Tu B’Shevat provided the opportunity for the fertile imagination of the TABC faculty to take root. Each teacher discussed Tu B’Shevat from a unique angle. Among the topics discussed were: The beautiful parable from Taanit 5b that the greatest blessing one can give a tree (and a person) is that its progeny will follow in its way; an overview of Chazal’s use of the image of roots of a tree to represent core religious values and the fruit to represent the spiritual output; the special bracha achrona after eating from the seven minim that Israel is known for; the Mishna in Avot that one’s actions are like deep roots that anchor a person; stories involving carob trees—Choni HaMa’ageil, Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; and learning the Midrash cited in parshat Kedoshim that Hakadosh Baruch Hu engaged in the planting of trees as one of his first acts in creation and encourages us to do the same as soon as we enter Eretz Yisrael.
In a display of Torah U’Madda, one of the physics classes showed how the whole mass of a tree comes from air, conveying a powerful message about how a little growth over a long period of time can have a huge impact. The faculty at TABC represent a kaleidoscope of approaches and perspectives every day and Tu B’Shevat was a microcosm of that strength.
