Cedar or Date Palm

they used to have a custom that when a Jewish boy was born they would plant the cedar tree and then when he was married they would cut down that cedar tree and that's what they would make his Hopa out of they would make his marriage canopy out of the cedar that was planted when he was born it's a very beautiful symbolism is it there's a deeper meaning here as well though you know it says in Psalms King David says sadiq at America's Boulevard Anissa get that the righteous one will grow tall like a cedar in Lebanon and will give fruit like a date palm so which one is it which species of tree is it is that the Cedars at the date palm so the Baal Shem Tov explained well there are two types of righteous people ones like a cedar and ones like a date palm the cedar grows very very tall and it has very sturdy wood but it doesn't give fruit the date palm doesn't grow quite as high but it gives fruit why doesn't it why doesn't it the date palm grow quite as high because the energy that it would have put into itself into its own growth it channels into the fruits which give nourishment to to others so it's taking from itself it's giving that away so that others can have benefit baal shem tov explains there's at Adak who achieves great spiritual heights but it's all about his own growth he's righteous but only in his own spiritual growth and that's like a cedar then there's a right person it's like a date palm he takes the the time and the energy in the headspace on heart space there would have been put into personal development and and he puts it into creating fruits creating endeavors that will benefit others the truth is there are certain periods of life that are meant to be more cedar like and there are certain types periods of life that are meant to be more date-palm like when you're a child you are not expected to be a major contributor to society when you're a child your needs are taken care of for you your parents take care of you under the roof of their home they serve you they they feed you they clothed you why because a child is in his formative years and the purpose of childhood is to become a mensch so really childhood is your opportunity to work on yourself when you're a child and adolescent a young single that really is the time to focus on yourself that's me time and that's being like a cedar and then comes the day when they chop that cedar down and that cedar that was planted when that boy was born they chopped it down and they turn it into his marriage canopy and they say your cedar days are over it's not about your growth anymore now you're and you've entered into a new phase date-palm phase and now it's time to be a giver a contributor give give to your family give to your community give to the world [Music]