A universal symbol for summertime is popsicles. But as I watched my kids eating them this past Shabbos (and cleaned up the sticky aftermath), I couldn’t help but recognize that popsicles melt pretty quickly in heat, or if their surrounding conditions are not perfect. Under environmental pressure, the popsicle falls away, disappearing into a sticky puddle.
People can be like popsicles. It’s easy to stay strong in yiddishkeit or parenting when conditions are “just right.” But when the environment is hostile, does my strength easily melt away? How do we act when our kids are misbehaving, workload is high, or I just don’t feel like it? Are we flexible enough to remain who we are, no matter the conditions?
As the environment in galus heats up, we have a choice to make. Is my strength going to come from inside, or will I allow my environment to change my trust in Hashem? No matter the external conditions of life, we can wrap ourselves in the hug of Hashem (AKA his eternal freezer), and allow him to continue to strengthen us.
That is what na’aseh v’nishma really means. Even when we feel like melting, disappearing, or staying in bed all day, we pick ourselves up and we keep going. Because we are not popsicle Jews. We are the resilient Jewish people, and we will be here eternally. That is Hashem’s promise to us, in all seasons.
