How Long Does It Take for the Chinese Bamboo to Reach 30 Meters? 5 Stories for Thought

"The Chinese Bamboo"

There was a man who began to lose hope. Rosh Hashanah was nearly here, and he thought about all the resolutions he had made last year. Unfortunately, nothing in his life had changed; he remained the same person, with the same problems and shortcomings. Despair gnawed at his heart, so he turned to his rabbi for counsel.

The rabbi listened and asked: "Do you know how long it takes for the giant Chinese bamboo to grow as tall as a building?

In the first year, you water and fertilize the tiny seedling... and nothing happens. You continue to water and fertilize it for another year. And another and another. And still, nothing happens. Then, in the fifth year, the bamboo "leaps" to the sky! In six weeks, it grows to a height of 30 meters!

So, how long does it take for the bamboo to grow so tall?".

"Six weeks," the man replied.

"That's your mistake - it takes five years. If at any point during those years the farmer stopped watering the tender shoot, it would have withered and died.

"And what really happened during those years? Beneath the surface, a complex network of roots developed to support the bamboo's sudden growth.

"Remember, growth requires patience and persistence. Every drop of water matters! Every small step makes a positive impact. You may not notice the difference immediately. But growth is happening. Do not despair. With unwavering determination, continue nurturing the roots of change. Eventually, you too will burst forth and reach incredible heights."

Even in life, sometimes it seems like we are working and working in our service to Hashem, but outwardly, it seems there are no results. Sometimes there's a gap between our action and the moment we see the result, just like the bamboo plant.

Therefore, even if you have invested in serving Hashem once or twice without noticing a significant change, remember the bamboo story and persist in your practice, because your growth and salvation are on the way!

King Solomon writes: "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again"(Proverbs 24:16). This means that this is the order in serving Hashem even for the greatest tzadik - to fall and rise, to fall and rise.The falls bring a person to ascend in their service to Hashem. How? When one falls, they are filled with anger at the evil inclination that caused their fall, thus they guard themselves and distance from evil more and more.

The feeling of despair is part of everyone's journey in serving Hashem. The main thing is not to despair, continue serving Hashem with all your strength, continue to fight and watch out for falls, and at the end of the journey, you will succeed.

How much joy it brings to the Creator of the world to see how much you want and yearn and try to come closer to Him (even if you are not always successful), how much the relationship with Him matters to you, how much you care to continue climbing and elevating.

Rabbi Kook zt"l says in "Orot HaTeshuva" that a person who feels sadness because of their sins and falls should be happy! Because if they are still sad because of their falls – it means they have a healthy soul, it means they still feel the problem with the sin, it means they are still connected to Hashem and their soul, for if they were not connected to holiness, they would not feel sadness over the sins...

(Photo: shutterstock)

Who is the Real Winner?

In a town in Russia, the tavern was bustling with life every morning. The merchants would gather there for a good breakfast, engage in debates and discussions about trade, and then proceed together to the town market. Every morning, the "town beggar" would enter precisely when the tavern was packed, asking for alms from the merchants and guests..

The town merchants adopted a fixed custom, which they also taught to their guests from neighboring towns..

Each morning, a different volunteer would stand opposite the beggar, pull out two coins from his pocket, and give the beggar the right to choose one of them. The coins were always the same, one large and worth 5 rubles, and the other smaller but worth 10 rubles. In his innocence, the beggar would choose the large coin "because it is bigger," and the tremendous laughter of the town merchants and their guests would echo from the tavern.

One morning, a new merchant arrived at the tavern, unaware of the beggar and the daily prank he endured. His heart was moved, and he decided to "enlighten" the beggar and "teach" him the value of each coin. So, right after the daily humiliation, he followed the beggar to the entrance of the tavern and explained to him that the smaller coin was worth twice as much as the larger one, and it would be advisable for him to choose it from now on..

The town beggar gave him a sharp look and said: "Do you really think I don't know the value of the coins? Have you ever seen a beggar who doesn't "understand" his tools? I know exactly the value of each coin, but what? If I take the 10 ruble coin once, it will be the last day of the game, and the next day I won't get the humiliation or this generous handout...

Friends, to all the tavern goers, the beggar "loses" 5 rubles every day. But in the beggar's eyes, he "earns" 5 rubles every morning. The beggar is careful not to fall in an unnecessary battle, "lower the head" when needed, and thereby earn a living every day...

In our terms, in our days, we must interpret and adopt this thinking: "I prefer to lose in my role as a neighbor showing the house committee who is "the boss" and to win in my role as a healthy person with peace of mind".

"I prefer to lose in my role as a bride responding to her mother-in-law with a comment that silences her, and to win as a wife who withstands every shout for the sake of her husband and domestic peace".

"I prefer to lose in my role as a mother who doesn't hold a grudge against a child who avoids his duties at home, and to win as an educator who understands that now there's no one to talk to, and only sincere silence on my part will bring the child back to sanity and soon."

We simply need to decide where the emphasis lies and what is the priority. Is my role to win in this small and unnecessary battle or to win in the test of life. We must give up every whim, argument, or unnecessary confrontation, be careful not to fall into an unnecessary clash, and win the peace of mind reserved for a believer who chooses to win by letting go.

An Exercise in Faith

A kibbutz guide entered a classroom and asked: "Do you see the board on the wall? The table? And the chair?". The students answered in unison "Yes". The guide told them: "Then you can believe there is a board, a chair, and a table. But you do not see Hashem, so you have no reason to believe in Hashem".

There sat a sharp student who replied to the instructor with a proper response. He turned to his classmates and asked: "Do you see the teacher's mind?". "No," they all replied. "Then," continued the student, "do not believe the teacher has a mind; do not listen to him!".

This story brings a wide smile to our faces, but it has deep meaning.

We do not see the mind, so how do we know someone has one? Because we see their actions and words that testify to their intelligence. Similarly, regarding the Creator, it is true we do not see Hashem, but when we observe His handiwork, namely, the heavens and the earth, the sun, animals, plants, and the crown of creation: man, all created with great wisdom, we immediately know of the Creator's existence.

The human brain is more sophisticated than the most advanced computer, and the eye is produced with greater wisdom than the latest camera, and is there a sane person who would claim that from the "Big Bang" and after millions of years the computer and the camera were created?

The whole of creation cries out that there is a Hashem who created the world and plans every detail in it. By observing it, anyone, even the simplest, can come to recognize the Creator of the universe...

(Photo: shutterstock)

Criticism - How?

There was once a young man who finished his art studies and wanted to test his abilities in the field.

He painted a very elaborate picture, placed it on an easel in one of the local malls, and wrote under the painting: "I am a beginner painter, and I want to receive criticism on my painting. Anyone who sees a problem here, a mistake in proportion or color play, etc., please take the black pen I left below and mark an X on the problematic spot".

The next day, our beginner painter came to the mall, and his eyes darkened - the painting was full of Xs, almost to the last place. In shame, he took down his painting, and a thought went through his mind: "I have no future in painting".

He took the painting to his teacher and told him about the bitter experience. The teacher asked him: "Can you paint an identical picture to this one?" "Of course," answered the beginner painter, and immediately set to work.

After three days, the second painting was ready, identical to the previous one. The painter and the teacher took the new painting, placed it on an easel in another mall, and wrote below almost the same wording: "I am a beginner painter, and I want to receive criticism on my painting".

However, this time the teacher instructed him to write, unlike the previous time: "Anyone who sees a problem here, please feel free to fix and improve. I left a set of colors and brushes for your use...".

The next day, the painter came, and saw that no one touched the painting. Even a week later, no one had corrected anything. A month passed, and no correction was made. The teacher said to him: "Do you see the difference? Everyone knows how to say what is wrong, but almost no one can correct and do right...".

When we want to criticize or comment on others, we must remember that offering criticism in a considerate and respectful manner, along with suggestions for correction and improvement, can make all the difference in how the other person accepts our words and changes their ways...

"2 Rolls Remain"

Friday. A man and his son left the supermarket with bags full, including 5 rolls. When they reached the parking lot, a man approached them and with a shy look asked if they could give him something to eat...

They looked at him, and immediately handed him - without hesitation and with bright faces - 2 rolls. The man thanked them and went on his way.

The father asked his son: "How many rolls do we have left?". The son replied: "3 rolls". His father said: "Think again". The son responded: "Dad, there were 5 rolls, minus 2 rolls - that's 3 rolls, that's a simple mathematical operation".

The father smiled and explained his intention: "The correct answer is 2 rolls! The son looked puzzled. The father continued: "The 3 rolls left in the bag we will soon eat, and they will be gone, but the 2 rolls we gave to the poor man, that is what remains with us - that will remain forever. In the heavenly balance sheet, we now have 2 rolls, and nobody can take that away from us!

Friends, in our lives we gather and collect, buy, and invest, dedicating days and nights to create a comfortable and quality world for ourselves. But at the end of the day, all that we labored for - the houses, the cars, the businesses... remains here! Money and possessions stay here, but what truly remains with us are the mitzvot and good deeds we do, and they are recorded above in our merit!