In many ways this Passover will be a different one for me than other Passovers over my past 50 years. We are in the middle of an active war in Israel which has at least 4 fronts. We still have 133 hostages in Gaza. Hezbollah is still fighting in the North, Iran and their proxies in Yemen are sending missiles a few countries over. And there is the public relations front world wide. While Israel might be doing well on the military front we have to ask if it is worth the cost, both to the people serving and perception of Israel around the word. But that question hardly seems relevant while there are still hostages missing. Without our whole family being accounted for something seems completely off about Passover.

I look out the window and I cannot deny the coming of spring with its fecundity. Nature is bursting forth from its long and cold winter. But this does not jive with where we are as a nation. The enjoyment I am getting from the advent of spring seems perverse while we still count the days without our hostages returned to their families.

With the coming of spring and Passover I am pulled into the language of Song of Songs. Traditionally, the Song of Songs, also known as Shir HaShirim in Hebrew, is interpreted as an allegorical representation of the relationship between God and the Jewish people, or between God and the individual soul. The imagery of love and desire in the text is often seen as symbolic of the passionate devotion between God and God’s people, akin to the love between a bride and groom. This reading is symbolic of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, highlighting the covenantal relationship. But, with the hostages still be held in captivity and so many people living at risk in an active war something seems amiss.

I was thinking about this when listening to Idan Hasson and Jasmine’s cover of Idan Raichel‘s bittersweet earworm Shoshanim Atzuvim– Sad Roses. Idan’s song beautifully draws from images of Shir HaShirim. But instead of them blissfully living out their love and lust of spring, it is a sad song of unrequited love. It is totally worth listening to this in preparation for Seder:

They sing:

Oh Lord, make him come back
I wait day and night
No, I don’t have strength for another day
The roses are sad, and he isn’t here

While we will see the rose bud breaking out, we need to assume that they are happy. For me this year, this is the song we must sing. May we all be blessed to be liberated to be rejoined with out loved ones.

Chag Kasher V’Sameakh