Elul Day 12
Dear Elul Writers,
I am not sure why it took me so long to catch on to the joys of water propagation. One early winter day I was walking through my neighborhood when I encountered a small black bucket of freshly cut sticks with a sign on the bucket that read, “free.” I am no expert on the retail market for sticks, but, it’s fair to say I was not overly impressed by their generosity. It was only when I looked closer that I realized there was more written on the sign. These were cuttings from an angel’s trumpet plant. Place them in water, and within a matter of weeks they would put out roots and send new growth upwards.
I placed the sticks in water in our kitchen, and, as promised, the miraculous rooting and growing happened simultaneously. I was so delighted by the result that I started placing all sorts of sticks in water. I grew elderberry and hibiscus cuttings, I tried my hand with gardenias and pomegranates, even an Eastern Red Bud. All through the house, you would find little sticks emerging from old kombucha and hot sauce bottles, mustard jars and cylindrical vases. Sometimes the same shelf would have multiple propagation projects happening all at once. We were running a DIY botany lab, and the results were fantastic. Everywhere you looked bright green leaves were emerging, little white and pale green roots undulated in the water.
There is a famous piece of Talmudic wisdom that teaches ein mayim elah Torah / there is no water except for Torah. Which is to say, whenever we read about water in our holy texts, we can read that as a reference to Torah. Moreover, whatever we know about water is also true of Torah. Just as we can thirst for water, so too can we thirst for wisdom. Just as living waters spring forth from the earth in seemingly endless supply, so too are there wellsprings of living Torah that flow from deep within us. Water is essential to life, to growth, to nourishment, as is learning. In this way, the idea of water propagation offers a much-needed reminder about the possibilities of immersing ourselves in Torah. The idea of taking on new learning can feel overwhelming or arduous. Is it possible that some personal growth might happen if we just place ourselves like sticks into a little bit of Torah? Might we find ourselves taking root, even sprouting if we just sat with some piece of our wisdom tradition?
Prompt
What Torah would you like to immerse yourself in in 5786? Are there texts that you’ve wanted to learn? Rashi on the weekly Torah portion? Mishnayot? Lessons from the Chasidic masters? Abraham Joshua Heschel? Aviva Zornberg? Forgive me for being too practical, but are there places in your life’s routine where you might casually (almost passively) sit with Torah? Who could you learn with? Instead of waiting for the new year, is it possible to start now? It doesn’t need to be strenuous, it might be as relaxing and comfortable as slipping into a pool of water.
Shabbat shalom,
Jordan