Hebrew
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר: כָּל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, לְמָה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן
שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מְרֻבִּין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מֻעָטִין, וְהָרוּחַ בָּאָה וְעוֹקַרְתּוֹ וְהוֹפְכַתּוֹ עַל פָּנָיו.
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וְהָיָה כְּעַרְעָר בָּעֲרָבָה, וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי־יָבוֹא טוֹב, וְשָׁכַן חֲרֵרִים
בַּמִּדְבָּר, אֶרֶץ מְלֵחָה וְלֹא תֵשֵׁב: אֲבָל כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, לְמָה
הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מֻעָטִין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מְרֻבִּין, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כָל הָרוּחוֹת
שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם בָּאוֹת וְנוֹשְׁבוֹת בּוֹ, אֵין מְזִיזִין אוֹתוֹ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ
שָׁתוּל עַל־מַיִם, וְעַל־יוּבַל יְשַׁלַּח שָׁרָשָׁיו, וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי־יָבֹא חֹם, וְהָיָה עָלֵהוּ
רַעֲנָן, וּבִשְׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת לֹא יִדְאָג, וְלֹא יָמִישׁ מֵעֲשׂוֹת פֶּרִי:
Sephardi
Hu hayah omer: Kol shechachmato merubah mima'asav, lemah hu dome, le'ilan
she'anafav merubin veshorashav mu'atim, veharu'ach ba'ah ve'okarto vehofchato al panav.
Shene'emar, vehayah ke'ar'ar ba'aravah, velo yir'eh ki-yavo tov, veshachan charerim
bamidbar, eretz melechah velo teshev: Aval kol shema'asav merubin mechachmato, lemah
hu dome, le'ilan she'anafav mu'atim veshorashav merubin, she'afilu chol haruchot
sheba'olam ba'ot venoshvot bo, ein mezizin oto mimekomo. Shene'emar: vehayah ke'etz
shatul al-mayim, ve'al-yuval yeshalach shorashav, velo yir'eh ki-yavo chom, vehayah alehu
ra'anan, uvishnat batzoret lo yid'ag, velo yamish me'asot peri:
English
He used to say: To what may one whose wisdom exceeds his deeds be compared? To a tree with many branches but few roots. When a wind comes, it uproots and overturns it, as it is said, “He shall be like a juniper tree in the desert, which does not sense the coming of good; it is set in the scorched places of the wilderness in a barren, uninhabited land.” To what may one whose deeds exceed his wisdom be compared? To a tree with few branches but many roots. Even if all the winds of the world come and blow against it, they cannot dislodge it from its place, as it is said, “He shall be like a tree planted by waters, sending forth its roots by a stream: it does not sense the coming of heat; its leaves are ever fresh; it has no care in a year of drought; it does not cease to bear fruit.”