Season of renewal, courage and redemption

Rabbi Ammos Chorny

Moving through the Jewish calendar, the festivals of Tu B’Shvat and Purim lead us toward Pesach, the Festival of Freedom. This year, as we celebrate these holidays, our hearts remain heavy knowing so many brothers and sisters remain in captivity, held hostage by Hamas. How can we celebrate renewal, joy and freedom when so many remain unfree? How can these holidays speak to our current pain while also guiding us forward with hope?

Tu B’Shvat, the New Year of trees, celebrates renewal and growth. As Jews, we’ve always understood that even in the coldest winter, the sap of redemption begins to rise. Just as trees blossom after months of barrenness, so too does the Jewish spirit persist through exile, destruction and despair.

The Talmud tells the story of Honi Ha’Meagel, who, seeing a man planting a carob tree, asked when it would bear fruit. “In 70 years,” the man replied. “Just as my ancestors planted for me, I plant for my children.” This is the Jewish mission: to plant, to build, to believe in a future even when the present is filled with pain.

If Tu B’Shvat is the seed of hope, and Purim is the fight for survival, Pesach is the ultimate destination: redemption and freedom.

As families of hostages endure unimaginable suffering, Israel battles against terror and the world debates our fate, we must hold onto the lesson of Tu B’Shvat: planting seeds of redemption even in the darkest times — never giving up on our people, our faith or our future.

If Tu BiShvat moves us to hope, Purim prompts us to act. The Megillah reveals a world where God’s presence seems hidden, where miracles come not through open divine intervention but through human courage and unity. Esther’s decision to risk her life for her people was not easy. Mordechai’s insistence that salvation would come, one way or another, reassures us that redemption is inevitable, but we must do our part.

Today, Jews the world-over are threatened by enemies who seek to destroy us, just as Haman sought to annihilate our ancestors. But just as in the days of Purim, our response must be one of unity, determination and faith: praying, advocating, demanding action for the release of our captives; and like Esther, refusing to be silent.

The Megillah ends not just with survival, but with Jewish pride, self-defense and celebration. This is our Purim mission: to reaffirm our Jewish identity, to stand strong against those who wish to destroy us, and to believe in hidden miracles even when we cannot yet see them.

If Tu B’Shvat is the seed of hope, and Purim is the fight for survival, Pesach is the ultimate destination: redemption and freedom. The Exodus from Egypt was not just about escaping slavery; it was about becoming a nation with a divine purpose.

This Pesach, as we gather around the seder table, the words “Avadim hayinu –we were slaves” should feel more immediate. How can we sing of redemption when so many remain captive? And yet, our history demands that we do. Every Pesach, in every generation, we affirm that the Jewish people move toward freedom, despite every Pharaoh, every Haman, every enemy that rises against us.

This year, let our seder tables be places of both grief and determination, leaving an empty chair for those who are not yet free and raising our voices in prayer for their safe return. Let us remember that just as God took us out of Egypt, just as Esther and Mordechai prevailed over Haman, just as our people have overcome every darkness, so too will we see redemption in our time.

May this season of renewal, courage and redemption bring healing to Israel and freedom to our captives. May we plant, may we fight, and may we witness the miracles of our generation.

With prayers for peace, strength and liberation.

Rabbi Ammos Chorny serves at Beth Tikvah.