********
Tu Bshevat: Celebrating what?
********
Most
Jewish holidays celebrate key strategic victories in the growth of the
Jewish nation. Other holidays focus upon significance in time. Yet,
one who examines the day of Tu BShevat notes that we do not say Tachanun,
marking it as a holiday but seemingly without source. What is Tu B’Shevat
all about?
The
first reference to Tu BShevat in the Talmud appears in Rosh Hashanna.
There, the Mishna discusses a Machlokes between Beis Shammai and Beis
Hillel as to when the Rosh Hashanna for trees is. Beis Shammai holds
it is on the first of Shevat while Beis Hillel holds of Tu BShevat.
The Talmud explains (14a) that the issue at hand is when do the rains
finish for the season. Tosafos notes that the designation will clarify
which year a particular trees growth cycle is in. If it budded before
Tu B’Shevat, it is last year’s rains that made this tree grow. Otherwise,
it is this year’s.
Of
course, based upon the words of Tosafos, it appears that the official
Rosh Hashanna of trees is in Tishrei when the rains begin to fall. The
only aspect of Tu BeShevat is the actualization that Rosh Hashanna had
been 6 months before. This concept really appears to be difficult in
light of the Mishnas acceptance of Tu B’shevat as Rosh Hashanna! Therefore,
the Turei Even explains that at least according to the Bavli, we must
note that Chazal uprooted the Rosh Hashanna of trees from Tisrei and
set it in Shevat (See also Kehillos Yaakov, Rosh Hashana Siman 14).
Rav
Hai Gaon is quoted in Teshuvos (Teshuvos haGeonim 243) as noting that
a parallel acceptance on the part of the Moslem community exists as
well. Namely, they too, see a split in the middle third of winter that
corresponds to a period of Tu B’Shevat, apparently in accord with
the position of Turei Even.
But
does it make the day into a Rosh Hashanna? The Talmud (Rosh Hashanna
8a) quotes Rav Ashi who only considered Rosh Chodesh days as being worthy
of being called Rosh Hashanna. Accordingly, one could assume the phrase
Rosh Hashanna L’Ilanot would be a wrong one. However, the Bnei Yissoschar
(Maamar II) and Sifsei Chachamim (beginning of Rosh Hashanna) note that
the Mishnas categorization of 4 Roshei Shonim was only Kdivre
Beis Shammai. Therefore, the Mishna never used the phrase Divrei
Beis Shammai opting instead for K’Divrei Beis Shammai because according
to Beis Hillel there are only 3 Rosh Hashonim and one special day for
trees.
What
then is the special day for trees? The Mishna in Rosh Hashanna notes
that on Shavuos we are judged for the fruit of the trees. The Talmud
(Megilla 31b) explains that for this reason we read the Klallos before
Shavuos. However, the Adnei Paz ( Rav Ephraim Heksher of Altuna <lived
in the 1800s>, Orach Chaim 131:5) says that Tu B’Shevat too, is
a day of judgement and thus he wants to explain the custom of eating
fruit on the day of Tu B’Shevat. By remembering to eat them, one will
remember to Daven for them on this day similar to the custom of decorating
the Shul for Shavuos (See Internet Chaburah, Shavuos 5761).
So,
given the special status of the day, at least as a Chag L’Ilanyot,
we do not allow fasts (Beis Yosef Orach Chaim, 572 that this is a Lo
Plug for any day included as a Rosh Hashanna). We also do not recite
Tachanun (See Beis Yosef ibid). The Shem Mee Shmuel (BeShalach) explains
that the reason for the exemption from Tachanun is the realization that
comes to the Jew on this day that Hashem is in control and that the
Jew can continue to serve him B’Chol Levavo aware of the great hand
of Hashem in daily events. That recognition is exciting indeed and joyous
to us all.