The Contents of A Person Is Like A Tree
PREFACE
THE HISTORY AND CUSTOMS OF THE TU BESHVAT CELEBRATION, FEAST AND SEDER
A Date for the Agricultural Calendar
Why was This Date Chosen?
The Development of a Holiday
THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF TU BESHVAT
Major Themes
Mysticism and Nature
Renewal and Rosh HaShanah
Human Actions Affect Nature
Holy, Meditative Eating
The Land of Israel and the Garden of Eden
Mysticism and Redemption
Four Questions About Tu BeShvat
The Spiritual Aspect of Fruit and Fruit Trees
The Two Fruit Trees in the Garden of Eden
The Cosmic Tree of Life
The Tikkun (Repair) of the First Sin
Why Do We Eat Many Fruits and Nuts on Tu BeShvat?
A Day of Judgment for Fruit Trees
A Tale: A Debt of Gratitude
Fruit for Praise
The Fruits and Grains of Israel
A Fruit You Have Not Tasted This Season
A Tale: The Fruits of the Righteous Are Their Deeds
The Feast of Fruits in the Coming World
A New Year for Trees and People
Hiddushim: "New Fruit" of Torah Insights
A Tale: Meditation on an Apple
A Tale: Eating a Leaf
Four Worlds and Four Categories of Fruit
Fruits with Shells
Fruits with Pits
Fruits That Are Totally Edible
Fragrant Fruits
Perek Shira (The Book of Song)
The Dance of Tu BeShvat
Wine at the Tu BeShvat Feast
The Spiritual Aspect of Wine
Mystic Joy on Tu BeShvat
A Tale: The Baal Shem Tov About Joy on Tu BeShvat
The Four Cups of Wine
The Colors of the Four Cups of Wine
Holy Eating and a Holy Meal
Three Seders
A Tale: A Holy Meal in a Sukkah in Tiberias
A Table Before the Lord
Tzedaka
Gazing and the Spiritual Essence of Food
A Day for Gazing at the Wonders of the Creation
and Thanking the Creator
A Tale: The Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Yaakov Koppel
A Meditation on God's Presence
Blessings
Blessings as Meditations
Eating Meditation
Lessons From Trees
Hope in Difficult Times
To Tend the Garden
Four Anecdotes About Reverence for Plants
Micah's Fig Tree
The Delight in Celebrating Tu BeShvat
God and Beauty
After Blessing
Concluding Thoughts
THE MAIN ELEMENTS OF A TU BESHVAT FEAST
A FRUIT BOX OF TEACHINGS AND TALES
Fruit for Thought from the Torah and the Rabbis
About Fruits in General
From the Torah
From the Rabbis
About Specific Fruits or Nuts:
the vine (grape and wine), fig, pomegranate,
olive and olive oil, date, nut,
citrus (orange, grapefruit), apricot,
peach, carob, apple, etrog.
Shorter Teachings
When You Care for a Tree, It Gives Good Fruit
As You Sow, So Shall You Reap
The Fruit of Our Labor
Faith and Labor
Absorbing the Waters of Torah
The Sap of Faith
The Sap of Life and Joy
The Three Parts of the Tree
The Power of Jewish Roots
Unity in the Root
The Humility of Seeds and Roots
Seeds and Faith
The Taste of the Fruit
The Taste of the Rind and the Fruit
Patient as a Fruit Tree
The Seven Species of Fruits and Grains
Walk in His Ways
Fruits are the Main Thing
Tu BeShvat and the Full Moon
A Time of Renewal
A Tale: Renewing the Old
Renewal in Nature, Renewal in the Soul
Renewal and Blessings
Children
Educating Them to Perfection
O Tree, With What Shall I Bless You?
A Blessing Fulfilled
Stars and Fruit Trees
Tu BeShvat, Purim, and Passover
Adam's Holiday
Adam and the Fruit of the Future
Modesty
A Parable: Fruit and Forgetfulness
"Proof"
The Element of Pleasure
Indexed Teachings
1. The 15th of Shvat Date and the Rains
2. Tu BeShvat, Nature, and God
3. What is a Fruit?
4. The Two Trees of Torah
5. Even a Poor Person
6. Two Judgments: Tu BeShvat and Atzeret (Shavuot)
7. A Prayer from P'ri Aitz Hadar
8. The Garden of Eden and the Land of Israel
9. A Day of Joy for the Land and People of Israel
10. Fruits from Israel
a. The Holiness of Fruits from Israel
b. A Tangible Memorial of the Land
c. A Tale: Learning their Importance
11. The Fruit of Piety
12. The New Year of the Trees and Rosh HaShanah
13. Torah Renewal
14. A Tale: Ten Points in an Apple
15. Shabbat Shira
16. The Four Cups: Four States of Elevated Consciousness
17. Red and White Wine
a. Gevurah, Hesed, and Rahamim
b. The Baal Shem Tov's Praying
18. Tzedaka Customs for Tu BeShvat
19. An Example of a Meditation for God's Presence
20. An Example of an Eating Meditation
21. Choose a Worthy Teacher
22. The Lunar Eclipse
23. Alive in Two Worlds
24. Fruit for the Redemption
Longer Teachings
Tithes, Orlah, and Firstfruits
The Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
Commentary
Infusing Spiritual Energy into Fruit
More on the Four Worlds
The Four Letters of God's Name
The Four Worlds When Eating
The Kelippa
Outside and Inside: Shell and Pit
Even the Kelippa is Good
Negative and Positive
Getting Close to God: Exercises in Developing Resolve
How Many Fruits to Eat?
Teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav
The Fruit of the Womb
A Different Tu BeShvat Each Year
Rabbi Nachman's Resting Place
Teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
What the Earth Says to the Seed
The Difference Between a Vegetable and a Tree
About the Etrog
A Prayer of Rabbi Hayyim Yosef David Azulai
A Tale: A Dream of an Etrog
Beautifying the Mitzvah
A Tale: Under Lock and Key
A Tale: Poison!
About the Carob
A Tale: The Carob's Name
Olive Oil and Date Honey
More Wine: "Who is Good and Does Good"
Laws Concerning Blessings Over Fruit
The Botany of Fruits
Fruit Structure
Fruit Types
The Adaptive Value of Fruit Types
Tales
The Gift of Fruit
Fruit and Forgiveness
The Baal Shem Tov and the Orchard in Winter
Israel Lacks Nothing
Inexpert About Wines
Love for the Fruit of the Land
The Bitter-sweet Pomegranate
The Kotzker and the Gerer
A Blessing Even in a Time of Darkness
Fruits for Healing
Divine Protection
Two Apples
The Banana Stand
Planting in Fear and Trembling
Appendix: Preparing for a Tu BeShvat Feast
Items to Buy and Prepare
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
