Why Aren't We Growing? Rabbi Yerucham's Springtime Challenge

The human heart finds itself caught in a peculiar paradox. That new toy, that exciting purchase, that long-awaited gift—how quickly their luster fades! Within days, sometimes hours, we're already looking elsewhere for satisfaction. Yet somehow, the pink blush of cherry blossoms or the golden glow of sunset never loses its power to move us, no matter how many times we've witnessed these wonders.

This distinction reveals a profound spiritual truth explored in our latest episode. As we pass the spring equinox, nature offers us its annual masterclass in renewal. "Behold, the winter has passed, the rain is dead and gone," we hear from ancient wisdom. The world around us bursts forth with new life—seeds that have been silently working beneath the soil now reveal their growth in spectacular fashion. God promised after the great flood that seasons would never cease, and this divine consistency provides us with perennial opportunities for spiritual renewal.

Rabbi Yerucham understood this deeply. After walking outside during springtime, he burst into his study hall with an urgent question for his disciples: "Everything outside is sprouting, is growing. Why aren't we growing?" His challenge resonates through the centuries to reach us today. During Chayidash Ha'aviv—these special days between Pesach and Shavuos—we're invited to follow nature's example. Each morning offers a fresh opportunity to push through our personal limitations and pursue self-growth and self-discovery with the same determination as those spring seedlings. Listen now and discover how you can approach the upcoming Shavuos holiday with a truly rejuvenated spirit, learning from the silent but powerful example of the blossoming world outside your window.

Chapters

• 0:00 The Novelty That Never Fades
• 0:41 Winter Has Passed, Spring Arrives
• 1:05 Rabbi Rucham's Challenge to Grow
• 2:08 Welcome to Chayidash Ha'aviv

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Isn't it amazing that, no matter how excited we are for a new toy, a new present, something that we just got, whether we're young or whether we are old, it is only really exciting for a couple days before we move on and want something else to scratch that itch. But when it comes to the springtime, the beautiful blossoming of flowers, the evening sunset, it never gets old. We find ourselves now after passing the spring equinox. He tells us behold, the winter has passed, the rain is dead and gone, it's the springtime, the blossoms have appeared, the time of singing has arrived, the voice of the turtledove is heard and if you listen closely you can hear it. All of those seeds that were sprouting and burrowing their way through the soil to now pop out, the growth is now seen.

Speaker 1: 1:25

Hashem wants us to look around and take a lesson from the sprouting and growing world. God promised that the seasons would never cease after the Mabel Spring is to be installed for eternity and the beautiful weather outside. The rainy season is now past, with all that's sprouting. Well, just think about what Rabbi Rucham took from it when he burst into the room where all of his disciples were sitting and, after a walk outside and now, coming inside said Everything outside, my Bachurim is sprouting, is growing. Why aren't we growing? That's what it meant to him. Welcome to the Chayidash Ha'aviv. As we are now climbing our way from Pesach during these intermediate days until Shavuos, take a lesson from the beautiful nature Every day when you wake up, to be fresh, to continue your burrowing through the soil, to pop out with self-growth, self-discovery, to make a true, rejuvenated Kabbalah Satorah when the upcoming Shavuos holiday appears.