Tu Bishvat Lesson

(19) When you war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy the trees, wielding an ax against them. You may eat from their fruit, but you must not cut them down. Is the tree of the field a human, to escape from you into the besieged city? (20) Only trees that you know do not yield fruit may be destroyed; you may not cut them down for constructing siege-works against the city that is waging war on you, until it has been reduced.

(8) For he shall be like a tree transplanted by the waters, And that spreads out its roots by the river, And shall not see when heat comes, But its foliage shall be luxuriant; And shall not be anxious in the year of drought, nor cease from yielding fruit.

(18) She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, And happy are all that hold on to her.

One day he [Honi the Circle Drawer] was journeying on the road and he saw a man planting a carob tree; he asked him, How long does it take [for this tree] to bear fruit? The man replied: Seventy years. He then further asked him: Are you certain that you will live another seventy years? The man replied: I found [ready grown] carob trees in the world; as my forefathers planted these for me so I too plant these for my children. Honi sat down to have a meal and sleep overcame him. As he slept a rocky formation enclosed upon him which hid him from sight and he continued to sleep for seventy years. When he awoke he saw a man gathering the fruit of the carob tree and he asked him, Are you the man who planted the tree? The man replied: I am his grandson. Thereupon he exclaimed: It is clear that I slept for seventy years.

When they were about to part, [R. Nahman] said: Please, Rabbi, bless me. He replied: Let me tell you a parable — To what may this be compared? To a man who was journeying in the desert; he was hungry, weary and thirsty and he lighted upon a tree the fruits of which were sweet, its shade
pleasant, and a stream of water flowing beneath it; he ate of its fruits, drank of the water, and rested under its shade. When he was about to continue his journey, he said: Tree, O Tree, with what shall I bless you? Shall I say to you, ‘May thy fruits be sweet’? They are sweet already; that your shade be pleasant? It is already pleasant; that a stream of water may flow beneath you? Look, a stream of water flows already beneath you; therefore [I say], ‘May it be God's will that all your shoots shall be just like you.

8) For every plague—which may the community never be visited with! —an alarm is to be sounded, except for a too much rain.

It happened once, that they said to Honee, ‏the circle-maker, "Pray for us, that rain may fall." He told them, "Go and bring in the ovens, that they may not be spoiled by the rain." He prayed, and the rain did not descend. What did he then? He marked out a circle, and placing himself within it, and thus prayed, "Creator of the world! Your children have looked up to me as being peculiarly gifted by You; I swear, by your Great Name, that I will not move from this place until you have compassion on them." The rain began to drop down [gently]. He said, "It was not for this that I petitioned, but for rain [sufficient to fill] wells, cisterns, and caves." The rain then fell in violent torrents; when he said, "Not for such rains did I petition, but for mild, generous, and useful showers." The rain then fell in the usual manner, until the Israelites of Jerusalem were obliged to go from the city to the Temple mountain, on account of the rain.

They came and said to him, "Even as you prayed that the rains would come down, please pray now that they may cease." He said to them, "Go and see whether the stone ‏is covered by the waters."

Simeon, son of Shatach sent him word, "If you were not Honee, I would order you to be condemned; but what shall I do to you? Since you sin against God, and yet God forgives and indulges you like a favored child, who sins against his father, and is yet forgiven and indulged. To you may be applied the text, 'Your father and mother shall rejoice, and those who raised you shall be glad.' (Prov. 23:25)"