Stop and Smell the Roses

(1) The four new years are: On the first of Nisan, the new year for the kings and for the festivals; On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei, the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees according to the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says, on the fifteenth thereof.

(19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

In truth a person is called "a tree of the field," as it is written "that a person is like the tree of a field," only man is an upside down tree, because a tree has its roots stuck in the ground, rather a person has their roots above, because a person's soul is their roots, and it is from the heavens. And why is the person an upside down tree? Because a tree with its roots below, receives its life source from the ground, but a person's life source is their neshama, from the heavens.

Rav Acha says: Even barren trees are destined to provide "judgment" and "accounting." Rabanan say: A person is like a tree of the field, just as a person gives "judgement" and "accounting," so too trees give "judgement and accounting."

(1) Spiritual account-taking means the deliberation of a man on his torah and worldly affairs between his nefesh (bodily soul/emotional side/will) and his intellect, so that one may know what one has and what one still owes of his duties. (this will be clarified through examples).

(2) The prophet (Moshe) has already exhorted us on this in saying: "Know therefore this day, and establish it in your heart that the L-ord he is G-d" (Devarim 4:39), and David, peace be unto him, said: "O taste and see that G-d is good" (Tehilim 34:9), "know the G-d of your father and serve Him.." (Divrei Hayamim 28:9), and "Be you not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding" (Tehilim 32:9).

(3) It was said of one who did not examine his matters and did not account with himself on them: "None returns it to heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say" (Yeshaya 44:19), and "They remembered not His hand [nor the day when He delivered them from the oppressor]" (Tehilim 78:42), and "Remember the days of old..." (Devarim 32:7), and "I remember the days of old [I meditate on all Your works; I ponder on the work of Your hands]" (Tehilim 143:5), and "I will get my knowledge from afar [and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker]" (Iyov 36:3).

(1) לכל עמו This may be translated AND PHARAOH GAVE COMMAND REGARDING ALL (לכל) HIS PEOPLE — Regarding them, too, he made a decree (Sotah 12a). For on the day when Moses was born his astrologers said to him, “To-day their deliverer has been born, but we know not whether he is born of an Egyptian father or of an Israelite; but we see by our astrological art that he will ultimately suffer misfortune through water”. Pharaoh therefore made a decree that day regarding the Egyptians also, as it is said here, “Every son that is born [ye shall cast into the river]”, and it is not stated “[every son] who is born to the Hebrews”. They (the astrologers), however, were not aware that Moses was ultimately to suffer misfortune through the waters of Meribah and not through the waters of the Nile (Exodus Rabbah 1:18; Sotah 12a; cf. also Rashi on Numbers 20:13).

(7) Rabbi Elazar, man of Bartuta, says: Give Him from what is His, for you and yours are His, and thus with David it says, "For all comes from You, and from Your hand we have given to You" (I Chronicles 29:14). Rabbi Shimon says: He who is walking on the way and repeating his studies, and interrupts his studies and says, "How lovely is this tree! And how lovely is this newly plowed field!" - Scripture considers him as if he is liable for [forfeiture of] his life.

(2) "'How lovely is this tree! And how lovely is this newly plowed field'": This is true of all idle talk, but it is speaking according to what is common; as it is the way of wayfarers to speak about what they see with their eyes. And some say that it comes to make us understand a novelty: that even though through this, he will make the blessing, 'Blessed is He, Who it is like this in His world;' nonetheless, Scripture considers it as if he was liable for his life, because he interrupted his study.

(4) In particular, all his intellectual faculties, though G-d given, do not necessarily lead him to the right conclusions. In order to progress from ignorance toward understanding the works of G-d, one must understand the laws of nature as manifest in our universe; subsequently, one may acquire some insights into the workings of the Divine.

(1) When the Blessed Holy One created the first human, He took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: “Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! And all that I have created, it was for you that I created it. Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: if you corrupt it, there will be no one else to repair it.