A poignant reminder of the paramount importance of bringing joy to a fellow Jew

ON the second day of Nissan, a group from the Sephardic Kehillah Kedoshah Shaare Tefila in Manchester gathered in an orchard in the little market town of Poulton le Fylde in northern England, not only to recite Bircas Ilanos, but to personify its message.

The text of the brachah, recited on fruit trees during the month of Nissan, reads “Shebara bo bri’os tovos v’ilanos tovos - For You have created in it good creations, and pleasant trees,” and concludes “lehanos bahem bnei adam — for mankind to take pleasure in them.”

The blessing, which specifically states that trees are created to bring pleasure to man, is a poignant reminder of the paramount importance of bringing joy to a fellow Jew. And that is what happened in that orchard in Poulton le Fylde.

Reb Avraham Moshe Yonatan Patel was a ger tzedek and beloved member of the Manchester kehillah. In recent years, Reb Avraham suffered from serious health issues to which he ultimately succumbed a few weeks before Pesach. Since kevurah was in Eretz Yisrael, there was no local shivah for the Manchester community to comfort Reb Avraham’s devoted wife of so many years. But this did not deter them. Led by Rabbi YCD Cohen, a group from Shaare Tefila who knew Reb Avraham well made the hour-plus trip to Poulton le Fylde to recite Bircas Ilanos in an orchard that grew on Reb Avraham’s property.

Bircas Ilanos was followed by Tehillim, a siyum, and a seudas mitzvah, bringing comfort and joy to Reb Avraham’s wife as she looked on. It was a four-hour excursion in total, precious time taken from Pesach preparations. But, as the text of the brachah itself testifies, it was time well spent. Hashem created good creations and pleasant trees, all for the singular priority of lehanos bahem bnei adam…

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 909)