Beit Midrash
- Jewish Laws and Thoughts
- Jewish Laws and Customs
Gadol is challenged. G-d orders each tribe to
place their name on a staff; the one that
miraculously blossoms signifies that it is the
choice of Hashem. Ahron's staff, that of Levi,
blossoms first, with ripe almonds (this staff
stayed in bloom for centuries & was kept in the
Bet HaMikdash with a sample of the Mahn).
Almonds, "shaked" in Hebrew, signify zeal, speed,
& faithfulness. The almond tree is the first to
bloom in Israel, in the midst of our rainy
season, thus Chazal decided that the time they
bloomed (Tu B'Shvat) would be the New Year for
trees. When Yirmiyahu is shown an almond tree
(1:11-12), it is a sign that Hashem carries out
His word punctually. The cups on the Menora (some
say the Menora itself!) were shaped like almonds.
Israelis love & consume 7000 tons of almonds each
year. Marzipan, made from almonds, has its own
museum in Kfar Tavor, complete with a marzipan
sculpture of Jewish (some say!) icon Elvis Presley!
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
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