A Lesson in Faith

Dear Solel Family, 

I hope your secular New Year is off to a great  start. I know many of us were all too happy  

to see the end of 2020. Not that there is  

anything magical about the beginning of a new year… it’s an arbitrary division of time… just like a  birthday or an anniversary. We mark it not so much  because it has meaning in and of itself, but because it’s a  measuring stick for us. It’s a way for us to see how much  we’ve grown and what we’ve accomplished in the year  before. 

At this time of year, we celebrate the holiday of Tu  BiShvat. On this holiday, all of the trees on Earth get one  year older… one more ring in the trunk. It reminds me of a  story of growth that I have heard from several different  sources. It is the story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree.  Perhaps you have heard it as well. It is a story faith, hope  and patience.  

When a bamboo tree is planted, it does nothing for the  first year. If watered and cared for, it does nothing for the  second year as well. Also, for the third and fourth years….  nothing. No sprouts, no growth, no visible evidence that  anything is happening beneath. Finally, in the fifth year, amazing growth takes place. It is said that a bamboo tree  can grow 80 feet in 6 weeks! Amazing, right? Clearly, the  growth did not take place only during the final year. It was  happening all along, only we could not see and observe it. 

The lesson from this tree is one of perseverance. We can  apply this lesson to our own lives as well. If there is a  project we have been working diligently on for years that  has not yet shown promise, it may just be that we have to  continue to believe in it and in ourselves a little bit longer  before it finally takes off. There may be growth and  development that is happening in the project and in  ourselves that may be difficult to perceive. 

My hope for us during this challenging and frustrating time  in our lives is that we recognize the seeds of growth that  have been planted in us and in our community. May we  see the fruits of our efforts in the not-too-distant future.  Until then, be patient. Have faith. It’s coming… 

In growth, 

Todd Herzog
Cantorial Soloist