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Weekly Chasidic Story # 612 (s5769-47/ 28 Menachem-Av 5769) Trees That Teach "We can learn from these two leafless trees," said the chasid to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, the Bostoner Rebbe. (Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - fruit trees and non fruit trees)
Trees That TeachHar Nof, the district of Jerusalem where the Bostoner Rebbe lives every spring and summer, is built on the sides of a steep hill. Thus, most of the apartment houses are surrounded by small lawns and gardens 20 feet or so below street level. One winter, one of the local residents built a balcony which required his cutting off the entire top of a nearby tree. He placed his decorative trophy up on the sidewalk, which happened to be about the same level as the top of a nearby fruit tree, and there they stood - two equally barren, leafless trees - all winter. Once The Bostoner Rebbe was walking past them with a chasid of his, who remarked: "These two trees are 'mussar trees'; they teach us an important lesson. The one on the left [the severed top] is now barren and the one on the right is now barren. That is because it is still winter. But in the springtime, the one resting on the sidewalk, which has no roots, will remain barren, while the one with roots in the soil will bring forth leaves, blossoms and fruit." His point was that throughout our Exile (the winter), all Jews, whether or not their roots are sunk in the rich loam of Torah, seem to fare equally. Only in the Messianic Age (the springtime) will the difference between the life choices of the two become apparent. Then Torah-true Jews will bring forth their spiritual fruit, while those without Torah roots will not. Sparrows were perching on the barren branches and the Rebbe told his chasid a different story about trees and birds: "The leaves on the trees were happy. They enjoyed the nourishment provided by their roots, had a marvelous view and fluttered cheerfully all day in the breeze. One day, some sparrows came by and perched on a branch. Some of the leaves began to reconsider their lot and became jealous. Why were they stuck there all day? Why couldn't they leave and fly off as free as the bird? "Their jealousy mounted day after day, until a storm came, and a powerful wind swept those very leaves off their tree into the air. "Their dream had come true! Upward they soared in the wind as they called out to each other, 'This is wonderful! Now we are just like everyone else, the birds and the bees. Look how high we have risen, how free we are. This is the life!' "But then the wind stopped blowing and the leaves fell all the way down, below the birds, below the trees, to the ground. There they lay helpless in the mud, never to rise again." So too, those who leave our tradition, with all its restraints and supports, can fly high 'like everyone else,' but only for so long. Enduring spiritual heights are achieved only by remaining attached to the Tree of Life. Those were two important, if sobering, parables. They continued our walk to shul in silence, each wrapped in his own thoughts. The incident stuck in the chasid's mind, because he didn't quite understand. What was lacking in his parable that prompted the Rebbe to offer another one? The weeks passed, spring came and Har Nof was clothed in green. Again the same two walked to shul together and again they passed the 'mussar trees.' True, the living, rooted tree was covered with a handsome cloak of green leaves, but so was the severed one! A honeysuckle vine had climbed up the wall and draped itself over the bare branches, covering them completely with leaves and flowers. "You see," the Rebbe explained, "even a tree without roots [a Jew without Torah] has an opportunity to bear fruit in some way, if it supports those who do." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - fruit trees and non fruit trees Biographical note:
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Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.