"Jewish National Fund – More than Trees!" has become somewhat of a mantra to distinguish the JNF of today from the JNF of 120 – or even 70 – years ago.
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JNF-USA certainly has come a long way since Dec. 29, 1901, when Theodor Herzl's original vision was approved by the Fifth Zionist Congress. The heart of that vision was to restore the People of Israel to the Land of Israel through land reclamation via a national fund whereby "the people will forever be not only the donors, but also the owners, of this dedicated capital" and, thereby, the land as well. We today have inherited Herzl's vision to be a people in our own land, and David Ben Gurion's promise to make the desert bloom.
Over the past few decades, JNF has expanded from planting trees to working toward building viable communities from the ground-up in the northern and southern peripheries, strategic agriculture and environmental research, the preservation of national historic sites, and more – all of which contribute to the ongoing task of building and securing our land for our people.
Tu B'Shevat, however, draws us – the JNF-USA family and the Zionist dream – back to our roots (pun intended). Indeed, our sages teach us that "Planting is so important that if a sapling were in your hand and you were told that the Messiah had come, first plant the sapling – then go out to greet the Messiah." (Avot deRabbi Natan B Ch. 31)
The original command to plant in our land is found in Parashat Kedoshim which begins with the commandment, "You shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy." (Leviticus 19:2) This entire portion is set in contradistinction to that immediately preceding, Acharei Mot, which ends with a list of behaviors that bring about the opposite of holiness – impurity and removal from the community. It is in this specific slice of the holiness code that we find the command to plant – but to wait before eating,
"When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before the Lord, and only in the fifth year may you use its fruit – that its yield to you may be increased: I the Lord am your God." (Leviticus 19:23-25)
Why should we wait four years to bring fruit as part of our thanksgiving to God? According to Nachmanides' commentary on Leviticus 19:23, it is because first, early fruit contains an abundance of moisture which is harmful to the body; and second, early fruit is small and does not impart good taste or flavor until the fourth year. Thus, we wait in order to bring God the best fruit from our planting efforts.
Isn't it interesting that it was just over four decades between the original land purchases by the Jewish National Fund and the establishment of the State of Israel? Then, in the fifth decade and since, Israel grew to be a world leader in virtually every area of life – and in the year preceding JNF-USA's 120th birthday, the Abraham Accords were forged.
The Messiah may not yet be here, but the planting and other preparations are well under-way!
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