מתני' ארבעה ראשי שנים הם: באחד בניסן ר"ה למלכים ולרגלים; באחד באלול ראש השנה למעשר בהמה- ר' אלעזר ור"ש אומרים באחד בתשרי; באחד בתשרי ראש השנה לשנים ולשמיטין וליובלות לנטיעה ולירקות; באחד בשבט ראש השנה לאילן כדברי בית שמאי, בית הלל אומרים בחמשה עשר בו:
MISHNAH: There are four "beginnings of the year." The first of Nissan is the beginning of the year for kings and holidays. The first of Elul is the beginning of the year for animal tithes. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say that [animal tithes start] on the first of Tishrei. The first of Tishrei is the beginning of the year for years, for the Sabbatical years, the Jubilees, for planting, and for vegetables. The first of Shevat is the beginning of the year for trees, so says Beit Shammai. Beit Hillel says it is the 15th of that [month]
(יא) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים תַּֽדְשֵׁ֤א הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ דֶּ֔שֶׁא עֵ֚שֶׂב מַזְרִ֣יעַ זֶ֔רַע עֵ֣ץ פְּרִ֞י עֹ֤שֶׂה פְּרִי֙ לְמִינ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ב֖וֹ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃ (יב) וַתּוֹצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ דֶּ֠שֶׁא עֵ֣שֶׂב מַזְרִ֤יעַ זֶ֙רַע֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וְעֵ֧ץ עֹֽשֶׂה־פְּרִ֛י אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ב֖וֹ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃ (יג) וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם שְׁלִישִֽׁי׃ (פ)
(11) And God said: ‘Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.’ And it was so. (12) And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good. (13) And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
(ט) ויאמר אלהים תדשא הארץ - רבי יהודה בר' (שמעון) [שלום] אמר ...אמר לה הקב"ה תדשא הארץ דשא וגו' מה הפרי נאכל אף העץ נאכל והיא לא עשתה כן אלא ותוצא הארץ דשא וגו' הפרי נאכל והעץ אינו נאכל.
ר"פ אמר אף הוסיפה על הצווי סמכה לעשות רצון בוראה עץ עושה פרי אפי' אילני סרק עשו פירות.
(9) And GOD said, let the land bring forth grass...- ... Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Shimon said.... "God proclaimed 'let the land etc.' (intending that) just as the fruit can be eaten, so the tree can be eaten- but the Earth didn't do that, instead 'and the land brought forth etc." where the fruit can be eaten but the tree can not be eaten.
Rabbi Pinchas said "Actually, the Earth added on to the commandment, trying to do the will of its creator: (God said only) 'fruit-bearing trees' (should produce fruit) but even the non-fruit-bearing pines produced fruit!"
.....אמר רבי חמא בר גוריון: אפילו אילני סרק, עתידין ליתן דין וחשבון.
ורבנן: מייתין לה מן הדא: (דברים כ') כי האדם עץ השדה. מה האדם עתיד ליתן דין וחשבון, אף אילני סרק עתידין ליתן דין וחשבון.
Rabbi Chama bar Gurion said: Even ilonei sarak will have to give a judgement and an accounting in the future.
The Rabbis said: From where does this come? "For man is like the tree of the field"- Just as Man's future is to give a judgement and an accounting, even wild trees will in the future give a judgement and an accounting.
(יט) כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתָפְשָׂהּ לֹא תַשְׁחִית אֶת עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר?
(19) When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee?
- woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground. Compare with shrub1.
...היכא מברכינן בורא פרי העץ? היכא דכי שקלת ליה לפירי איתיה לגווזא והדר מפיק, אבל היכא דכי שקלת ליה לפירי ליתיה לגווזא דהדר מפיק לא מברכינן עליה בורא פרי העץ אלא בפה"א
and when do we bless "who creates the fruit of the tree?" Borei Pri ha'Etz applies only when the branch remains after the fruit is taken, and it bears more fruits; If no branch remains that will bear more fruits, we do not bless "who creates the fruit of the tree", but "who creates the fruit of the ground".
(7) [The fruits of] trees must not be grafted on trees of a different kind; nor [one kind of] shrub, [plant or herb] on another kind of shrub; nor yet [scions of] trees on shrubs, nor shrubs on trees. R. Jehudah permits the grafting of shrubs on trees.
.אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק למה נמשלו דברי תורה כעץ שנאמר (משלי ג, יח) עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה לומר לך מה עץ קטן מדליק את הגדול אף תלמידי חכמים קטנים מחדדים את הגדולים והיינו דאמר ר' חנינא הרבה למדתי מרבותי ומחבירי יותר מרבותי ומתלמידי יותר מכולן
Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: Why was the Torah compared to a tree, as it says "for it is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it" (Proverbs 3:18)? To teach you that just as a small tree may set a larger tree on fire, so too is it with scholars, where the small sharpen the large. After all, Rabbi Chanania said "I have learnt much from my teachers, and more from my friends, but from my students more than anyone"
(ז) רבי אלעזר איש ברתותא אומר, תן לו משלו, שאתה ושלך שלו.וכן בדוד הוא אומר (דברי הימים א כט) כי ממך הכל ומידך נתנו לך.רבי שמעון אומר, המהלך בדרך ושונה ומפסיק ממשנתו ואומר, מה נאה אילן זה ומה נאה ניר זה, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאלו מתחיב בנפשו.
(7) Rabbi Elazar of Bartuta says: Give Him what is His, for you and yours are His. And so says David, "For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee" (I Chronicles 29:14). Rabbi Shimon says: He who is walking on his way while repeating his studies, and interrupts his studies and says, 'How lovely is this tree! And how lovely is this newly plowed field!' is deemed by Scripture to be as if he was guilty [of an offense punishable by the forfeiture] of his life.
(הרב אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק',אורות חיים ו:ז )
"At the inception of creation it was intended that the tree have the same taste as the fruit (Genesis Rabba 5:9). All the supportive actions that sustain any general worthwhile spiritual goal should by right be experienced in the soul with the same feeling of elation and delight as the goal itself is experienced when we envision it. But earthly existence, the instability of life, the weariness of the spirit when confined in a corporate frame brought it about that only the fruition of the final step, which embodies the primary ideal, is experienced in its pleasure and splendor. The trees that bear the fruit, with all their necessity for the growth of the fruit have, however, become coarse matter and have lost their taste. This is the failing of the "earth" because of which it was cursed when Adam was also cursed for his sin. But every defect is destined to be mended. Thus we are assured that the day will come when creation will return to its original state, when the taste of the tree will be the same as the taste of the fruit. The "earth" will repent of its sin, and the way of the practical life will no longer obstruct the delight of the ideal, which is sustained by appropriate intermediate steps on its way toward realization, and will stimulate its emergence from potentiality to actuality. Penitence itself, which activates the inner spirit that had sunk in the depths of the chaotic and the antithetical to the ideal goal, will enable the aspiration of the ideal to penetrate all the conditioning influences, and in all of them will be tasted the splendor of the ideal goal. It will do this by enlarging the scope of action for the ideal of justice. Man will then no longer suffer the disgrace of indolence on the way of the true life." (trans. B. Z. Bokser)