TWO seemingly unconnected events inspire me to write this week's column.
Firstly, one week ago we announced the opening of a new Jewish preschool in Pleasanton. Secondly, this past week marked the date on the Jewish calendar known as the Birthday for Trees — a day on which we contemplate our affinity for the botanical kingdom and thank God for its creation.
What is the connection between these two events — a preschool's opening and the trees' birthday? And why would they inspire a rabbi to write a column?
The Bible states, "For man is a tree of the field" (Deuteronomy 20:19).
This verse teaches us that our lives are analogous to that of a tree.
A tree's primary components are (1) its roots, which anchor it to the ground and supply it with water and other nutrients; (2) its trunk, branches and leaves, which comprise its body; and (3) its fruit, which contains the seeds by which the tree reproduces itself.
Of the three, the roots are a tree's least glamorous but the most crucial component. Buried underground, virtually invisible, they do not possess the majesty of the tree's trunk, the colorfulness of its leaves or the tastiness of its fruit. Yet without firmly grounded roots, the tree cannot survive.
Let us now look at the botanical analogue —the human being. We too have the same three components or stages in our lives: (1) Our roots, the formative years during which we strive to develop a healthy foundation, amassing the
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nutrients — skills — that will take us through life; (2) our body, the "adult life" during which we build our own careers and attain personal fulfillment and achievement; and (3) our fruits, our ultimate ability to procreate both physically and spiritually to influence, to affect change upon our surroundings and to plant new ideas within other minds and hearts.
As in our botanical counterpart, our roots, while not always visible throughout our lives, are the most crucial and essential component for our well-being.
How so? What anchors do the first years of our life provide?
Interestingly, studies that analyze the long-term effects of an early childhood education show little academic long-term effects. (After all, whether you started learning your ABCs or numbers at age 3 or age 5 will probably not have a dramatic effect upon your ability to read Chaucer or compute quadratic equations in high school.)
The roots we refer to, then, lie much deeper than mere academic information. They are values, morals and a sense of right and wrong. How many times do we fall back upon, or find strength, solace and comfort, in words spoken to us decades ago by a loving parent or wise teacher? Interestingly, the same studies that show few long-term academic results from an early childhood education indicate that the rate of violence and teen-pregnancy were greatly reduced by a wholesome preschool or early childhood education.
I write these words just days after the Birthday of the Trees in the middle of the winter, a season during which all of vegetation begins to take root and readies itself for growth and maturity in the spring. Could there be a better time to resolve and commit ourselves to refocus upon cultivating and developing proper values and morals within our families and children? These roots will, God willing, ensure that our children develop healthily.
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick is director of the Chabad of the Tri-Valley in Pleasanton. For more information, call (925) 846-0700 or visit http://www.jewishtrivalley.com.
Firstly, one week ago we announced the opening of a new Jewish preschool in Pleasanton. Secondly, this past week marked the date on the Jewish calendar known as the Birthday for Trees — a day on which we contemplate our affinity for the botanical kingdom and thank God for its creation.
What is the connection between these two events — a preschool's opening and the trees' birthday? And why would they inspire a rabbi to write a column?
The Bible states, "For man is a tree of the field" (Deuteronomy 20:19).
This verse teaches us that our lives are analogous to that of a tree.
A tree's primary components are (1) its roots, which anchor it to the ground and supply it with water and other nutrients; (2) its trunk, branches and leaves, which comprise its body; and (3) its fruit, which contains the seeds by which the tree reproduces itself.
Of the three, the roots are a tree's least glamorous but the most crucial component. Buried underground, virtually invisible, they do not possess the majesty of the tree's trunk, the colorfulness of its leaves or the tastiness of its fruit. Yet without firmly grounded roots, the tree cannot survive.
Let us now look at the botanical analogue —the human being. We too have the same three components or stages in our lives: (1) Our roots, the formative years during which we strive to develop a healthy foundation, amassing the
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nutrients — skills — that will take us through life; (2) our body, the "adult life" during which we build our own careers and attain personal fulfillment and achievement; and (3) our fruits, our ultimate ability to procreate both physically and spiritually to influence, to affect change upon our surroundings and to plant new ideas within other minds and hearts.
As in our botanical counterpart, our roots, while not always visible throughout our lives, are the most crucial and essential component for our well-being.
How so? What anchors do the first years of our life provide?
Interestingly, studies that analyze the long-term effects of an early childhood education show little academic long-term effects. (After all, whether you started learning your ABCs or numbers at age 3 or age 5 will probably not have a dramatic effect upon your ability to read Chaucer or compute quadratic equations in high school.)
The roots we refer to, then, lie much deeper than mere academic information. They are values, morals and a sense of right and wrong. How many times do we fall back upon, or find strength, solace and comfort, in words spoken to us decades ago by a loving parent or wise teacher? Interestingly, the same studies that show few long-term academic results from an early childhood education indicate that the rate of violence and teen-pregnancy were greatly reduced by a wholesome preschool or early childhood education.
I write these words just days after the Birthday of the Trees in the middle of the winter, a season during which all of vegetation begins to take root and readies itself for growth and maturity in the spring. Could there be a better time to resolve and commit ourselves to refocus upon cultivating and developing proper values and morals within our families and children? These roots will, God willing, ensure that our children develop healthily.
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick is director of the Chabad of the Tri-Valley in Pleasanton. For more information, call (925) 846-0700 or visit http://www.jewishtrivalley.com.
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