Explanation for the Tikkun of FruitAlthough the 15th of Shevat occurs during the “days of the Shovavim,” it is not a fast day, since it is the New Year’s Day for the fruit of the tree. Through the tikkun that is performed on this day with fruit, the sefirah,”Tsaddik, Life of the Worlds,” is aroused. This mystery is mentioned in the Zohar, Bereshit, “on the third day, the earth made fruit from the potency of that [supernal] Tsaddik. As it is written, ‘And God said, let the earth bring forth… fruit trees that produce fruit…‘ ‘Fruit trees‘ refers to ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil‘ that bears fruit. ‘That produce fruit‘ alludes to Tsaddik, the foundation of the world….”

It is a good custom for the faithful to eat many fruits on this day and to celebrate them with words of praise, just as I have instructed my companions.

In order to effect this tikkun, it is fitting for us to eat all kinds of fruit on this very day and to bless them with this intention. For a mitzvah is best when performed at the proper time.

According to the Zohar, “R. Yehudah said, why is it written, ‘even this God made corresponding to that?‘God made the earth to correspond to the firmament. Everything [below] alludes to what is above. For when R. Abba would see a certain tree whose fruit would change into a bird that flew from it, he would weep and say, ‘if human beings only knew to what this alludes….’ As R. Yose said, these trees from which wisdom can be learned, such as the carob, palm, pistachio, and the like were all borne in one chariot. All those [trees] that bear fruit, except the apple tree, allude to one supernal mystery…. And all the small ones, except for the hyssop, are the offspring of one mother. In heaven, powerful intermediaries are placed over each of the earth’s plants, and each has its own mystery, just as above.”

R. Hayyim Vital explained that there are thirty kinds of fruit trees. Ten [have their divine roots] in the World of Creation, corresponding to the ten sefirot of that world. Since their roots are far removed from tuma’ah and close to the purely divine World of Emanation, they have no shell, either within or without. They may be eaten as they are. They include the following: grapes, figs, apples, citrons, lemons, pears, quince, strawberries, sorbs, and carob.

There are ten types of fruit [whose roots are] in the World of Formation. Esoterically, they correspond to the ten sefirot of Formation, which are intermediate, between the World of Creation and the World of Making. They are neither as close to the forces of evil as [the sefirot] of the World of Making nor as distant as the [sefirot] of the World of Creation.

Consequently, the seed kernels within the fruit are not eaten, since they are not soft like the seeds within the fruit that correspond to the World of Creation. They include: olives, dates, cherries, jujubes, persimmons, plums, apricots, hackberries, lotus fruit, uzerar.

There are ten other kinds of fruit [whose roots are] in the World of Making, corresponding to the ten sefirot[of that world]. Consequently, we eat what is within and discard what is without. For the fruit’s shell is a barrier between it and the World of Delights, so that it will not take on the impurity [of the evil forces]. This is the esoteric meaning of the evil urge and ‘the kelippah‘ cleave to the nefesh. The following correspond to sefirot of the World of Making: pomegranates, walnuts, almonds, pistachio, chestnuts, hazelnuts, acorns, coconut, pine nuts, peanuts.

Consequently, we learn that there is no physical thing here below that does not correspond to something above. “For one is protected by another on a higher level, and both of these by still higher ones.” As things are below, so they are above. For there would be no shadow if there were no one to cast it.