Special Features Birkat Ha'Ilanot • The Bracha for Trees* Said during the month of Nissan. (Halachic conclusion after discussion) Said on a fruit tree (preferably 2 or more) in blossom. • Not on flowering trees that do not bear fruit. • Not on fruit trees that are already showing fruit. • Fruit trees - apple, pear, plum, peach, etc.during the time they display flowers and during Nissan. This bracha is said once a year, maximum. It should be said with a sense of awe and appreciation of G-d and His Creations, specifically the fruit tree, which delights the senses with its floral display before it provides us with sustenance. Transliterated for those who might benefit from it... (accented syllable is in uppercase letters) baRUCH aTA adoNAI eloHEInu MElech ha'o'LAM she'LO chiSAR ba'o'laMO daVAR (some say KLUM instead of daVAR) u'vaRA VO b'ri'OT toVOT v'i'laNOT toVIM l'haNOT baHEM b'NEI aDAM. Blessed are You, G-d, our G-d, King of the Universe, Who left nothing lacking in His world, and who created in it good creations and (specifically) good trees for human beings to enjoy (benefit from). Let's step back for a moment, for an overview of the significance of trees, as impressed upon us by ChaZa"L (the Sages). In composing the brachot which generation after generation of Jews would be saying before eating food, the Men of the Great Assembly assigned special brachot when they felt that we ought to realize and acknowledge a special level of appreciation to G-d for the specific food we are about to eat. Out of the six before-food brachot, five are for foods that come from the ground, and only one bracha is for everything else. If ChaZa"L commanded us to make a SHE'HAKOL on meat and eggs and dairy products and water and candy and a host of other products, but told us to say a HA'ADAMA on a carrot, they were telling us something.The gifts of the land are indeed "extra-special". Plant a seed, water and nurture it, and it will often give you a juicy tomato or a crisp cucumber, a potato or an onion to enjoy. There is something special about that which grows from the ground, and ChaZa"L wanted us to sit up and take notice. Okay, a melon is something to say an extra measure of thank you for. But why did they make a more specific bracha for an apple and an orange? The answer is that ChaZa"L wanted to teach us to appreciate trees. Plant a carrot seed, wait around for a while, pluck the carrot from the ground, and eat it. It's gone. Want another carrot? Plant another carrot. Here's an apple tree full of apples. Pick them. Enjoy them. Come back next year for a new crop of apples. There is something extra-special to acknowledge before G-d. And the BOREI PRI HA'ETZ can lead you to think about trees in general, not just their fruit. Trees put oxygen back into the air we breathe. Trees provide shade and shelter, homes for birds and animals, prevent soil erosion, eventually supply us with lumber and/or paper. Not only did our Sages help make us aware of trees with the BOREI PRI HA'ETZ, but they gave us a bracha to say on magnificent forests or exceptionally beautiful trees - ...she'KAcha LO ba'o'laMO - "that this is the way it is in His world". [Practical note: this bracha has fallen into disuse in our time. On the books, however, this bracha is said only once, and can be repeated only if one sees even more magnificent trees.] And there is one more bracha related to trees that our Sages composed. It is said once a year, specifically in the month of Nissan, when one sees fruit trees in bloom. Let's take those points one at a time: Some authorities hold that the bracha may be said at the local time of tree-flowering, which is Nissan in certain countries, but not in all locations. We, however, take a stricter view and restrict this bracha to the month of Nissan. It would not have been appropriate, for example, to have said the bracha on a flowering almond tree, many of which have been brightening our countryside for the passed several weeks. Even though one has the whole month of Nissan to say this bracha, one should say it early in the month lest he find the flowers gone by the time he gets around to saying the bracha. The bracha can only be said on fruit trees - not shade trees - and
only BEFORE the tree bears fruit. The bracha is specifically matched to the beautiful
display of flowers that precedes the fruit. Starting with Rosh Chodesh Nissan - Thursday, March 18th - take a walk in search of flowering fruit trees. Some people have some in their back yards; others have neighbors they can ask. There are neighborhoods in which people post a sign with the bracha inviting people to use their trees for the bracha. Ask around. Someone will know where you can find a few cherry, peach, apple, apricot, or plum trees. Although the bracha can be said on as few as two trees, it is very nice to say it while seeing a whole orchard. If you can arrange that, go for it. This bracha is a nice excuse for a short family outing. The bracha, in essence, makes the following statement: I acknowledge that G-d has gone "beyond the call of duty" with this fruit tree. If all that this tree would give me is a delicious fruit to eat, it would be more than worthy of having been created. But before the fruit is ready for the picking - even before it has startedto grow - this tree gives us all a beautiful visual and olfactory (that's smell) display. Before my sense of taste is given its treat, my eyes and nose enjoy part of G-d's world. This sentiment is echoed in the words of the bracha. Say it with feelings of spiritual and physical joy. And for those to whose lips and hearts this piece of poetree will bring a smile... TREES by Joyce Kilmer Condolences to Mrs. Selma Kaminetsky, Phyllis Reiss, Symie Liff, Nechama Steinhardt, and Rabbi Dovid Kaminetsky on the loss of their husband/father Rabbi Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky z"l A fine Jew, a gentleman and a scholar, an educator par excellence, a teacher, a teacher of teachers, and a teacher of teacher of teachers [The Vayikra Homepage] |
