ABSTRACT
The Talmud tells how a rabbi was once passing through a field and saw a very old man planting an acorn. 'Why are you planting that?' he asked. 'You surely do not expect to live long enough to see the acorn grow up into an oak-tree?' 'Ah/ replied the old man, 'my ancestors planted trees not for themselves, but for us, in order that we might enjoy the shade of their fruit. I am doing likewise for those who come after me.'
