Beshalach - A World of Lies
In today's uncertain times, appearances can be deceiving, yet an era of integrity lies ahead.
This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shira because we read Parshat Beshalach, which includes the “Az Yashir” song the Jewish people sang after the splitting of the Red Sea. It's noteworthy that Parshat Beshalach often falls around the date of Tu B’Shevat, coinciding about 25% of the time. This suggests a meaningful connection between the two.
Oftentimes, people try to find a connection with Tu B’Shevat through a modern lens. For example, currently, there’s a trend to view Tu B’Shevat as a celebration of nature, similar to the secular day known as Earth Day. However, limiting Tu B’Shevat solely to earthly dimensions understates its broader significance. And if we are to take the connection between Tu B’Shevat and the splitting of the sea seriously, then quite the opposite seems to be true. The splitting of the sea was a supernatural event, which means it was beyond the laws of nature.
I think we should take a different approach that will uncover the supernatural foundations of Tu B’Shevat. For one thing, the date of this holiday is not arbitrary. It’s exactly 40 days prior to the Creation of the world, according to Rabbi Yehoshua in the Talmud. The Gemara in Mesechet Rosh Hashana 10b teaches us there are two opinions about the dates of Creation – Rabbi Eliezer holds that it began on the 25th of Elul, so the 6th day was Rosh Hashana; Rabbi Yehoshua holds that it began on the 25th day of Adar, so the 6th day was Rosh Chodesh Nisan. Based on the latter opinion, Tu B’Shevat falls 40 days prior to the Creation of the world.
Kabbalistic works emphasize the significance of the 40-day period, indicating that 40 days before each of us develops into an embryo, our essence is created, including, as the Talmud in Mesechet Sotah 2a teaches, our soulmate. This insight reveals that Tu B’Shevat holds supernatural significance, extending far beyond the context of Earth Day.
Therefore, when we think about Tu B’Shevat, our focus should perhaps be on supernatural trees, not just physical ones. Remarkably, we can look to the story about the Garden of Eden to find these supernatural trees. Due to the unfortunate choices made by Adam and Eve concerning two trees—the Etz HaChaim, the Tree of Life, and the Etz Hadaat, the Tree of "Knowledge"—the destiny of all humanity underwent a profound change during the period of Creation.
However, the source of these trees did not begin in Gan Eden; we find their source in the Torah’s account of the third day of Creation. The Torah says that God commanded that the ground should bring forth etz pri/fruit trees. However, the narrative continues, stating that the ground responded by growing trees – not etz Pri/fruit trees, but simply etz, signifying plain trees. Based on our Sages’ analysis of this specific wording, they teach that God wanted the entire tree, including the bark, to be sweet like fruit. However, the ground produced only trees as we know them, bearing fruit, but lacking other sweet components; in contrast to fruit, the bark of the tree is tasteless or bitter.
This implies that the soil made a choice to disobey God. But the ground is inanimate, so how can we say it made that choice to disregard God’s commandment?
I always understood this passage to mean that the response of the ground was the direct consequence of Adam’s choice. Adam wrongly ate from the Etz Hadaat, the tree of knowledge, and this choice is what caused the earth to become cursed, so the trees were not destined to grow as God initially intended.
I think there's a profound lesson in the symbolism of these trees. The fruit signifies the tangible results, the "fruit" of our labor. Meanwhile, the bark, intricately linked to the tree's roots, symbolizes the "roots" of the fruits within a person—the inner source. These aspects are often outside of our awareness, hidden, because the fruit tends to outshine them.
When God commanded the ground to produce fruit trees, He intended for the fruit to resemble its source, reflecting the overall nature of the tree. In other words, he conceptualized a creation with integrity, one in which the surface appearance matched its essence. That was His ideal model for the entire world.
But the sages say that Adam tried to take control of Creation, and the result of his defiance was that he injected the element of deceit into the fate of human beings. As the Zohar says, this world is called “alma d’shikra,” “a world of lies.” So, after his transgression, the ground produced what his choice created on the sixth day of creation, trees whose fruit is not reflective of its source in a world founded on deceit and insincerity.
We live in a world where things are rarely what they seem, and much is hidden. Even God hides Himself in this period of time.
During the Exodus, God showed Himself and made His inner workings visible. That’s what the “Az Yashir” Song of the Sea represents -- the epitome of the Jewish people’s faith in God. However, as the Parsha’s narrative reveals, their faith did not last. The second half of our parsha recounts their descent into doubt, even questioning God’s presence in their midst. It was this failure that made the Jewish people vulnerable to the attack by Amalek and all the doubt that Amalek represented.
So taken together, Tu B’Shevat and Parshat Beshalach remind us that we live in a world of falsehood. However, by the same token, they also teach us that the kind of world God envisioned still exists, but for now, it is hidden in the supernatural realm. Only when Mashiach comes can we expect to experience an authentic world filled with integrity. I think we should also keep this in mind when we are bombarded daily by the blatant distortions and lies about Israel. The current proceedings at the International Court of Justice are just one egregious example. The name of that venue belies reality; there can be no real justice in a world where God is hidden, and this is exemplified in the twisted version of the truth being portrayed about our long history of fending off evil and defending our right to exist as a people and a nation. It is our hope and prayer that we merit to reach the period of Mashiach when appearances will not be deceiving, and integrity will prevail.