136 —האדם כעץ, אמונה, תורה ומצות, והשפעה על אחרים

Shalom u'Vrachah! [From an additional edition of the above.] Behold, man is like a tree of the field—meaning that there is an important part of human life in which he resembles, in several ways, various aspects of plant life. The root is faith—even though it has no place according to intellect or logical reasoning. But through this, he is connected to his source of life, which is the Holy One Blessed be He, and thus his vitality continues even when he has already grown in wisdom and in Torah and mitzvos. The trunk represents Torah and mitzvos—the main structure of the tree—which increases year by year. For faith must be strong even if one's intellect is not developed and he is young in wisdom; whereas Torah and mitzvos must be 'advanced in days,' meaning that every day one adds more Torah and mitzvos because 'days were formed,' etc. And one should beautify himself before Him with Torah and mitzvos so that this is visible to all, and even the intellect acknowledges their beauty. There are also mitzvos that branch into several other mitzvos (for example: tzitzis—four mitzvos; the Mikdash includes several mitzvos: vessels, sacrifices, etc.), just as branches themselves split into smaller branches.

But—merit has fruits; meaning there are types of mitzvos that influence others as well through their performance. As explained in Pirkei Avos regarding why those who benefit others eat their fruits in this world—this is one of the purposes for which man was created: to influence others so that his good deeds will sow seeds and produce similar fruits.

If one desires that the seed should endure—it depends specifically on the seed itself; that is, on what has neither taste nor smell—meaning how and in what manner it enters the listener's heart: only if he fears Heaven and speaks with self-sacrifice from his point of faith (even though this is hidden while outwardly he gives intellectual reasons—just as the seed is hidden within the fruit's body and peel which have taste, appearance, and smell—but what causes his speech and gives it vitality and enthusiasm is his self-sacrifice), then it produces a great tree bearing fruits and branches.

The lesson from all this: The root of man and his connection to his source of life comes solely through faith without any embellishment or adornment; even a slight weakness in faith weakens the entire existence of the tree—even if it is large and strong in trunk or branches—for none of this helps if faith is not strong. A person's task is to increase Torah and mitzvos constantly—like a tree that always grows. This alone defines its type, quality, and essence; but within the trunk, branches, or even leaves flows vitality drawn by roots from the earth—the community of Israel as the soul's source—which they send into trunk, branches etc., to give them life. For in Torah and mitzvos one must always remember the power of self-sacrifice (see Tanya ch. 25), for by his faith all his Torah and mitzvos live.

But ultimately man's purpose is also to influence others—before Adam's sin all trees bore fruit; in time to come even barren trees will bear fruit—and as our Sages say: The first commandment is "be fruitful and multiply"; a Jew must see to it that there will be another Jew. This completes the perfection of a tree when we see it has already produced fruit—that it sows seeds to produce another tree.

This is also the lesson from Tu B'Shevat—the New Year for Trees—that first comes the root (faith), then comes growth in thickness and height (Torah & mitzvos increasing abundantly), while perfection appears in quality fruit and seed—that one who merits another person or even many people depends on him—and thus he reaches his desired completion.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that just as a tree draws life from its roots (faith), grows through its trunk (Torah & mitzvos), and fulfills its purpose by bearing fruit (influencing others), so too must a person nurture faith at their core while growing spiritually—and ultimately inspire others.