I came across a tree with one leaf that refused to let go of its tree.
One leaf.
One withered leaf.
One stubborn leaf.
One brave leaf.
One resolute leaf.
One tenacious leaf.
One resilient leaf.
A Hasidic lesson teaches that a leaf remains on a tree for a purpose—like giving shelter to an insect—or perhaps to allow a passerby (like a Rabbi Zach) to stop and notice something beautiful.
I wondered whether that leaf was holding on because it still had a purpose—or because it simply wasn’t ready to let go.
How often are we like that leaf?
We hold on to relationships, dreams, memories, and moments. Sometimes out of love. Sometimes out of fear.
And sometimes, letting go requires more courage than holding on.
Ecclesiastes teaches that there is a time to keep and a time to cast away. But it doesn’t tell us how to know when that time has come.
Perhaps that is one of life’s greatest challenges: knowing when to hold on and when to let go.
And accepting that sometimes, in any given moment in time, we simply don’t know.
