A Lesson From Leaves - Monthly Gedolim Stories
As we are now in the awe-inspiring month of Elul, I was thinking of a story to share, not just for my "Monthly Gedolim Story" segment, but also to able to give over a powerful, creative and heartwarming message.
The story that G-d helped me decide on is a very well known one. Told and retold many a time, for me its best rendition comes from Rabbi Paysach Krohn, when he told it over for the Rosh Hashana volume in his widely popular "Living Lessons" animated video series. This story features the great tzaddik Rav Mattisyahu Salomon as a young man, while he learned in Gateshead.
I hope you will enjoy the read,
Best Wishes,
Yitzy Schweitzer
A Lesson From Leaves - Monthly Gedolim Story
As a young man, one day, Rav Mattisyahu Salomon took a walk with his Rebbi in a local park in Gateshead, England. It was autumn time and the trees were plastered with beautifully colored leaves: browns, reds, oranges, greens and so many other shades. As young Mattisyahu walked on with his Rebbi one little leaf fell off the tree, landing in front of them.
The Rebbi stopped, picked up the leaf and turned to his young student. "I want to show you something" he said, "take a look at this leaf. This leaf thinks it's free, it could fly wherever it wants and nothing or nobody will stop it. But what the leaf fails to realize is that within two or three short days, it is going wither, break apart into nothingness and die. You know why?"
The Rebbi paused for a moment than answered "Because the leaf is no longer connected to the source, that being the tree. You see, it is only when the leaf is connected to the tree, that is when it could blossom, flourish and grow."
The Rebbi looked kindly at his student before adding a beautiful lesson "The possuk says that the Torah is a tree of life to those who attach themselves to it. My child, I want you to know that throughout your life, you'll meet so many people, some of whom will think that can eat, drive, watch or do whatever they please. But they don't understand that within a few short generations those people who are not strongly connected to the source of life, the Torah, they will spiritually die and wither away in the storm of the outside world - they will, their children and tragically, their grandchildren will do the same."
The Rebbi walked back to the Yeshivah with his student as he said one last thing "Remember, a Yid must always be connected to the Torah, for that, only that, is the source of life."
Let us try this year, to make our connection with the source of life a little bit stronger
The Rebbi stopped, picked up the leaf and turned to his young student. "I want to show you something" he said, "take a look at this leaf. This leaf thinks it's free, it could fly wherever it wants and nothing or nobody will stop it. But what the leaf fails to realize is that within two or three short days, it is going wither, break apart into nothingness and die. You know why?"
The Rebbi paused for a moment than answered "Because the leaf is no longer connected to the source, that being the tree. You see, it is only when the leaf is connected to the tree, that is when it could blossom, flourish and grow."
The Rebbi looked kindly at his student before adding a beautiful lesson "The possuk says that the Torah is a tree of life to those who attach themselves to it. My child, I want you to know that throughout your life, you'll meet so many people, some of whom will think that can eat, drive, watch or do whatever they please. But they don't understand that within a few short generations those people who are not strongly connected to the source of life, the Torah, they will spiritually die and wither away in the storm of the outside world - they will, their children and tragically, their grandchildren will do the same."
The Rebbi walked back to the Yeshivah with his student as he said one last thing "Remember, a Yid must always be connected to the Torah, for that, only that, is the source of life."
Let us try this year, to make our connection with the source of life a little bit stronger
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