The Talmud (Taanit 5b) tells the story of a weary traveller who, after wandering through the desert, finds a remarkable tree. Its fruit is sweet, its shade comforting, and a stream flows beneath it, offering refreshment. The traveller enjoys the tree’s gifts and, before departing, wishes to bless it. But how? The tree already possesses everything it needs: sweet fruit, cool shade, and nourishing water. So instead, the traveller offers a different kind of blessing: May it be God’s will that all saplings which they plant from you be like you.

This Tu B’Shevat tale teaches us a powerful lesson about legacy. The traveller recognizes that the tree’s greatest blessing is not just what it provides in the present, but its ability to pass on its goodness to future generations. The true measure of the tree’s impact is not only in its fruit today but in the trees that will grow from it tomorrow.

In our own lives, we might allow this story to inspire us to ask ourselves: What blessings do we already possess? How do we use them to sustain and uplift others? And most importantly, what kind of saplings are we planting? Whether through the values we instill in our children, the kindness we show to others, how we care for the earth, or the wisdom we share, our legacy is built not only on what we have but on what we give.

May we all be like that tree—caring for the world around us and ensuring that the next generation carries forth the best of what we have to give.

With blessings for a belated Chag Tu B’Shevat Sameach and a Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Lara