Rav Aryeh Levin told a story about Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael.
Rav Kook wholeheartedly welcomed Rav Levin to Israel and was surprised during their meeting when Rav Levin bent down to pick a flower.
Rav Kook said, “There is no blade of grass or a flower on the ground without its angel from above, which tells it, ‘Grow!’ Each blade has something to say, and every stone whispers some secret. Every creation sings its song.’”
While from that point onward, Rav Levin was careful about the flowers and greenery around him, the lesson extends much further. Each time we make an assumption about one another, shame a fellow human being, speak without fact, or dishonor another’s reputation, creation loses its ability to sing.
An angel doesn’t only encourage a blade of grass to rise. Each time we value each other, through speech and action, an angel above is also telling you, “Grow, grow.”
Simultaneously, your own song is sung in the heavens above.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is senior rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik or on Instagram @rabbiguzik. For more writings, visit Rabbi Guzik’s blog section from Sinai Temple’s website.
