Mills or Millstein?

When a trees roots are shallow, the tree will be washed away. And, if a tree's roots are severed, that tree will ultimately die. A layman may not notice anything different about the tree since the trunk, branches and leaves seem intact. The damage remains concealed beneath the surface.
 
The Torah compares a man to a tree growing in a field. People also have roots that connect them to their land, to their nation and to their spiritual heritage. To a casual observer, a person who has been disconnected from his roots may appear normal and healthy, especially during his youth, but even when he's young, if you look into his soul you'll see he's also dying.  It will become more obvious, as he ages,  that graduating from the best medical schools, the best laws schools or making a fortune of money will never make up for a lifetime of being severed from who he was created to be.
 
How does a person become severed from his roots? It can happen in many different ways.
 
Someone I know was recently fortunate enough to find the reason why he never felt connected to himself.  What I'm about to tell you, helped this person to feel more alive and whole than he ever felt before; what he learned about himself helped him to put his life into perspective. He saw that he had not grown up with the psychological disorder that he had been told he had by numerous doctors.
 
Before he was born, his father, like many post-war American Jews, felt that life would be easier for their children if they just removed the stein's, witz's, and baum's from the end of their names. He never thought much about the fact that his obviously Jewish name was cut in half by his father. When he was first told about it, as a child, he didn't understand the need for it, felt vaguely let down but didn't think much more about it – that is, until a few weeks ago.
 
It started with an inexplicable urge to find some of his long lost school mates from the past. He was able to find a number of his old friends and acquaintances through a face book page that was set up by members of his high school graduating class. Before he knew it, he was in communication with many of his old friends and acquaintances from more than 30 years ago.
 
Then it happened:
 
A Jewish woman wrote to him saying that in high school she had never had even an inkling that he was Jewish! She said that there was absolutely no clue or hint from his appearance, his personality, his interests or his sense of humor that he was a Jew! At first he was dumbfounded but soon it made perfect sense to him.
 
When his father truncated their Jewish sounding name to make it sound like a gentile name he sent his children a powerful unconscious message which was: "Don't be Jewish." Children pick up on messages like these and adopt them as part of the unspoken family norms and rules. He fulfilled the family edict which was to assimilate. As a result, he became really expert at hiding and concealing his Jewishness even from himself. In elementary school, he avoided playing with Jewish children; in high school he avoided dating Jewish girls. He never went to synagogue. His parents allowed him to skip his bar mitzvah and he almost married a girl whose Christian parents hated Jews.
 
People whose spiritual roots were cut during childhood may have looked gorgeous in their high school year book pictures.  Their peers and teachers may have thought that they had the potential to go really far in life. Today some of them may own real estate and businesses and others may be doctors or published authors, but after being cut off from themselves for three decades they present as a sullen and stilted group of people.  They posture happiness by showing off their designer clothes, jewels and eyeglasses – but the light is gone from their eyes. Their faces appear mask-like. They don't believe in anything beyond the materialism that has trapped them in.
 
At 18 years old, despite being rootless they had youth on their side. They didn't yet know the pain and darkness that lay ahead.  They smiled for the camera and hoped for success and fulfillment. Some got the success. Almost none are fulfilled.
 
Thirty years later, people you may have idealized when you were kids have almost completely lost their vibrance. They are overweight, out of shape, cynical and depressed. Some still try to appear happy others aren't even trying to fake it anymore. What happened to those beautiful 18-year old faces from the high school year book? If you speak to them now they may try to suggest there is something wrong with your religiosity. Don't take the bait. Just radiate the happiness of your soul at them and who knows they may join you soon. This works better than getting into intellectual discussions about G-d and emuna. Give them a scent of the Eden you have found.
 
The good news is that there is a big difference between the severing of a tree's roots and the cutting of the spiritual roots of a person. Once the tree's roots are cut they can't be put back together. Spiritual cuttings, however, can be healed with belief. The power of even wanting to believe in your roots will begin the healing process. Deep beneath the surface spiritual roots can never be completely severed.
 
According to the great Torah sage the Rambam, there are 13 principles of faith. Another sage, the Marashah describes these 13 principles as the spiritual roots that nourish the Jewish soul. They are: 

1. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, creates and guides all that was created, and that He alone made, makes, and will make everything that is made.

2. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is unique and there is no uniqueness like Him in any way; and that He alone is our G-d Who was, Who is, and Who always will be.

3. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name – is not physical and is not subject to phenomena that are physical and that there is nothing whatsoever than He can be compared to.

4. I believe with faith that is complete that the Creator, blessed be His name, is the very first and He is the very last.

5. I believe with faith that is complete that the Creator, blessed be His Name, to He alone is it proper to pray and to no other is it proper to pray.

6. I believe with faith that is complete that all the words of the prophets are true.

7. I believe with faith that is complete that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him,was true, and that he was the father of the prophets, both those who preceded him and those who came after him.

8. I believe with faith that is complete that the entire Torah that is found now in our hands is the same one that was given to Moses our teacher, peace be upon him.

9. I believe with faith that is complete that this Torah will not be exchanged nor will there be another Torah from the Creator blessed be His Name.

10. I believe with faith that is complete that the Creator, blessed be His Name, knows all the deeds of human beings and all their thoughts, as it is said, He who fashions together their hearts, Who comprehends all their deeds.

11. I believe with faith that is complete that the Creator, blessed be His Name, rewards with good those that observe His commandments, and punishes those who violate His commandments.

12. I believe with faith that is complete in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, with all that, I await him every day certain that he will come.

13. I believe with faith that is complete, that there will be a revivification of the dead whenever there arises the will for it from the Creator, blessed is His Name and Exalted be His mention forever and for all eternity.
 
Let the above thirteen spiritual roots anchor us strongly in our faith, amen!