Trees | Wisdom through the Sages

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Mother Teresa

From the series “Life Lessons Learned from the dOG wALK”

Courtesy dOG wALK aRT
Dedicated to the museums In and around

Jan 24 2018

598

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

Marcus Garvey

DOWN BUT NOT OUT
This poor old tree, fallen from its graces, eviscerated by rot, has found enough energy from its roots to give rise to new branches and also to support new life in its empty decaying spaces.
Lesson from nATURE – Do not forget your roots. Without them you are nothing!
Courtesy of Free Life Lessons Around and In Us and Spy Pond Arlington Mass
May 21, 2016
pre dwa0027

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

FROM ZERO to WHOLESOMENESS ON THE WAVES OF TIME

– a poem

From nothing to wholesomeness
And then to nothing again
From zero to all the numbers
From the empty womb to new life
From the round seed to the wholesome tree
And then to recede And then to seed again
And we cycle and cycle .. and cycle
With repeated spiraling of bonded zeroes till eternity
While time moves on its unstoppable wheels
And we are given a present to be present in the present
To understand the holy void and holy wholesomeness

JULY 27 2016
73

Waste does not exist in nature because ecosystems reuse everything that grows in a never-ending cycle of efficiency and purpose.

Frans van Houten

WOODLINE
by Andy Goldsworthy
This beautiful work of art is located in Presidio park San Francisco –
Life is a long and winding path through unknown woods – leading to something, somewhere – enjoy the journey
December 18 2016
177

Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown.

Claude Bernard

DOWN AND UP
Isaac Newton and the DogWalk
Said gravity to water droplet –
“ I will force you down”
Said droplet to earth –
“You may shudder with the fall”
Said earth to water
“I will spread you in my womb”
Said water to the roots
“I will move up inside you”
Said Time to Winter
”You are going down”
Said Time to Spring
“Time to come up”
Said tree to itself
“Time to grow up and bud”
Said bud to husk
“Release me so I can grow up”
Said gravity to husk
“You are going to fall down”
Said spider to the tree
“Hold my web, so I do not fall”
246

“The main driving force of water uptake and transport into a plant is transpiration of water from leaves. Transpiration is the process of water evaporation through specialized openings in the leaves, called stomates. The evaporation creates a negative water vapor pressure develops in the surrounding cells of the leaf. Once this happens, water is pulled into the leaf from the vascular tissue, the xylem, to replace the water that has transpired from the leaf. This pulling of water, or tension, that occurs in the xylem of the leaf, will extend all the way down through the rest of the xylem column of the tree and into the xylem of the roots due to the cohesive forces holding together the water molecules along the sides of the xylem tubing. (Remember, the xylem is a continuous water column that extends from the leaf to the roots.) Finally, the negative water pressure that occurs in the roots will result in an increase of water uptake from the soil.

“Now if transpiration from the leaf decreases, as usually occurs at night or during cloudy weather, the drop in water pressure in the leaf will not be as great, and so there will be a lower demand for water (less tension) placed on the xylem. The loss of water from a leaf (negative water pressure, or a vacuum) is comparable to placing suction to the end of a straw. If the vacuum or suction thus created is great enough, water will rise up through the straw. If you had a very large diameter straw, you would need more suction to lift the water. Likewise, if you had a very narrow straw, less suction would be required. This correlation occurs as a result of the cohesive nature of water along the sides of the straw (the sides of the xylem). Because of the narrow diameter of the xylem tubing, the degree of water tension, (vacuum) required to drive water up through the xylem can be easily attained through normal transpiration rates that often occur in leaves.”

Scientific American

DNA AND RNA
When the Whole is Bigger than the Parts
299

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Aristotle

BONDING – BONDAGE = CHOICE
Chag sameach to All our Family, Friends, Countrymen/women and ourselves.
May we bond and bind by our own choice, throw off the shackles that enslave us, and find our freedom
239

The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.

