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£Photosynthesis as a Parable for LifePhotosynthesis as a Parable for Life
££Photosynthesis as a Parable for Life into the energy that fuels their lives of holiness and purity. By just
living their lives, they have the opportunity to transform the world
and influence all those who come into contact with them.

Chassidut teaches about a crucial spiritual process called Hamtakat
The Torah often describes the Land of Israel as a land flowing with
milk and honey. Rashi explains that the honey referred to in the Hadinim (Sweetening the Judgments). Conscious effort and prayer
verse is not made by bees but is made from dates, one of the unique can transform adverse circumstances, which seem to only possess
seven fruits designated by God as native to the Land of Israel: the potential for anguish and strife, into positive experiences. By
recognizing the potential good and possible rectification hidden
For God your God is bringing you into a good land, a land in these circumstances, we can “sweeten” them. According to the
with streams of water, of springs and underground water Sages, the Land of Israel was referred to as a land flowing with
flowing forth from valley and in mountain. A land of milk and honey because this alludes to the fact that the hardships
wheat and barley and grape and fig and pomegranate, a necessary to acquire the Land contain a sweetness ever ready to be
land of olive oil and [date] honey. (Deuteronomy 8:7-8) revealed to those who undertake the spiritual path of “sweetening
the judgments.”
The Hebrew word for date (tamar) has the numerical value of 640,
the same numerical value as that of the Hebrew word for sun
(shemesh). Tellingly, date palms only grow well if they are exposed to
a great deal of intense sunlight. In the photosynthetic process, green
plants and various other organisms transform sunlight into chemical £The Eyes of God Are Always The Eyes of God Are Always The Eyes of God Are Always
££
energy and ultimately food. One of the by-products of this process on the Land of Israel
on the Land of Israeland of Israel
on the L
is oxygen; released into the air, this oxygen is crucial to providing
the atmospheric balance necessary for human beings to exist on the
planet. Another by-product is the fruit of the tree. On the glycemic
scale, which measures natural sugar content in foods – the amount of As we saw in the previous section, the Torah describes and praises
sugar immediately available to someone who eats a particular food – the Land of Israel many times in Eikev. Perhaps the most powerful
dates are at the very top of the list. Like all food produced by plants, verse is the one that expresses God’s relationship with the land: “A 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 18 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Magenta #24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 18 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 18 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Black 2410
the sweetness of the date has its ultimate source in the light of the land that God, your God, seeks out; the eyes of God, your God, are
sun. always on it, from the beginning of the year until the year’s end”
(Deuteronomy 11:12). Commenting on this verse, Rashi at first cites
The process of photosynthesis provides a wonderful analogy to the a verse from Job that seems to indicate that God seeks out the welfare
ideal spiritual process that humanity should be engaged in. Human of all the lands, not just the Land of Israel; however, he quickly
beings should integrate the light of God into their lives, using it as a explains that God’s attention is directed first and foremost at the
burst of energy and life force to motivate their every thought, speech, Land of Israel, and through this all the other lands are included.
and action. This Divine light shines through every point of space This interpretation stresses that not only is the Land of Israel special
and in every moment of time and is especially channeled through but also that what occurs in the Land has a profound impact on the
the Torah and mitzvot. Tzaddikim are conscious of God’s presence entire world. The Sages taught that had the nations of the world
at every moment in their lives and constantly transform Divine light

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