February 2001 - שְׁבָט .. אֲדָר תשס״א Shevat..Adar 5761

Tu b'Shvat higia, z'man ha-ilanot. Tu b'Shvat has come, it is the time of the trees. As you know trees are very important to our tradition and to our people. They are so important that the Avot d'Rabbi Natan (a minor tractate of the Talmud commenting on the Pirke Avot) teaches that “if a sapling were in your hand, and you were told that the Messiah had come, first plant the sapling, then go out to greet the Messiah.” (ARNB 31)

Why do trees take precedence over the Messiah? We are not told the answer. I believe that the trees are more important because they are essential for the here and now, because they represent life and perhaps more importantly, the Tree of Life, the Torah. If the Messiah comes we will be entering a perfect world and we probably will not need any more saplings. But until we verify that this is the true messiah, unlike Bar Kochba, Shabbatai Tzvi, Jacob Frank and the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, we had better keep planting.

Today there is a new messianic movement among Jews. It is being lead by Ateret Kohanim, (literally: the crown of the biblical priesthood), the Temple Mount Faithful and others, who are making plans to rebuild the Temple (the Third Temple) on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They have built the menorah and the altars, and recreated the priestly vestments and other Temple vessels and utensils. They are preparing kohanim to slaughter the offerings on the Temple altar.

I don't know about you, but if the messiah does come and if he or she restores the Temple in Jerusalem, I am not bringing a sheep, or a goat, or an ox, to the Temple as my form of worship. Judaism has outgrown the Temple offerings.

The Avot d'Rabbi Natan has another teaching. “Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai once was walking with his disciple Rabbi Joshua near Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple. Rabbi Joshua looked at the Temple ruins and said: ‘Alas for us! The place which atoned for the sins of the people Israel through the ritual of animal offerings lies in ruins!’ Then Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai spoke to him these words of comfort: ‘Be not grieved, my son. There is another equally meritorious way of gaining atonement even though the Temple is destroyed. We can still gain atonement through gemilut chasadim (deeds of lovingkindness).’ For it is written, ‘Lovingkingdness I desire, not offerings.’” (Hosea 6:6). (ARN 4:5 quoted in the Siddur Sim Shalom)

An alternate rabbinic tradition has Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai saying “Do not worry that we do not have the avodah (offerings/service) of the Temple. Now we have the avodat halev (service of the heart).” What is the avodat halev? Prayer! (Sifre Deut. Ekev #41). And in the Talmud we are taught that tzedakah is greater than all of the offerings. (Sukkah 49b).

We don't need the offerings. We don't want the offerings. We have outgrown the offerings. Gemilut chasadim (lovingkindness), tefilah (prayer) and tzedakah (charity) are much more important to us as Jews. Trees are more important than rocks. Lives are more important than a hope for a possible coming of the messiah. If this is true, than Tu B'Shevat is a message of peace for us. Plant trees because they benefit Israel and us today, and in the realistic future. This was the Zionist dream that we have all always shared. Dead slabs of stone that once made up an outdated, unnecessary Temple Mount are not part of that Zionist dream.

When will we ever need the Temple Mount? If the messiah comes then perhaps we will rebuild the Temple. But I believe that we will know if the messiah has truly arrived when the Muslims, Jews and Christians agree to the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock standing next to the Third Temple, and a future church to be named later. In other words we will need the Temple Mount when we no longer want the Temple Mount. But until the messiah comes let us plant trees and foster life.

Happy Tu b'Shevat!

—Rabbi Harry A. Manhoff, Ph.D.

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