Develop yourself to the best of your ability
אָ֭דָם יְל֣וּד אִשָּׁ֑ה קְצַ֥ר יָ֝מִ֗ים וּֽשְׂבַֽע־רֹֽגֶז׃
Man born of woman is short-lived and sated with trouble.
כְּצִ֣יץ יָ֭צָא וַיִּמָּ֑ל וַיִּבְרַ֥ח כַּ֝צֵּ֗ל וְלֹ֣א יַעֲמֽוֹד׃
He blossoms like a flower and withers;
He vanishes like a shadow and does not endure.[1]
Job 14:1-2
The physical life of a human being is 70 years and if he is strong 80. Time passes through our hands like grains of sand and sometimes we wonder what is the use of it all. Especially in moments of our lives when we face challenges.
But unlike our physical life which can be compared to a flower, the spiritual life is a tree. One of the oldest trees on our planet, with an estimated age of 4800 years, grows in the White Mountains of California.[2]
We see the miracle of the tree’s strength happen before our eyes every spring. An apparently dead tree, without leaves, without fruits, comes to life again with fresh leaves and new branches and with new fruits.
In verse 3 of Psalm 1 man is also likened to a tree. The tree comes to life again because it has put out its roots in the earth and can reach with its roots to living water.
כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃
rather, the teaching of the LORD is his delight,
and he studies that teaching day and night.[3]
The Torah is called the living water. When we quench our thirst with it, we no longer see ourselves as a flower, but as a tree. Our lives may be short, our challenges may be great, but we are able to overcome all challenges, even the challenge of death.
Sometimes seed from a tree has fallen in the wrong place. It may grow to a certain size and then it dies because the roots cannot reach the water. Then the gardener takes the tree and grafts the trunk onto the roots of a tree growing in a good place.
From this we learn that we are not always able to reach the Living Water on our own. Then we need help. Just as we sometimes need help with physical challenges in life, we also need help with spiritual challenges.
Sometimes seed from a tree has fallen in the wrong place. It may grow to a certain size and then it dies because the roots cannot reach the water. Then the gardener takes the tree and grafts the trunk onto the roots of a tree growing in a good place.
From this we learn that we are not always able to reach the Living Water on our own. Then we need help. Just as we sometimes need help with physical challenges in life, we also need help with spiritual challenges.
May we all become strong trees by learning Torah, reflecting on it and putting into action the mitzvot we have learned.
By Angelique Sijbolts
Sources: [1] Sefaria. [2] Methuselah, [3] Sefaria [4]Source of inspiration: The Jerusalem Post Ivrit February 2023
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