Echoes of Elul Day 4: It’s Alive!

Scott Friedman

In the past, my echoes started with an event I experienced and then I wrote about the experience. Today’s story is a little different. The story begins with a picture given to me, and ends with my offer to explain why the picture deserves a place among stories for Elul.

My first thought, when seeing the picture of a solo tree in the middle of nowhere was the quote “It’s Alive” from the Mel Brooks movie “Young Frankenstein.” In less than 15 seconds, I realized why the picture and quote are pertinent to a story for this Elul. I present to you “It’s Alive” a PG-rated story about Elul 5780.

I cannot help thinking about the pandemic and resilient people around the world who have changed their thoughts and actions to survive and thrive in a less-than-desirable environment.

Resilience is what ties my experience of survival to the tree surviving and thriving in its inhospitable environment. Although the tree does not appear to be facing a deadly virus, it is alive in spite of growing in an environment of wind, sand, rock, and drought. If the tree can survive and thrive, we can too. At some point, we will remember the obstacles we once faced and appreciate how far we have come.