Spring is inevitable. Let’s embrace it early

It’s been a long winter. And while it might not have been colder than it usually is, it has felt more desolate. Perhaps because the season started very early – on 7 October to be exact – when the temperatures might have seemed high but our hearts were plunged into the depths of despair, causing our bones and blood to turn to ice.

Most of us haven’t felt warmth since.

Although spring officially begins on 1 September in the southern hemisphere, for years I have demanded that, like Shabbat, we “bring it in early” and celebrate Spring Day on 1 August. We have cause. A careful observer will note the budding of blossoms, the earlier sunrise, and that the sun is starting to gather its African strength. We might not be there yet, but rebirth is around the corner. It’s in the air.

In my book Smile Dammit, I argued that the reason I receive such adamant pushback on the idea of an early spring, a concept so obvious to me, is this: in winter, we expect to be cold. We expect the earth to appear barren and brown. We expect darkness to continue, and we aren’t hopeful that anything should grow – in contrast to spring, when our expectations shift and we allow ourselves to be hopeful. Winter cannot disappoint us. Spring can. And so, we remain safely in the season of hopelessness in fear that we might be let down.

This week Thursday is 1 August. And I’m doubling down on an early Spring Day. Because if there’s any year when this is needed, it’s this year.

The fundamental question following the horror of 7 October is when is it reasonable to shift into a different season? With many hostages still in Gaza; with men and women away from their families defending Israel; with Jews around the world being targeted in almost every area of their lives; and with the very real spectre of a full global regional war triggered by Hezbollah, it appears that the season hasn’t changed. With increasing anti-government protests; and with former friends of Israel under significant pressure, no one could be blamed for thinking that winter will never end.

But it will. At some point. For nearly 10 months, Israel has been on a war footing. It began by fighting for the lives of the people of the south, shifted to fighting for those taken hostage, and is now fighting not only a physical war but also a legal one. For nearly 10 months, the sole focus has been defence against physical attacks as well as media misinformation.

What this means is that there has been little focus on other areas. We had been accustomed to seeing articles on medical innovation; academia; agricultural and natural-resource excellence; and water and technological innovation. That field, as far as the world is concerned, has been laid fallow and is (understandably) barren. The result is that for 10 months, all media consumers would have seen is Israel on the defensive. Israel as nothing more than a country at war.

No one can survive a perpetual winter. As difficult as it is to believe that “we will dance again”, it’s imperative that we believe that we will. Jews know how to live in life cycles and contradiction. Periods of mourning are followed by periods of joy. With faith in G-d, this has never let us down. We have lived like this for thousands of years, and we dare not forget that terrible times will pass.

Winter will lead to spring.

Spring is unstable. And sometimes disappointing. But what follows is a period of sunshine. The first of August is my chosen Spring Day in South Africa. Let’s pray that for Jews around the world, for the supporters of Israel, the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces and their loved ones, and the hostages and their families, Spring Day is just around the corner.