A Tree by the Canal
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does."
— Psalm 1:1-3
These are the first words of Israel's whole songbook, a kind of gate to all the rest. The three verbs at the start of the Hebrew show the steps in order: first you walk along with someone, then you stand (this translation says set foot), and finally you sit down with them for good. The Hebrew word behind meditates meant a low sound, a murmur; Isaiah uses it for a lion growling over its prey. So it means above all reading under your breath and repeating, not only silent reflection. Law here translates Torah, teaching such as parents give a child, rather than just a legal code. In that dry country a tree did not end up by streams on its own. The word for planted can mean transplanted, and the streams are dug irrigation channels, so someone probably moved it there on purpose. What you keep repeating under your breath, day after day, changes who you are over time.