A dear friend once presented me with two palm trees. I planted one in the yard of our yeshiva in France and the other in my own backyard. The tree by the yeshiva blossomed beautifully, whereas the one by my home withered away. I had to keep cutting off the dead branches, until nothing was left of it at all.
I wondered what the difference was between the two trees. Why did the one by the yeshiva flourish while the other died a slow death?
The tree by the yeshiva was in a sunny spot in the yard, receiving sustenance from the sun, and tended by our devoted gardener, who watered it consistently. The tree by my house, however, lacked both sun and water and therefore died.
The Torah says (Devarim 20:19), “The tree of the field is a man.” Just as a tree needs light, heat, and water, so does a person need the warmth of the Beit Hakeneset and the Torah with its refreshing waters. Without these conditions, he is liable, chas v’shalom, to wither away.
