Dear Friends,

 

There is a beautiful custom mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch ( Code of Jewish Law) that one should  make a blessing every spring  upon a fruit tree, when it first sprouts and begins to blossom for the year. This event coincides with the Jewish month of Nissan, in which we celebrate the Holiday of Pesach, he Holiday of Redemption.

 

What lesson can we learn from this blessing and its occurrence in the Month of Nissan?

 

Perhaps we can say that the time of galut-exile, that we now find ourselves in is likened to the winter. As in the winter, it is cold and the days are short. So too in exile we have lost our warmth in the service of Hashem. Our  mind too has become darkened by the suffering of our people.

 

Yet we see that when winter does finally end, the warmth increases and the day light stays longer. So too this long exile and all its suffering will very soon end and the warmth in the service of Hashem will return and  forever increase.

 

As  the earth and trees in spring begin to show signs of life even after a dormant winter, so too the Jewish People will once again be renewed. The reason for this is that the earth during the winter is asleep, not dead G-d forbid. the power to grow is still in the earth just not apparent  and in the spring it awakens  once again.

 

During exile we are a sleep it seems we are indifferent to Yiddishkiet and at best though we do the laws it seems mechanical, as if we are sleep walking.

 

 However when redemption shall finally occur, our true nature, which is the true nature of every Jew; to love and fear G-d above all else and the desire to practice His Laws will  awake. Indeed even in exile though it seems we stopped caring, that is only superficial, the truth is that deep inside our soul-neshoma, was always alive and never stopping caring about G-d.

 

Hence we make a yearly blessing on the fruit trees new blossom not only to thank G-d for the renewal of nature and the coming of the summer after a cold winter. But to pray to  G-d to redeem our people as He has done in the past and express our faith that He shall do so very soon.

 

The blessing acts as a reinforcement for and expression of our Trust and Faith in G-d, that all His words are true. Though presently it seems the world has lost direction and the words of the prophets seem to be just a dream, the opposite is the truth, the exile is the dream and the redemption is real.  

 

The blessing for the trees  during spring and the Holiday of Pesach teach us that as certain as spring follows  winter even more so, redemption will and must follow exile. Indeed we are absolutely positive that

G-d will take us out of exile soon. May this be speedily in our times on to all eternity. Amen

 

With the best of blessing for a Happy and Kosher Pesach for all of Israel.

 

Sincerely

 

Y.Winner and Family