The leaf is therefore an apt metaphor for the subconscious. T he leaf, the unconscious, holds the key to the ultimate healing of the psyche. In the future, leaves will become edible, like fruit. With the complete transformation of evil into good, the subconscious will be able to be fully expressed. All the strictures and cautions surrounding its articulation will be relaxed.
H ere the righteous individual is likened to a tree planted beside life-giving water.
The leaf that does not wilt is his subconscious, which has been articulated and sweetened. I t is told that the Ba'al Shem Tov, while still a boy, recognized G-d's providence over all his creatures by observing the way a leaf was blown along the ground. By paying attention and taking note of a seemingly insignificant factor in the great scheme of creation, he discerned the truth that was to serve as the cornerstone of his theological system. In contrast to the worldly chatter of the unlettered, the mundane conversation of someone who is filled with the wisdom of the Torah is itself a lesson in holy living and is even considered a subject worthy of study. The lessons of life that surface in the mundane conversation of the Torah scholar reflect the way he has rectified his subconscious mind.