AS SPRING ARRIVES, we revel in the warmth, longer days, frogs croaking, birds singing in the early morning and new life emerging.
During the dark, cold days of winter, these things feel so distant, we wonder if the seemingly dead landscape will ever be warm and green again.
I always try to remember that life is merely asleep beneath the cold ground, waiting to appear.
When we finally see the pale green on the trees and the flowers begin to bloom, we breathe a sigh of relief at the new life bursting forth.
God’s incredible creative power can be seen in every season, but especially in the rebirth of spring. “We are as dreamers, our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues, with songs of joy,” (Psalm 126:1-2).
Winter teaches us to develop the qualities of hope and patience that there will be warmth and light again, and life will emerge from the cold, frozen ground.
In the darkest moments of our lives, if we have hope that things will get better and that no winter is endless, we will have the strength to persevere, no matter how bad things may seem.
In her book “God Whispers: Stories of the Soul, Lessons of the Heart,” Rabbi Karyn Kedar reminds us that “We must create pockets of hope, safe places where pain is softened because love abounds, places where God is invited to fill the void, where sparks of kind light banish the darkness.”
When we have created such a sanctuary, we can go there to find solace and safety during the dark moments in our lives.
Sometimes in the midst of life’s difficulties, it is hard to remember that “this too shall pass.”
Spring teaches us that when we are in the depths of our “winter,” life will indeed become beautiful and meaningful again. And rather than become bitter and cynical about the burdens we bear, we can let spring teach us to live our lives with joy and hope.
The Jewish holiday of Passover, which has just begun, helps us in this process of living in hope.
There are many ritual foods we eat during the seder meal, which remind us of both the sadness and joys of life. We dip parsley into salt water — parsley representing the renewal of life, and the salt water, the tears of our ancestors who were slaves in Egypt. We taste horseradish root, which helps us understand the bitterness that comes from being enslaved, whether it be actual slavery or when we become slaves to things, routines or our old behaviors.
We eat matzah, unleavened bread, during the entire week of Passover, forgoing any leavened products — think bread, cookies, cake, donuts, pizza. When we eat only matzah, we may feel deprived, but are reminded that there are many who have no bread at all and we are grateful for our blessings.
This encourages us to turn our hearts to those in need, realizing that our problems are small compared to many in the world.
In one Passover service, the words said when we dip a hardboiled egg (new life) into salt water (tears), tell us to think of the tears that accompany both new beginnings and endings and we should allow the “letting go of living creatures in my life whose presence hurt me, of places that don’t feel good for me; of old behavior patterns that don’t work for me; of ways of earning my living that harm me; of whatever it is that I need to let go of to make room for a new beginning” (The Santa Cruz Haggadah).
Spring helps us let go of the darkness in our lives and teaches us, year after year, that we will breathe free again, that our lives will once more be filled with love and laughter.
Passover reinforces hope as we relive the experience of the Hebrews escaping slavery into new lives of freedom. Our seders end with the singing of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah. The word hatikvah means “The Hope”.
Passover reminds us that we cannot allow ourselves to become paralyzed into inaction.
As the Israelites stood up and resisted oppression and despair against all odds, so must we.
It is through us, as partners with the Divine, that God’s work is done.
All faith traditions teach us that we must fight against oppression, help the poor, feed the hungry, take in the refugee and speak out against hatred and injustice.
These actions are all sparks of hope and brought together, they will create flames of freedom.
Hope is a bridge to a new world, and we alone can build that bridge.
As we move out of winter and into spring, we must take our time and enjoy the transition.
Rabbi Kedar says: “Steady yourself. Living takes time … Patience. Steady. Rush and race banish joy and peace. There is wonder to experience if you take the time. Step softly and deliberately. What lingers must be lived and once lived completely passes in its own time. To force the natural rhythms of life is to deny yourself the Divine wisdom in each experience” (God Whispers).
Know that God’s presence is with you through the cold darkness and that Spring will always come, bringing joy and laughter to your heart.
Have hope. Be patient. It will happen.
Kein yehi razon, may it be God’s will. Shalom.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Suzanne DeBey is a lay leader of the Port Angeles Jewish community. Her email is debeyfam@olympus.net.
