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The shiur in English
The Yanuka’s own words in this shiur, translated into English by Lehallel · 1,499 words · 6:58. Press a time to hear it said.
0:04 People want to know what 'the speech of the birds' is? It is interesting. The speech of the animals, the speech of the palm trees, the speech of the eagles, the speech of whales, the speech of sharks, the speech of the creatures. People do not know what this speech is. 'Speech' means that there is a connection between things, between the created beings. In Tractate Sukkah, page 28a, it is told about Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai that he did not leave out Scripture, Mishnah, Gemara, halachos, the fine points of the scribes, the calculations of the seasons and gematrios, the speech of the palm trees - he knew everything.
0:43 So Rashi says, About the speech of the palm trees, Rashi says that he did not know what it is. Rashi says, 'I do not know what this is.' There are several places in the Talmud where Rashi says that he does not know: in Tractate Berachos, page 25b, in Tractate Yoma, page 19a, and in Tractate Beitzah, page 15b. Several times Rashi says that he does not know what is meant. The speech of the palm trees - if Rashi says there that he does not know, one must be precise, to truly think, to say that in truth Rashi did understand the speech of the palm trees, of course, just as Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai did understand it.
1:16 The speech of the palm trees is something a person can attain, and it cannot even be taught from a teacher to a student. It is something so lofty that it cannot be passed on as a tradition, through learning. And when Rashi says 'I did not know' - what Rashi means when he says 'I did not know' is that there is no way at all to teach this thing. It is written in the Midrash Bereishis Rabbah - Bereishis Rabbah, Parashah 13, section 2: it is written that all the trees converse with one another, all the trees converse with each other. Now, when you go out into the field, when a person goes out to the heavens to pray, and he sees this tree, and he sees the other tree opposite it, and they rustle at one another,
1:53 there is a conversation between them - this tree is talking with that tree. But someone passing by thinks that a wind is blowing, and he does not know that there is a conversation between them. This is the speech of the palm trees, this conversation that connects them, one with the other. The last one who knew how to attain this - Maran the Chida writes in Midbar Kedemos, he writes in Maareches Ches, the section of the letter Ches, [unclear] - he writes about our master the Arizal, he writes that our master the Arizal knew, like Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, knew how to attain all these wisdoms: to know how to hear birds, animals, to know a horse, to hear the horse, to speak with it. He knew how to look at the stars, he knew how to look at fruits,
2:31 he knew how to look at souls; he knew how to see everything - its inner essence. Speaking of the speech of the palm trees means that there is a person who can deduce from the 'hearing' of the palm trees, from the connection between them, what the palm trees are able to grow. After all, the trees have life in them, the trees speak. I will tell you a story. They tell about Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol, may his merit protect us, that he was in Saragossa, he was in Valencia, in Spain, in those regions, and they tell about him that he passed away in the year 4930, that is the year of his passing.
3:06 He once passed along some road, and a certain wicked non-Jew came and murdered him, Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol, and buried him under a fig tree. He buried Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol under it - and everyone had heard of him, famous - a holy genius, may his merit protect us. He passed away 960 years ago. And when he passed away, the fig tree began to produce figs in an unnatural way.
Read the whole shiur in English (7 more parts)
3:33 Then once the king passed by, and he saw figs, and then he saw that same non-Jew. He said, 'Where do you have these figs from? Perhaps you watered them with some potion? Perhaps you put something into them that makes something good grow? Give me some for my palace too, so that I will also have trees like this.' So he said to him, 'No, no...' He said to him, 'You are fooling me, you are fooling me!' No - until he tormented him, until he confessed that he had murdered the greatest of the Jews, Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol.
4:01 And this fig tree brought about the discovery that this was the grave of Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol. Because of the fig tree. That is to say, the trees - there was a speech of the fig tree. The fig tree simply spoke. How did it speak? By putting forth fruit. So this is called the speech of the palm trees: that a person can know, from all the created beings, every one, what exactly stands behind each thing that was created, of all that the Holy One, blessed be He, created.
4:28 Why did Hashem create the lion in this form? Why did He create each thing in its form? Why did Hashem, blessed be He, make this so and so? Why? What is the reason? This is called the aspect of 'speech': succeeding in understanding, from everything in Creation, the connection of man to the Holy One, blessed be He; that a person understands, in everything the Holy One, blessed be He, created, its connection and its purpose toward Hashem, blessed be He; that he can simply look and understand, among all that Hashem, blessed be He, created, among each and every thing that was created at all, that he will travel and see trees - he will surely understand that these trees have a great secret - that they sway specifically to the left, or more to the right, or that this tree is cut down, or that this tree falls,
5:08 or this tree blossoms and that one does not blossom. And he will know to understand that everything is by Hashgachah Pratis, Divine Providence. If he knows how to understand this, the speech of the palm trees, then surely he knows much beyond that. And therefore Tu BiShvat is a time when we increase blessings in order to crown the Holy One, blessed be He, as King. And crowning the Holy One, blessed be He, is the hardest thing. There is one who crowns Him in thought, there is one who crowns Him in speech, there is one who crowns Him in deed.
5:33 But crowning the Holy One, blessed be He, is when a person crowns Him in thought, in speech, in deed. Whatever a person saw and did not bless - at the end of Tractate Kiddushin in the Yerushalmi, in Chapter 4, Halachah 12, at the very end of Tractate Kiddushin in the Yerushalmi: that whatever a person saw, whatever he saw, anything, the very smallest, and he saw it, he wants to bless it, and he did not bless over it - he will give an accounting for it before the Holy One, blessed be He.
5:58 Why? As we said before, because he did not raise it to its root, he did not rectify it; he should have taken this thing and crowned the Holy One, blessed be He, over it. You did not crown this to the Holy One, blessed be He - you have taken away from Hashem's kingship; you will give an accounting for it, because you took away from Hashem's kingship. Even though in the Bavli we said, in Tractate Berachos, page 35a, that even a person who enjoys this world without a blessing... because he benefited from this world, he has misused what is holy. But the Yerushalmi says that even if he only sees, he will give an accounting for it.
6:25 And the Bavli says, 'he is a companion of a destroyer' - this refers to Yeravam ben Nevat, who corrupted Israel toward their Father in Heaven. The Yerushalmi says that he will give an accounting for it - for merely having seen. That is to say, this one is about seeing, that one is about eating. See how strict the Yerushalmi always is - and of course this is how one should act: over everything you see, crown the Holy One, blessed be He; crown the Holy One, blessed be He, over everything the Holy One, blessed be He, created in the world, and this will be the Tikkun - may the Holy One, blessed be He, grant us to see the building of the Beis HaMikdash, the Holy Temple.
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