麻豆社

From Julia Neuberger, Senior Rabbi at the west London Synagogue

It鈥檚 Valentine鈥檚 Day today, in case you hadn鈥檛 noticed heart shaped everything in the shops, and red roses in abundance. Most of us think it鈥檚 a secular festival. But not a bit of it. The real St Valentine doesn鈥檛 seem to have had anything to do with lovers. But he did exist. And current legends about him started around the fourteenth century, notably in this country, thanks to Geoffrey Chaucer. That was when the feast day of 14th February first became associated with romantic love.

That may be because people believed that birds paired in mid-February. We don鈥檛 really know. But last Saturday in the Jewish calendar was Tu Bishvat, the New Year for trees, when we plant new trees. It鈥檚 a bit of hope over experience, given the UK鈥檚 weather. And it was snowing slightly on the day. Yet Tu Bishvat is supposed to make us think of spring. So too is Valentine鈥檚 Day. 鈥淪weet lovers love the spring鈥�, wrote Shakespeare.

It may seem strange to think that the same thinking lies behind a new year for trees and a day celebrating romantic love. But it does. For celebrating romantic love and celebrating trees are both about celebrating life and hope. Winter is coming to an end. Spring is around the corner. The sap rises- in the trees and in us. This is a time to celebrate life. Trees, young lovers, and anything else we can possibly celebrate as the prospect of spring brings us hope of light and warmth. We have a blessing in Judaism which celebrates reaching a particular time or season. It goes like this: 鈥淲e praise you, Eternal God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us and allowed us to reach this season.鈥� And that鈥檚 the blessing we should say as spring approaches, love is reborn, and we can see the trees will soon be in leaf. Hope is around the corner.