"PATIENCE MY DEAR NATION" -for Parshat Yitro & Tu BiShvat | Rabbi Ari Shvat | Beit Midrash

Torah Portion and Tanach
Yitro

קטגוריה משנית

Shabbat and Holidays
Tu Bishvat

183

As we impatiently wait for the ultimatum which Trump gave the Hamas to free ALL of the hostages by this Shabbat "or else", while on the other hand, we don't want to "lose out" on the THREE hostages who apparently will be otherwise be freed, we can just daven that G-d will guide our leaders to make the best decision, and thank Him that we're not in their position (of the hostages and the Prime Minister).
Parshat Yitro teaches us that Israel prepared physically and spiritually for 3 entire days to get ready to receive the Torah (19, 14-16). Similarly, we constantly try teaching our children patience, especially when Israeli's can generally improve on this particular trait. Militarily, we would like another lightning-quick Entebbe raid, or a 6 Day War, but forget that usually only G-d works in 6 days, but man usually needs a lot more time for significant changes. We know but sometimes forget, that the best things in life don't involve instant gratification, but rather long-term investment and accordingly, longstanding pleasure. Especially the longest, even eternal (!) redemption.
Some say that Hamas has actually forever changed world warfare- where extensive tunnels and mass kidnapping of hostages have proven to complicate our retaliation. Others say that this strategy will only work against Israel which is unfortunately held to a different standard, and where even though the halacha was always not to ransom at an exorbitant cost (Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 252), historically we often did. Just like today, we always had a sometimes too-soft Jewish heart! Either way, our present war is a lot longer & more complicated than ever before.
Rav Kook writes that "Reality does not have 'wings' to fly as fast as dreams do" (Orot, p. 52), especially in the process of redemption- the biggest and most long-lasting revolution in world history. This war is surely a significant step forward in this ge'ula process regarding many issues, so accordingly, we need patience. Our world was created, and to this day, is generally based upon slow but sure evolution.
In fact, this is one of the major lessons of Tu BiShvat. As opposed to vegetables which grow quickly and maximum only last several years, the tree takes much longer to produce fruit, but it can then live even several thousand years (e.g. some of the olive trees in Chevron). Even after fruit grows, there is the mandatory "patience" of orla which we cannot eat for the first 3 years, and then must redeem them in the 4th (r'vai). Chazal teach us that even forbidden pleasures are all eventually permitted in one way or another (Chullin 109b), just that often we must wait 6 hours. This disciplines us to succeed in all future challenges (as proven by the "Stanford Marshmallow Experiment").
True, emotionally we "cannot wait" for our sisters and brothers to come home, but "the eternal nation is not deterred by a long-journey" (based upon 2 sayings of R. Kook, pp. 54-55). ""מרחוק ה' נראה לי ואהבת עולם אהבתיך, "From long ago, the Lord appeared to me; With everlasting love have I loved you" (Yirmiyahu 31, 2).
Shabbat Shalom & Tu B'Shvat Same'ach! Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)