The Human Tree

… is the tree in the field man..                                                         Deuteronomy 20:19

            Maharal [Ḥidushei Agadot, Sota 36a, 42a, Gittin 58a] asserts that a human’s head corresponds to a tree’s roots, and he therefore describes man as an “inverted tree.” Roots connect to the source of vitality. Thus, the roots of trees, of course descend to the ground, which is the source of the tree’s sustenance.  Since the spiritual vitality of a human being comes from heaven, the human’s roots (head) are directed above, not below.

            Alshikh [Genesis 12] comments that “the soul of every Israelite comes from the Land of Israel,” therefore, a Jew can connect to his soul only when he is in the Land of Israel, “which is opposite the Heavenly Land.” Moreover Alshikh asserts that a Jew outside the Land “is not connected to his soul, nor can he achieve wholeness,” because “only in Israel can a Jew connect with himself and his (spiritual) roots.”

            In Alshikh’s approach, the soil of Israel draws its sanctity from its being located opposite “the Heavenly Land, the Land of the Living, which is beneath the wings of the Shechina.”

            Based upon Alshikh’s elucidation, we can assert that a Jew in the Land of Israel is an upright tree, since his spiritual roots are located within the holy soil of the Land, as are the roots of a tree.