Talmud, Taanit 5b
 | A man was travelling through the desert, hungry, thirsty, and tired, when he came upon a tree bearing luscious fruit and affording plenty of shade, underneath which ran a spring of water...
10 Comments Posted

This is a very beautiful story, about men.... Indeed giving a blessing to someone whose deeds are righteous, that his children shall grow up as himself is a very beautiful and complimenting blessing... May we all merit to receive a blessing like the one was given to the tree in the story and our children should grow up in good merits with good merits.
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I'm a new user of the Internet & often struggle to nav it successfully, for I'm blind & use a screen reader to traverse the internet's visual environment. I also struggle to find meaningful content. Finding this site & this story was a blessing; a pearl amongst the rocks.
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what kind of tree was cited in this story?
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The Talmud just says, "a tree," without telling is its species.
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what does this story mean?
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We should find the tree producing more fruit trees through its seed.. In other words, we should find more people coming to the Tree of Life which is Torah. We will then find more "sprouting" blossoming Torah scholars. Man is analogous to a tree, more specifically to a fig tree. We should NEVER wither a fig tree, that is like cutting down a man. Figs give off fruit honey. (It takes patience to gather the fig honey, but well worth the time it takes to get the enjoyment of its sweet successes)
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The tree represents us, and how we are to act. Do we offer food, shade and water to the needy? The seeds represent our Children, and if we teach them to care for those who G-D directes us then we will be leading our Children to follow our example, and do what is right before G-D as well.
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The man who is tired is man who spends his time in worldly pursuits. He lives in the desert just like our forefathers. Like them too he is rescued by Torah. The Torah is the Tree that flourishes in an oasis there in the wilderness. Its water are the many connections that are made between man and G-d, its fruit are the many midrashim that our sages continue to make and it's shade is the protection that Torah offers to those seeking shelter from the mundane world.
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Wow.What a fabulous story.Short,concise and full of wisdom.I've been faithfully doing daily tehillim and now daily davening and hebrew study.This story made me want to see what else in the Talmud that I am missing out on by not studying it.My 11 yr old just started learning Talmud at school this year...the more I learn..the more I want to learn...thanks for having so much on this website to access!
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