask, Is our primary focus goal-oriented, end-product, and bottom-line, or can we live from a value-centered perspective? Are we focused on the minutiae of superficiality, or can we step back and look at the bigger, and deeper, picture? Are we focused on the rules and proper protocols and scripts, or can we also take time to drink more deeply from the wells of creativity, spontaneity, laugher, fun, and joy? Are we rigid and black and white, seeing only what is literally in front of our eyes, or can we also play with the greys and colors of life and delight in the intuitive? Are we literal, or can we also find the similes, metaphors, and stories hidden deep in our roots?

Today is filled with metaphor and mysticism. Let us tap more deeply into our roots, our soul, the invisible foundation, and measure our growth from that point rather than only the visible and external.