Temple Beth El Blog

I like when we offer the prayer “Eitz Chayim Hi” – indeed, Torah is our tree of life. In our world today, there are many trees that inspire life. Let me relate to you something about one of them.

It is known as the Survivor Tree, a unique Callery Pear tree that was discovered amidst the rubble of the fallen World Trade Center, back in October 2001 when recovery efforts were underway.

This tree is unique because Callery Pear trees may be resistant to disease but are quite susceptible to storm damage, and may be regularly disfigured by limb loss, heavy snow and ice, and winds. Because of the force of the Twin Tower disaster, this tree’s roots were snapped, and its branches had been burned and broken.

The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the staff of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, who nursed it back to health. After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned in 2010 to Ground Zero at the site of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Today, new, smooth limbs extend from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present lives. The tree stands as a living reminder of the possibility of rebirth, the benefit of persistence, and the result of resilience. The tree is named the “Survivor Tree” for obvious reasons.

I have been moved by tales of this tree’s rehabilitation, by what it means to the families of the victims of 9/11, and by the values it embodies for us when we confront the difficulties of our lives.
Sounds somewhat like OUR tree of life, the Torah, doesn’t it?

Figuratively Torah – and practically speaking the people of that book – have, over time, survived the multiple assaults perpetrated against us. Our tree of life continues to nourish and fortify us, even in modern times, even at moments of struggle and conflict, even when things seem bleakest.

It is difficult to imagine the original seeds of inspiration, the kernels of knowledge, the many guardians, and the numerous desperate needs that inspired our ancestors to plant that tree of life hundreds of years ago. Why did our ancestors create a set of ethical and moral laws for us to follow? What led them to envision one god instead of the pantheon of deities of other peoples of that time? Why was is so important for the ancient Israelites to be so separate from the peoples around them? We may never know definitively the answers to these questions, but we are the inheritors of this tradition, and we must decide how to employ it properly.

Since the time of the Torah’s inception, our later ancestors learned how to care and maintain that tree:
we created environments in which the tree of life could flourish, so that when the tree’s life was threatened, we could protect it against cruel winds of the world that sought to uproot it;

• we learned how to nourish and hydrate the tree with additional knowledge and intention, so that old growth would be sustained with new offshoots;
• we have sometimes needed to cut that tree back, removing unsuitable or incongruous branches from the main trunk;
• we have carefully pruned the tree, so that the harvest grows in to its fullest extent;
• and we have offered gratitude to that tree by applying layers of protection and love around her.

The Torah has survived for many years, and caring for it has required the skill set of some pretty advanced gardeners, that is, scholars, to ensure its continued growth. The Torah’s genius, and the system of Jewish learning that we have derived from it, gives us kernels of truth that we must study and understand. It is some of those seeds that we think about today, as Yom Kippur continues to inspire us for new ways of living in the year ahead.

One of my rabbinic mentors, Rabbi Robert Kahn, identifies five of these seeds, identifying them as values essential for our human existence. In our prayerbook Mishkan T’filah, Rabbi Kahn identifies these seedlings as personal attributes and characteristics.¹  Perhaps they could resonate with us on this Yom Kippur day.

Rabbi Kahn identifies these five seedlings which have the tremendous potential to save and serve us: Strength, Humility, Courage, Patience, and Wisdom.
•    Strength, to control our passions
•    Humility, to assess our worth
•    Courage, to rise above our defeats
•    Patience, to cleanse ourselves of imperfections
•    Wisdom, to live by a set of sacred and sustainable teachings

Let us consider our own lives for a moment. How have we tried to put into action these simple virtues? Have we taken the time and expended the energy to think about each of them and employ them in our daily comportment?

These virtues appear in the Shabbat morning liturgy. When reading them aloud with the congregation, I hear resonance in the voices of the worshipers; I see nodding of heads among those who may be skilled at Jewish worship, as well as those attending a Jewish worship service for the first time. I sense a certain assent to these unique but common-sense values of our people’s tree of life.
As a rabbi representing our liberal tradition, all of that makes me very happy.

