Martin H. van den Bergh

It is with great relief that all our hostages whether alive or dead have finally returned from Gaza with the discovery of the body of Ran Gvili and his return home for burial in Israel. This is the first time since 2014 that there are no hostages in Gaza.  Ran’s return means we can remove the yellow ribbons we have worn since October 7th, 2023, and rehabilitation from the tensions of the war can begin. Yet, rehabilitation from war or from any traumatic experience is a process and cannot be achieved in an instant.

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Amongst the fruit bearing trees in our little garden, we have a pomegranate tree which at this time of the year, may give the impression that is no longer viable. On the contrary, its recovery begins now with its tiny shoots to grow and bear fruit in time for Rosh Hashanah. A question is asked as to why we celebrate Tu Bishvat, the New Year for Trees, which occurs on Monday and at the beginning of the regeneration of the trees and not when they are full of fruits.

Rabbi Yehudah Prero citing the Talmud in Tractate Rosh Hashanah answers: “Most of the rainfall to come during the year has already arrived. Therefore, the trees have already started to grow, and this is the time when fruits begin forming on the trees. Because the fruits begin to grow at this time, it is fitting that we start the New Year for Trees,”   

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We can also learn an important moral lesson from the little shoots. Even though the trees and the vegetation have experienced the worst of the winter weather, life still exists within them and they can regenerate. But the process of regeneration is not instant, it takes time. When the Israelites left Egypt, G-d directed them via  a circuitous route so that they would not lose heart and return to Egypt. Rabbi Sacks says it took one night for the Israelites to leave Egypt and 40 years for Egypt. And similarly it can take time to recover from traumatic experiences. But we must not lose heart, for we can recover and become stronger, just like our pomegranate tree with its small shoots.