{"id":79933,"date":"2020-09-13T17:30:21","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T14:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=79933"},"modified":"2020-09-13T17:30:21","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T14:30:21","slug":"lessons-from-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/lessons-from-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons From Nature\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"79933","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":79595,"related_cahpter":"568","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Stability, longevity, and an answer to the randomness of the world by grounding it in the rhythms of nature\r\n\r\n","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The opening chapter of Psalms, perhaps the most frequently quoted book of the Hebrew Bible, sets up a clear dichotomy between righteousness and wickedness, with the dividing line being following the teachings and wisdom of Torah versus following \u201cthe counsel of the wicked\u201d or joining the \u201ccompany of the insolent.\u201d The chapter then briefly details some of the consequences for those who choose one path or the other, among them a life of stability and longevity for those who pursue the Torah\u2019s teachings as opposed to a life of temporal fragility that will not withstand God\u2019s judgement for those deemed to be wicked or sinners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The simile that the Psalmist uses to illustrate these divergent outcomes is drawn from nature. Someone who lives Torah\u2019s lessons is compared to \u201ca tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives.\u201d Those who opt for a life marked by wickedness are \u201clike chaff that wind blows away.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The juxtaposition of the natural world with a decision to dedicate one\u2019s life to following Torah precepts is more than a simple matter of using familiar or flowery imagery that will resonate with the reader. It provides an answer to the randomness of the world by grounding it in the rhythms of nature, something that may also seem random at first glance but that has an inherent logic to it. A fruitful tree is not a matter of the luck of the draw; it has to be planted in rich soil, get plenty of water, and be regularly and predictably nourished. Psalm 1 is making the same argument about fruitful lives and what goes into ensuring such outcomes, and explicitly arguing that just as nature is not a series of random coincidences disconnected from careful planning and cultivation, neither is the human experience disconnected from choices about one\u2019s environment, acquaintances, education, and morality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is also a more holistic lesson in the psalm\u2019s agricultural imagery. A stalk of wheat serves one purpose; it can be used for nourishment, but its utility is limited. Once it is used up, it leaves no permanent mark or reminder of its existence. The wind blows away the chaff with ease, demonstrating its temporal essence. The tree, however, provides far more than its fruit. It not only \u201cyields its fruit in season\u201d but provides shelter and shade through its branches and its foliage is aesthetically pleasing. In addition, it is not used once and then cast aside, but continues to provide across different seasons and years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psalm 1 urges us to look at Torah as something that will not only provide order and predictability, but as something that will enrich humanity in myriad ways beyond the superficially obvious and whose benefits will reverberate for a long time to come.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":79934,"id":79934,"title":"ps1-seasons","filename":"ps1-seasons.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/ps1-seasons.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/lessons-from-nature\/ps1-seasons\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps1-seasons","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":79933,"date":"2020-09-13 14:29:58","modified":"2022-07-17 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