Imagine we’re taking a stroll in the woods enjoying the majesty of the tall trees surrounding us. If we listen closely we can almost hear the trees talking to us — their roots leaves and stature conveying a message for our lives. Indeed the Torah compares man to the tree of the field; the inspiration in the waving branches is relevant to us not only on Tu B’Shevat but the entire year.
Sturdy Roots
Let’s start from the roots buried deep beneath the soil snaking upward to the forest floor. The roots as we know are not there only for stability; they extract the nutrients and moisture from the soil and carry them upward to nourish the foliage and fruit. Rav Aryeh Leib HaKohein Shapira’s Chazon Lamoed points out that this upward motion is counter to the pull of gravity — usually things are drawn downward. The symbolism is profound for our lives.
Nesivos Shalom notes that the roots of a tree correspond to a person’s middos which form his foundation. Just as healthy roots produce a healthy tree similarly good middos form the foundation of a true eved Hashem. Exercising our middos enables us to counter the gravitational pull of our inclinations and desires.
When our characters are firmly grounded in good middos we have both the strength and refinement to deal with the many challenges we face constantly. Yes we want to hear a juicy piece of gossip. But our roots enable us to redirect the conversation. Yes we may feel irritated — even angry — when a crystal bowl smashes on the floor or when someone grabs the parking space we were just about to maneuver into. But we have the strength to model dignified behavior. By behaving in ways that run counter to the knee-jerk reaction of blame anger or frustration by resisting the gravitational pull of the yetzer hara we strengthen the beauty of our “trees” and the “trees” around us.
