One of the most profound stories in the Talmud is about a man called Honi the Circle Maker. One day, Honi is walking down the street when he meets an old man who is planting a carob tree. Honi asks the man how long the tree will take to bear fruit. “Seventy years,” answers the old fellow. Mocking him, Honi asks why he would plant a tree that he might never eat from. “I was born into a world with carob trees,” the man replies,” and just as my ancestors planted trees for me, so too will I plant them for my children and their children after them.”
Soon after, Honi eats a meal and falls asleep for decades. Upon awaking, Honi sees a different man gathering fruit from a fully-grown carob tree. “Did you plant that tree, he asks. “No,” answers the man, “it was my grandfather.” At that moment, Honi realizes he’d been asleep for 70 years.
Each week, a member of the clergy offers their personal perspective on a topic of their choice, such as the week's Torah portion, aJewish holiday, ritual, custom, or history.
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