This week was an emotional one. Threats to return to stop releasing hostages. Threats to return to full on war. Threats. Broken promises.
Yet today we received 3 of our precious hostages, all from Kibbutz Nir Oz, from Hamas and the PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad).
Yair Horn was 45 (now 46) when kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His younger brother Eitan (37, now 38) was visiting for the holiday weekend and was not only also kidnapped, but still remains captive. The Horn family immigrated from Argentina 🇦🇷 over 20 years ago. Yair is affectionately referred to as the uncle of the kibbutz.
Sasha Alexander Troufanov (29), is a Russian-Israeli 🇷🇺 who was kidnapped along with his grandmother, mother, and girlfriend on October 7. They were released in the ceasefire agreement of November 2023 and a group of his friends have been fighting for his release since.
Sagui Dekel-Chen (36), a dual American-Israeli citizen 🇺🇸 was outside his home when the invasion began and was the one to sound the warning alarm in the kibbutz. He went to make sure his pregnant wife Avital and two young children were safe before going back out to warn others to lock their doors. By 9:30am he had been taken. His wife gave birth to their new baby while he was in captivity.
Today they all came home and the long and complicated healing and reuniting process begins.
My thoughts continue to turn to the Bibas family. Yarden, a released hostage, now fighting for his wife Shiri and their children Ariel (5) and Kfir (2). With each released hostage that is not them my heart breaks a little more. Yet simultaneously clings to the idea of hope.
As Rachel Polin Goldberg, mother of murdered hostage Hersh, said, "Hope is mandatory."
So until the answer is final, we cling to hope. We pray for miracles. We pray that against all odds something that will shake the foundations of our souls will happen. A miracle. A clear, transparent, evident, indisputable miracle.
Nevertheless we celebrate every soul returned from the tunnels of hell. Every salvation from the brink of death and dispair is worthy of praise and tears of joy.
This week was also Tu B'Shvat. A type of Jewish Arbor Day celebrating the life cycle of plants and their harvests. As we celebrate these hostage releases and a new cycle is born, here is a bit about what I've learned about the fruits of the TuBShvat harvest.
Figs must be picked as soon as they ripen, for they quickly go bad. Similarly, we must be quick to do mitzvot at hand before the opportunity “spoils.” (See also Song of Songs 2:10.)
Olives yield the best of their oil only when the fruit is crushed. Olive oil floats on top of all liquids. (See also Jeremiah 11:16
Wheat is the basis for our sustenance (see Psalms 81:17, 104:15, 147:14), but only after we labor to grow, harvest and prepare it.
Barley although not included in the order of the meal, is one of the seven fruits for which Israel is praised. Often used for feeding animals. Its designation for the Omer offering inspires our efforts to harness our animalistic tendencies.
Grapes can be turned into very different sorts of food (raisins) and drink (wine); so too, each Jew has the potential to be successful in some aspect of Torah and mitzvah observance, and to be special in his or her own way. (See also Psalms 20:4; Hosea 9:10.)
Pomegranates, it is said, have exactly 613 pips, equal to the number of mitzvot in the Torah. “Even the least of Jews are as full of merit as a pomegranate is [full of pips]” (see Song of Songs 4:4, 6:7)
Dates. The land of Israel has been described as “flowing with milk and honey”. Date “honey” is symbolic of the post messianic enjoyment of spiritual fruits as taken from the date tree. Dates are often a metaphor for the righteous (Psalms 92:13, Song of Songs 7:9)
Reference: https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/379846/jewish/Tu-BShevat-Basics.htm
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