A little bit about me: how I got my name, Ben-Shitta?
In 1982 I accompanied a friend of a friend to Eilat to do some snorkeling. I lived in Jerusalem at the time, and didn’t mind the long drive: who wouldn’t want to see and experience the Red Sea.
The long drive took us through the Negev, a desert, with a few trees here and there.
The trees immediately captured my heart: they were alone, they were beautiful, and they were generous in an unusual way.
There is almost never any rain in the Negev. Yet, these trees live there, and instead of complaining about what they are not getting, they provide. They provide shelter for the ants, the flies, shade for the traveler, fragrant pink or violet flowers for the goats, amazing. And their shape is such, that although they are solitary, they reach out longingly to others, like a ballet dancer would express their longing.
That is like me, I thought, and upon arriving back to Jerusalem, I filed a change of name, which is a legal procedure.
I will have that beautiful tree’s name in my name… The tree’s name is Shitta.
You are born with a name that says nothing about you. I was born with an ill-fitting surname, and a first name I felt I could grow into… but the family name had to be changed. Changed into some name that opens up vistas, opens up possible ways of being for me to become a bigger and better human being.
The change was dramatic and instant.
Now I had a new personality to grow into. It was both challenging and rewarding.
Large shoes to fill… Sophie, by the way, or better said Sophia means wisdom.
Then add the generosity, the connection, the beauty, the survival on next to nothing, the no complaining, the giving of myself, those still, to this day are guiding lights to me.
I forgot to say: the tree has thorn like spikes, but it’s only going to fool the big people… “the large thorn-like stipules are hollow and afford shelter for several species.” Thorny and nurturing at the same time. Would not you say that the description fits me to a T? lol. 1
I express the thorny and the nurturing, seemingly incompatible, in everything I do.
If you are the kind of person that can’t see beyond appearances: good riddance. You will only see the thorns, and you’ll leave, fast, disgusted. Most people… around 70% of the people that ever come to this site are like that.
But you, so far, have been willing to look behind the facade. Good for you. There is sweet nectar here for you.
- Accidentally, the Heaven on Earth energy bundle is a lot like this tree, the Etz Ha Shitta in Hebrew. It operates in two tears: first prickle then soothe… the weak and spineless (won’t mention names here) stops taking it as soon as the prickly part comes up. They are slothful and prefer to be comfortable, even if that is the comfort of dying… the strong ones that still have some desire left in them take the prickles and get to the sweet nectar, the nurturing, to the smooth and alive… I hope you are one of the latter. Muah.
I have.
Heard of methuselah tree in CA? Very old.