But then, I reflect on the wisdom of our Talmudic ancestors of 1,800 years ago, and realize that they, too, inspired us with insight. Our ancient rabbinic tradition provides us similar seeds which we can sow in the world in our day, and strive for a bountiful harvest. Perhaps you are familiar with these². In Pirkei Avot, they wrote:

• Who is wise? They who learn from every person, for Psalm 119 reminds us, “From all who taught me have I gained understanding”³.
• Who is mighty? They who control their aggressive nature, for the book of Proverbs reminds us, that, “The one that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and the one that controls the spirit is preferred over they that conquer a city”⁴.
• Who is wealthy? They who are content with their lot in life, as the Psalms remind us, “You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper”⁵.
• Who should be honored? They who honor their fellow human beings, as the book of Samuel (in the voice of God) guides us, “For I honor those that honor Me, but those who spurn Me shall be dishonored”⁶.

These seeds have taken root in the Jewish psyche over hundreds of years, though I suspect that some of us struggle with their practical application. But it is our moments of struggle that define us; how we handle the struggle is what matters. The inner strengths we rely on provide us both sustenance and guidance for the future.

They also remind us, in a world full of extreme and negative speech as well as destructive actions, of the need to watch out for our reactions to the world and its challenges. 

For centuries we have regarded Yom Kippur as a day on which we come before God in a quest for t’shuvah, for repentance, on account of our transgressions of the year gone by. Our hope has been to find the Holy One waiting for us, a lenient God who would listen, understand, and – most importantly – sow seeds of forgiveness within those who sincerely appealed to You for Your divine grace.

But the search for grace and forgiveness is only part of the responsibility of this day. Today is a day when we search for inspiration to become better people, to strengthen the positive values that enrich our lives, to learn NEW values to fortify our daily existence, and to renew and restore the chain of tradition which enables us to learn from the past and give to the future.

Each year, springtime seedlings from that Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Museum and Memorial are distributed to towns and communities all across America that have endured immense suffering of their own. There are many. Cities such as Boston, Newtown, Charleston, Orlando, Las Vegas, and a growing list of others revel in receiving these seeds of remembrance and inspiration, to help them move forward in the wake of misfortune and tragedy. One day, tough and resilient Callery Pear trees will blossom forth in many places, comforting and inspiring thousands with the hope of connection and renewal. Then we shall all be connected in this system of beautiful branches and enduring roots that bring life and possibility to the world.

So, I offer this prayer to God, our Source and Sovereign, who provides life to so many, and who sustains so many with faith:
‘Avinu, Malkeinu, O Source and Sovereign’: Like the seedlings of the Survivor Tree, continue to send forth your seeds of Divine Wisdom and Guidance to those of us who require and deserve your love. Help us to know that the fruit of human knowledge sustains us always, especially at those moments of doubt and inner weakness. Permit us to share that sweet fruit with all whom we know and cherish in our lives.

‘Avinu, Malkeinu, O Source and Sovereign’: There is something comfortably reassuring about the continuity of life that we have been granted here on earth. Whether it has been the genius of the human species which manages to progress despite its periodic infirmities, or Your unique sheltering of the Jewish people through its two-and-a-half millennial-old lifespan: the brilliance of Torah and its guidelines for living ethical and moral lives is an essential part of what You grant us each day. Enable each of us to fulfill the requirements of these values.

‘Avinu, Malkeinu, O Source and Sovereign’: We are grateful as You support our role in the world as peacemakers, as people of gentle support, as those who need help to realize our potential, and as guardians of Your Tree of Life. Give us strength to persevere and succeed in this new year.
Ken y’hi l’ratzon. May this be God’s will.

Footnotes:

[1] Mishkan T’filah, Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2007. Page 261.

[2] Mishnah Avot 4:1

[3] Psalm 119:99

[4] Proverbs 16:32

[5] Psalm 128:2

[6] I Samuel 2:30