Home Shalom promotes healthy relationships and facilitates the creation of judgement free, safe spaces in the Jewish community. Home Shalom is a program of The Advot Project.
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“Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants.” Talmud Taanit 23a
There is a famous story in the Talmud about a man who lived 2,000 years ago named “Honi the Circle Maker.” Honi was known as one of the most powerful sages of his time in ancient Israel and was called “the Circle Maker” because whenever there was a drought in Israel, Honi would stand in the middle of a field, draw a magic circle around his body and then challenge God saying:
“God we need rain or else your people will die along with all the animals that are entrusted in their care. I will stand in the circle and not leave until you bring rain and end this drought.” Honi’s prayers were so powerful that whenever he would challenge God in this way, God would relent and the rain would fall.
One day a villager saw Honi, who by this time was a very old man, standing in the field and planting seeds. The villager asked him, “Honi, what are you doing?” and Honi replied, “I am planting carob trees.” The villager was surprised and said, “Don’t you know that carob trees take 70 years before they produce fruit?”
Honi smiled and replied, “Of course I know. Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants.”
We need to embrace the values and vision of Honi the Circle Maker in our time as well. Our lives are too often focused only on the now, on today, on what’s in it for us rather than what is the legacy we want to leave for future generations and what will be the impact on the future of our community, the strength of our country, the health of our planet itself by the choices that each of us makes today. This is our ultimate challenge.
Every single day each of us has the choice to either be like Honi and act in such a way that we create a world for which future generations will be grateful or ask only “What’s in it for me?” and turn our backs on the world waiting to be created.
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Home Shalom and Naomi Ackerman, The Advot Project
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