Denis Waitley

FROM EARTH TO EARTH
The old oak tree surrounded by the hopeful dropped seeds which are the products of her summer
November 7, 2017
345

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

TWO BIRCH BIRDS IN INTIMATE
CONVERSATION

AND NOW IT IS TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
December 1, 2017
359I think that you’re supposed to know when it’s time to say goodbye.
Judy Sheindlin – Judge JudyBOTH MADE OUT OF WOOD, BOTH ESSENTIAL – JUST WIRED DIFFERENTLY
From the series “Understanding Our Differences”
May 5
435It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow’s viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we can sit down and work out our differences.Harry S Truman

Tamarind

Nobody knows where my Tamarind stood

Just by a winding lane.

Each year it gave me fruit and shade, and drew

Me to my home again.

I loved to sit beneath her shady boughs,

And rest up for a while,

To gaze out upon the distant blue hills,

With laughter and a smile.

And now that I’m back, I’m eager to find,

My tamarind again.

I hasten down to that favourite spot,

I search… but search in vain.

Then I stop and I stare; I stand quite still

I listen to my heart.

That magnificent tree, that was my life,

Has just been ripped apart.

I turn to the hills, my eyes filled with tears

For sure, I’ve lost my soul.

Where once it stood tall, there’s nothing there now,

Merely an empty hole.

Anonymous

“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” (Rabindranath Tagore)

From Chabad.org

Nine Ways to Be Like a Tree

On the 15th of Shevat, we celebrate the New Year for Trees. Since the Torah compares man to “a tree of the field,” we’ve collected nine lessons that we can learn from trees.

1. Always grow towards the light.

As we go through life, we must always move towards holiness and light, reaching ever higher for that which is beyond us (Talmud Berachot 48a).

2. Even the smallest scratch can have lasting effects.

A seemingly small scratch on a young sapling can leave a lasting scar on the fully grown tree. Think, then, about how critical the formative years are—and how careful we must be when educating our children.

3. Grow deep roots.

As we grow, we must remain connected to our source—G‑d. How do we bind to G‑d? By doing mitzvahs. The word mitzvah is a cognate of tzavta, “attachment”; when we perform a mitzvah, we are creating a bond with the One who gave us the commandments. The Mishnah says: “One whose deeds are greater than his wisdom, to what is he compared? To a tree with many roots and few branches, which all the storms in the world cannot budge from its place (Avot 3:17).”

4. Provide refuge for others.

Just as a tree selflessly provides shade and shelter, be a source of comfort for others and provide resources for those in need.

5. Grow sweet fruits for others to enjoy . . .

Beyond providing shade, a tree also bears fruit. Proactively reach out to others; bring sweetness and sustenance into their lives.

. . even if it takes many years for the seeds you sowed to come into their own.

Choni Hama’agal once met an elderly man planting a carob tree. “Tell me,” Choni asked the old man, “how long does it take for this tree to bear fruit?” “It takes 70 years,” the man answered. Surprised, Choni ask him, “Do you think you will live 70 more years to eat fruit of this tree?”

“I found carob trees in this world,” the old man replied. “Just as my ancestors planted trees for me, so do I plant trees for those who will follow me.” (Taanit 23a)

6. Let your leaves return to the earth.

Just as the leaves of a tree fall to the earth to enrich the soil, we must give back to the world to sustain others.

7. Be supple in the wind.

Only a tree that can bend in the wind will survive a storm. Likewise, we must be accepting of what G‑d sends—never breaking or giving up hope.

8. Grow stronger through your life experiences.

Just as the rings of a tree record its growth—through years of drought and rain, fire and calm—so, too, must we continue to grow, always adding another level of wisdom learned from the vicissitudes of life.

9. Be impactful.

Trees don’t only provide immediate benefits like shade, wood, and food; they enrich the ecosystem, filter the air, and give off oxygen. Make a lasting impact on the world.