Man and Tree

"Man is a tree of the field." How many ways can this statement be interpreted?


		The Tree 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... 2 Comments



		Branches (or: People are Not Cars) By Tzvi Freeman Some folks think of people much as we think of cars on a highway: Each with its own origin and destination, relating to one other only to negotiate lane changes and left-hand turns. But people are not cars 4 Comments



		A Tree's New Year Resolution By Shlomo Yaffe Did I grow towards the sun, reaching up higher and higher towards that which I can never grasp, but which nurtures me all the same the more I strive towards it? 3 Comments



		The Old Man and the Fig Tree By Elisha Greenbaum There is a story in the Talmud of an old guy who was seen planting a fig tree. The people who observed him asked, "Do you really expect to live long enough to consume the fruits of your labor?"



		How A Stupid Little Ruler Saved My Life By Jay Litvin What does it mean to be indispensable? For most of my life I've asked myself that question. 18 Comments



		The Human Tree Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe A look at the various parts of the tree -- roots, trunk, branches, leaves, fruit and seeds -- and their corresponding elements within the human being 2 Comments



		The Seven Kinds Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Seven areas of our lives represented by the "Seven Kinds": our humanity (wheat), passion (barley), joy (grapes), intimacy (figs), action (pomegranates), struggle (olives) and tranquility (dates) 4 Comments



		Life's Roots A Meditation By Tzvi Freeman We are trees, living two lives at once... Then there are our roots, deep under the ground, unmoving and serene… 2 Comments



		Wheat & Dates A Meditation By Tzvi Freeman Some grow as wheat of the field, in a single season breaking through the ground and ripening. 2 Comments



		Cuttings By Shlomo Yaffe Trees don't talk, but they have a great deal to say. And one of the most amazing things a tree says is about survival 4 Comments



		Twins: a Saga By Yaakov Paley For what is man/ But a frame/ Of living wood/ With a bark of flesh/ Whose spent years/ Are carefully recorded/ In the rings of his soul/ To be counted and measured/ When his tree is felled--? 2 Comments



		Packaging By Yanki Tauber The whole fruit business is a scam 1 Comment



		Your Child, Your Tree By Eliezer Shemtov When you come to think of it, a child needs the very same things a tree does in order to grow: "earth," "water," "sun" and "air" 13 Comments



		The Teaching Tree By Miriam Szokovski As I say goodbye to my young students and clean up from our fruit party, I begin to think about how Tu B'Shevat relates to us as individuals... 4 Comments