Tu Bishvat – Seven Species: Dates

“This, your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like clusters of grapes.” (Song of Songs 7:8) Whatever is righteous and good when separate will be righteous and good when part of a whole.

“Your stature,” refers to the whole person, with all his or her parts, attributes and actions. He will be a complete being and achieve great stature, as the date palm is noted for its stature and its “heart of palm,” a single focused heart.

So too, the Torah has infinite parts, ideas, laws and teachings. But one who toils in Torah is able to connect all the different parts into a magnificent whole. (Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz)

The Rosh Hashana of trees is a perfect opportunity to evaluate how our different parts interconnect, and whether they are consistent. It is our chance to pray for wholeness – Shleimut.