“The Talmud teaches that the date palm is compared to the righteous because the whole tree is good—especially its fruit. Similarly, the righteous person is good,” writes Torah lecturer Shlomo Libertovski in his commentary on Psalm 1, which is read in the Catholic Church on Sunday, February 16. Father Piotr Kot of the Heschel Center at KUL emphasizes that in the Christian tradition, Jesus is the most perfect tzadik—the righteous.
The Date Palm – A Symbol of Goodness and Steadfastness
Psalm 1 is well known in the Jewish world as a psalm about the righteous (in Hebrew, tzadik), who is described as “a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season.” Commenting on this verse, Shlomo Libertovski notes that in Jewish tradition, the righteous is often likened to fruit or the date palm, which produces sweet fruit. “This symbolizes the tzaddik, whose spiritual stature is clear and correct, and who influences the world with goodness and blessings,” he writes.
Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement in the early 18th century, taught that “just as the date tree continues to grow despite winds and storms, the tzadik (righteous) faces difficulties but does not bend or break,” explains Libertovski. In this context, he stresses that, like the date tree, “the righteous person does not break down in the face of difficulties and continues to flourish.” He adds that “these words from the Book of Psalms inspire us to learn from the righteous who lived through the ages and whose spirit still lives with and in us.”
“God’s Righteousness Is the Mercy That Saves”
Father Piotr Kot emphasizes that in the Christian tradition, Jesus is the perfect tzadik—the righteous one—and that “righteousness is inextricably linked to the saving work of Jesus Christ.” Moreover, as Fr. Kot points out, for Christ, “fulfilling righteousness was more than a mere literal adherence to the mitzvot—the commandments of the Law. Jesus’ righteousness reached its fullness in the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection, as St. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians by describing Him as ‘our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption’ (cf. 1 Cor 1:30).”
“Jesus is truly the ‘blessed one’ who ‘never fades’ and, through the ages, bears the fruit of life in those who, through faith in Him, receive justification by grace.”
In this context, Fr. Kot quotes Pope Francis, who said: “Jesus came to take on his own shoulders the sin of the world and to descend into the waters of the abyss, of death, so as to rescue us and prevent us from drowning. He shows us today that God’s true justice is the mercy that saves..”
