It's Rosh Chodesh Shvat 🌴🌳🌲

It's Rosh Chodesh Shvat.

When we think of Shvat, we think of Tu B'shvat and trees and growth. 

But all we see around us is the cold, the darkness, the winter.

We remember that sap beginning to rise in the cold of the winter, despite no one seeing the blossoming. We remember that we, too, our growing, as long as we're trying, even if the transformation is not yet obvious.

We try so hard! We work on ourselves, learn, daven, grow. We pick ourselves up time and again. And we don't always see our growth.

We see ourselves falling, we see ourselves failing. Our goals seem to move away as we get closer. We wonder what happened to all our efforts, all our classes, all our tears. They're the sap. They're slowly rising within us. They're slowly filling us up with tools, with inspiration, with desire.

And then when the warmth of the summer comes out, when the right time comes, the chemicals do their work, and suddenly you surprise yourself with strength, courage and equanimity. 

It wasn't overnight, it was all effort that you put in all this time. It was the sap rising within you, it was your tears and tries. It comes out then, but it was happening all through the winter.

Shvat is the time to recognize that. There is winter in many hearts. There is a yearning, a wishing, a longing for the warmth and embrace of the sun.

It will come. It will come at a time that you least expect it and surprise you with its glow. It will be this huge sigh of relief when you appreciate that the efforts that you've been putting in all these years have been filling you up inside and have been silently doing its work.

And you've been growing without your even noticing.

Shvat is a Shevet - a stick. שבטך ומשענתך המה ינחמוני - Your stick that hits me and Your stick that I can lean on, are my consolation. It is a nechama to us, a consolation to us that we can run back to the source of our pain. Yes, we know that all our pain comes from Him, for He is the source of everything in our life. And we know that all our comfort and strength come from Him, for He is the source of all healing in our life. It is all one and the same. In a plan completely hidden under the ground, everything in our life is set up for our ultimate growth, and He is the sun that synthesizes with our sap to make it happen.

Shvat also hints to words we say in the holy tefillah of Ana B'koach - Shamreim, Barcheim, Tahareim - Hashem should protect us, Hashem should bless us, Hashem should purify us.

We put in the effort and we ask Him to bring us the sun that makes it grow. It is with His help that we will finally see the trees blossoming.

Shenishma B'surot Tovot! (May we hear good news!)

Amein! 

Yocheved

Let's Write!1. Look back to your writing from Chodesh Elul, or if you don't have that, just remember that time in your life and what you were focusing on.

2. A lot of time has passed since then - Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Teves - five long months. Write down five struggles that you have been dealing with since then.

3. Write down five ways you have been growing since then. Efforts you have been putting in, hishtadlus you have been doing. 

4. Look at the first list and find a general common denominator between them.

Look at the second list and find a general common denominator between them.

5. What is the sun that each of these need to help the sap do its job?

6. Read over your writing and write a reflection.