Tree of Life

Rebbe Yosef Yitzchok, the Friediker, or Previous Rebbe of Lubavitch, was on a leisurely walk through the forest with his father, Rebbe Shalom Dov Ber, zt’l, when Reb Yosef Yitzchok absentmindedly plucked a leaf off a tree they happened to pass on the trail.

Surprised, the father turned to his son and admonished him for his seemingly harmless action: “The leaf you tore from its branch was created by the Ribbono Shel Olam for a specific purpose! It’s alive, its physical structure is akin to a body, it’s imbued with a Divine life-force, it’s guided by hashgachah pratis (Divine providence). Every blade of grass, every leaf on every tree is invested with G-d’s own vitality, created intentionally, each with a Divine spark, part of a ‘soul’ that has descended to earth to find its correction and fulfillment.  How can you be so callous towards a creation of G-d?”

The Baal Shem Tov taught: the all-encompassing Oneness of Hashem is the fundamental reality underlying all Creation; everything is an expression of singular, Divine whole, the Ein Sof, the Infinite. Therefore, coming into contact with even one part, one element of Creation, is connecting to the entirety. Far beyond the Transcendentalist thinkers and writers of the 19th Century, the Holy Baal Shem Tov vividly perceived the interconnectedness of Creation with a supernal ecosystem, where all things share the same root and all pulsate with the same Divine heartbeat. All of Creation is branches of one tree.

Torah itself is called “Eitz Chayim, a Tree of Life for all those who grab onto it” (Mishlei 3). When we grab hold of a single leaf at the very edge of the tree, a small twig, flower, or fruit, we are “ochez b’kulah,” holding on to the entire tree as well, connected to the whole of Truth and Wisdom (Baal Shem Tov al HaTorah,Nasso).

In the same way that the Rebbe, Reb Sholom Dov Ber was sensitive to every blade of grass, every flower petal, so do we need to cherish every word of Torah learned, every letter, every mitzvah. Connecting with just one idea or verse of Torah, uttering a single word of prayer, we are bound to the entirety of the infinite universe of Jewish experience and knowledge.

Part of the Torah is the whole of Torah. Every detail is equally connected to the Source and the same Divine current flows through every nekudah, and every authentic commentary and chiddush throughout time.

Shabbos Shirah features the Song of the Sea at Kriyas Yam Suf, the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds. In the midst of Az Yashir, the song of praise celebrating the Exodus from Egypt, Moshe has a vision of the End of Days: “Tevi’emo v’Sitaemo b’Har Nachalasecha (Shemos 15:17)—Bring us to implant us upon the mount of Your inheritance…” He envisions us ‘planted’ on Har HaBayit, flourishing with Temple consciousness, rooted in the headquarters of Divine space, time, and awareness, drawing from the infinite Source of All Life. So may it be!

Tu B’Shevat sameach, a meaningful and sweet New Year for the Trees to you and to all of us who strive to cling to any and every part of it! 

Rav Judah Mischel is executive director of Camp HASC, the Hebrew Academy for Special Children, and the author of the “Baderech” series. Rav Judah lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh with his wife, Ora, and their family.