Taste of the Garden of Eden

In our everyday lives, we are hungry to experience enjoyment, “flavor,” a sense of deep meaning that nurtures and fills our being. We want to feel that our actions and our efforts are worthwhile.In the biblical creation story, the land is told to produce “fruit trees that bear fruit.” It is noticeable that the word “fruit” is mentioned twice.
Our Sages explain that G-d’s initial thought was for the trees themselves to taste just like the fruit. Meaning – the sweetness and taste would be present even in the trunk and branches, in the process, just like in the fruit, the end result. But what actually happened was that the land only produced trees that bear fruit. Meaning, one “fruit” from the initial commandment was left out and lost, and only the product at the end of the process remained.
When we feel a longing to feel the taste and the sweetness even during the challenging, bitter journey, and when it is hard for us to do things when we don’t “feel in the mood” or connect to them, we are essentially longing for G-d’s original plan for creation.
Longing for the Garden of Eden means wanting to feel depth, sweetness, and significance during every moment of our existence. If we open up to this taste of life, we will have the opportunity to drink it in and feel that our thirst is quenched. We will be able to attempt to live with a sense of pleasure and connection to the meaning of our lives.
When we feel connected to the inner meaning of life, we feel more motivated. Whether in our studies, our parenting, our marriage, our work, our inner search – whatever we are busy with, it is easier for us to invest effort, give of ourselves, and even work hard, when we feel connected to a sense of desire.
“By the sweat of your brow” is painful and bitter when it feels like hard labor – work that we don’t feel is valuable. This kind of labor feels Sisyphean, as if we’re going in circles, and we may become overwhelmed with bitterness, despair, and exhaustion. The exact opposite of the sweetness of the fruit.
On Tu B’Shvat, we eat fruits from the land of Israel. We taste the hidden sweetness of the harsh, solid soil. The tree enables all of the goodness hidden in the seed to come to fruition and be edible to us, so that we can close our eyes and return for one quick moment to the Garden of Eden. Just to taste the goodness of G-d.
“Taste and see that G-d is good”