The seeds were sitting in archaeological ruins in Masada & Qumran for close to 2,000 years, buried in rubble, broken shards of pottery or just covered with desert sand. Long since forgotten about, with dozens of generations coming and going, the seeds of these date Palms, a fruit that is one of the seven fruits that Israel is blessed with in the Torah, were just organic matter which hadn’t yet decomposed.
Then Dr. Sarah Sallon came along and did an experiment and managed to take one of these Date Palm seeds in 2005 and germinate it and help it grow into a tree, and they named it Methushelach. Since then Dr. Sallon and her team have managed to get several more Date Palms to grow from these 2,000 year old seeds, and now the first tree has been joined by Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah who are all flourishing and growing as Date Palms in Israel (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/02/how-to-grow-a-date-tree-from-2000-year-old-seeds/606079/).
As we approach Tu B’Shevat and reflect on the role and messages of trees and the Biblical fruit of Israel, I found this particular piece of news to be not only fascinating, but also so beautiful and inspiring in so many ways. The idea that organic matter from 2000 years ago and can bring forth life, is a powerful reminder how powerful and potent G-d’s beautiful world is, and how many blessings, often still untapped, lay beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered, nurtured or enabled. In an age of the Coronavirus breaking forth out of nowhere and wreaking havoc, it is also a reminder of the latent explosive power for good that G-d implanted in the world, and which is being steadily discovered and brought out, each and every day.
Yet there is another side to this, and that is the side of the human behavior and the spiritual lessons we need to think of. “For man is the Tree of the Field” states the Torah. It is a powerful statement which tells us so much about how we ought to view and conduct ourselves. It reminds us of the need to grow, of the need to be nurtured, the importance of strong roots, and of learning to withstand stormy weather and harsh conditions.
Yet most importantly, it is a reminder that all of the above elements are so that we can bring forth our own unique fruit to the world around us. Our fruit, are both our physical offspring and our spiritual offspring, namely good deeds and Mitzvos. Like offspring, Mitzvos and good deeds, brighten and steadily improve the world around us, and have ripple effects in stimulating and encouraging more goodness and kindness. Lastly, like trees which help provide clean air to the world around us, our own trees, should be ones that constantly create a better and more positive and inspiring atmosphere for all those around us.
All these things have always been true, yet the story of the 2000 year old seeds, took this concept up a whole new notch, as it reminded us of the power that is contained within each tree and fruit of our metaphorical tree, the human being. It reminded us, that the seeds that come about from the fruit we give forth always contain so much potential which can be brought forth, even if it may not happen right away. Sometimes years and even generations may pass, yet ultimately every bit of fruit that we produce in the world, brings with it tremendous latent potential that can continuously change the world and improve the lives of others for the good, even with seeds that seem lifeless as they have been laying in a barren hot desert for 2000 years.
This Tu B’Shevat, as we celebrate the New Year for the trees and remember all the blessings that they endow us with, let us reflect on our own personal trees and on all the trees that we have been entrusted so that we can continuously improve how we nurture, care for, and help bring forth fruit of their own.
Shabbat Shalom
Yisroel