Today marks the new Hebrew calendar month of Nissan. We at the Ilanot Project are especially happy this time of year, as according to kabbalistic custom, this is the time to go outside, find some lovely fruit trees (=ilanot), and to bless ’em. The HIDA (R. Haim Yosef David Azulai) urged all who recite the blessing to do so with great devotion, and to bear in mind the unique opportunity of this propitious occasion to rescue human souls who have reincarnated in the vegetable kingdom.
The HIDA’s comments and liturgy for the occasion may be found in the Siddur ha-HIDA, JM 2004, pp. 625-626.
The image of the botanical sefirotic tree is from Seder ha-Ilan (MS Jerusalem NLI 2964), to be released in a critical edition with facsimile by the Ilanot Project in the coming year.
