Community Magazine January 2019

20 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE A Pendant So magnificent that will quickly get you many compliments. Everlasting Any Occasion PENDANTS 539 West Englewood Ave, Teaneck, New Jersey 07666 (973) 885-2648 info@photopendants.com Check out our website for more unique gift ideas www.PhotoPendants.com No Jewish home is complete without a Kiddush cup, It is engraved with a photo of a loved one, or your favorite photo! The photo is guaranteed to stay forever. A d d i t i o n a l 10% selected line of Jewelry Uncovering this Divine Revelation Tu B’Shvat is the day to uncover the divine revelation in the trees, in the fruit, and in nature in general. Let me bring some examples. This is the winter season. Science tells us that when things freeze, they contract, whereas heat makes matter expand. As liquids contract, they condense and become heavier. This is basic science. But what most people don’t know is that there is one exception to the rule which has extraordinary benefits. The exception is water. As water gets colder, it condenses until it reaches 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Then it stops and begins a reverse process. As it continues to get colder and drops below the freezing point, it begins to expand. What’s so great about this? If not for this unusual switch, all the marine life in the cold climates would perish after a single winter. Because of this phenomenon, when water becomes ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, it is lighter than the liquid water and it floats. So, the ice covers only the surfaceof theocean, leaving the fish alive and free to swim underneath. If water would continue to condense as ice, it would be heavier than the water and would sink to the bottom, one layer at a time, until all the fish would die in sheets of ice. Scientists would call this good luck or Mother Nature shining her grace upon us. They cannot admit that it was Gd who created the world. They call this a lucky strike; we call it Gd. You know, I wish they would have taught us science like this in yeshiva. If so, we would have learned something with eternal value. An Oxygen Tree Here’s another example. It’s no secret that we need oxygen to breathe. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. If all animals and humans are constantly exhaling carbon dioxide, why doesn’t the air become filled with this poisonous gas? The miraculous fact that we have plants and trees on earth leads to photosynthesis. Photosynthesis means that trees also breathe. Yet, amazingly, trees breathe the opposite of humans; they inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Each spring, we make a blessing on the trees: “Asher lo hiser balolamo klum, uvara bo briyot tovot v’ilanot tovot lhanot bahen bneh adam ,” blessing Gd for not leaving anything out of creation and creating good trees to benefit man. What pleasure do the trees give us? I always thought the blessing was referring to eating their fruit. But if so, why do we make the beracha before the tree produces the fruit? Moreover, what about somebody who doesn’t like fruit? The fruit trees give himno benefit. So why does he say the beracha? We’ll ask him a simple question: “You may not like fruit, but do you like to breathe?” I assume the answer will be yes! Next time you see a tree, thank Gd for the tree. It’s giving you the air you breathe. It’s not just an apple tree; it’s an oxygen tree. The critical balance between the humans and the trees, between oxygen and carbon dioxide, has somehow always been maintained throughout history. Who keeps the balance? Only Gd. Again, the scientists call this a lucky fluke of nature, but this is our challenge on Tu B’Shvat: Take something that looks regular and reveal the Gdliness. לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה.