A beautiful parable by Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman of blessed memory, who died a heroic martyr’
s death in the Nazi holocaust.
Once a man who knew nothing at all about agriculture came to a farmer and asked to be taught
about farming. The farmer took him to his field and asked him what he saw.
“I see a beautiful piece of land, lush with grass, and pleasing to the eye.”
Then the visitor stood aghast while the farmer plowed under the grass and turned the beautiful
green field into a mass of shallow brown ditches.
“Why did you ruin the field!” he demanded.
“Be patient. You will see,” said the farmer.
The farmer then showed his guest a sackful of plump kernels of wheat and said, “Tell me what
you see.”
The visitor described the nutritious, inviting grain, and then, once more watched in shock as the
farmer ruined something beautiful. This time, he walked up and down the furrows and dropped
kernels into the open ground wherever he went. Then he covered the kernels with clods of soil.
“Are you insane?” the man demanded. “First you destroyed the field and then you ruined the
grain!”
“Be patient. You will see.”
Time went by, and once more the farmer took his guest out to the field. Now they saw endless,
straight rows of green stalks sprouting up from all the furrows. The visitor smiled broadly.
“I apologize. Now I understand what you were doing. You made the field more beautiful than
ever. The art of farming is truly marvelous.”
“No,” said the farmer. “We are not done. You must still be patient.”
More time went by and the stalks were fully grown. The farmer came with a sickle and chopped
them all down as his visitor watched open-mouthed, seeing how the orderly field became an ugly
scene of destruction. The farmer bound the fallen stalks into bundles and decorated the field
with them. Later, he took the bundles to another area where he beat and crushed them until
they became a mass of straw and loose kernels. Then he separated the kernels from the chaff
and piled them up in a huge hill. Always he told his protesting visitor, “We are not done, you
must be more patient.”
The farmer came with his wagon and piled it high with grain, which he took to a mill. There, the
beautiful grain was ground into formless, choking dust. The visitor complained again. “You have
taken grain and transformed it into dirt!” Again, he was told to be patient.
The farmer put the dust into sacks and took it back home. He took some dust and mixed it with
water while his guest marveled at the foolishness of making “whitish mud.” Then the farmer
fashioned the “mud” into the shape of a loaf. The visitor saw the perfectly formed loaf and smiled
broadly, but his happiness did not last. The farmer kindled a fire in an oven and put the loaf into
it.
“Now I know you are insane. After all that work, you burn what you have made.”
The farmer looked at him and laughed. “Have I not told you to be patient?”
Finally, the farmer opened the oven and took out a freshly baked bread, crisp and brown, with
an aroma that made the visitor’s mouth water. “Come,” the farmer said. He led his guest to the
kitchen table where he cut the bread and offered his now-pleased visitor a liberally buttered slice.
“Now,” the farmer said, “now you understand.”
Student Kabbalah Group is an independent student group on the campus of Central
Michigan University and is not associated with any other kabbalah teaching organization.
All material here is (c) 2004-05 Student Kabbalah Group or
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