The Upside-Down Tree

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One whose wisdom is greater than his deeds, to what is he compared? To a tree with many branches and few roots…. But one whose deeds are greater than his wisdom, to what is he compared? To a tree with many roots and few branches….

Ethics of the Fathers 3:17

But isn’t it the other way around? Is not wisdom the root of deed, and every act of man the outgrowth of what he knows and understands?

Indeed, the tree of life is rooted in the mind. But there are times that we act upon a conviction that does not devolve from our mind’s conception of life, and is even antithetical to it.

In his Tanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi discusses a phenomenon that is unique to Jewish history: the apostate martyr. Throughout the centuries, countless thousands of Jews were forced to choose between their faith and their lives; in the overwhelming majority of cases, they chose to die rather than renounce their Jewishness. Many creeds and causes have their martyrs; but Jewish martyrdom is unique in that it included many whose day-to-day lives were distant from the very principles for which they died. It is reasonable that the devout believer or the committed idealist might elect to die for the faith and ideals to which he has devoted his life; what defies all logical explanation is the fact that Jews whose understanding of Judaism was negligible, Jews who did not observe the mitzvot in their daily lives, went to their deaths rather than disavow a commitment which they had rejected in their lifetimes.

In truth, concludes Rabbi Schneur Zalman, every mitzvah is a supra-rational act, deriving from the Jew’s intrinsic, immutable bond with G-d. But only rarely are we attuned to this stratum of our being. Our daily lives are conducted on the rational plane of the psyche, where a person’s deeds are dictated by his understanding and appreciation of himself and his goals in life. But there are times—such as when our very identity faces its ultimate challenge—when our deepest self asserts itself in our thoughts and actions. Our endeavor in life should be to actualize this supreme commitment at all times, not only in “moments of truth” generated by acute crisis.[1]

In other words, there are two “trees” in the human soul. There is the tree of rational life, whose roots—the wisdom, knowledge and understanding the person has amassed—generate and nourish the branches, leaves, flowers and fruits of his actions and achievements. But underlying this tree is another tree—a tree in which deeds are the roots of wisdom. On this level, a person’s deeds are embedded in the soil of supra-rational faith and commitment, and nourish his understanding of himself, his world and his G-d.

Based on an address by the Rebbe, Cheshvan 25, 5719 (November 8, 1958)[2]

This is an excerpt from “Beyond the Letter of the Law” by Yanki Tauber published by The Meaningful Life Center.

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[1]. Tanya, chs. 18-19.

[2]. Likkutei Sichot, vol. IV, pp. 1210-1212.

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Anonymous
18 years ago

Most foolish thing I ever saw. Christmas trees are supposed to have the tips pointing upward…towards Heaven. Why cant those that dont believe in God/Christ just ignore Christmas…go on about their life, instead of trying to take the pleasure away from those of us that do believe Christ was born, of The Father, a man to become, to die for our forgiveness and to rise again. Christmas is all about Christ!!!!!

Carrie
15 years ago

Ah, our anonymous writers roots are still growing. They will deepen soon.

Paula Sue
7 years ago

According to http://www.ChristianHistory.net, the upside down Christmas tree traces its history to Boniface, an English Benedictine monk who went to Germany to preach the Gospel.

Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God’s tree as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century, it was being hung, upside down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.

Steve
7 years ago

In our way of travel through life, sometimes we forget to research what we practice and hear. I too was informed that a upside down Christmas tree was a symbol of the anti-Christ. After research I found that it was supposed to represent the Holy Trinity. I still will not put and upside-down tree in my house, because I believe the top of the tree is to be adorned with a star or angel, and that is up, not down. The star representing the star of Bethlehem, and the Angel for me represents the angels that spoke to the sheep herders glorifying Christ’s birth. As most know Christmas is a Mass for Christ, a celebration of his birth. To all I suggest research what you hear, and understand the symbolism around you. What does the Peace symbol mean, the Monster drink mean, just as a sample. Satan stars us in the face every day, and we can’t even see him. May God bless you with understanding, and the strength to give mercy as he does with you. 🙂

Joyce
5 years ago

Thank you so much for your post. I found your explanation of the two trees very helpful and enriching!

The Meaningful Life Center