Tamuz ~ Willow ערבה aravah

Willow, a plant that processes water with ease, holds streambeds taut and is associated with the processing of grief. On Hoshana Raba, the seventh day of Sukkot, there is a custom to separate willow branches from the lulav and beat the earth with them. We beat the earth with willow to mimic what we hope the rains will do: come down at the right time and in the right amount from the sky to the soil. If the rains come as we hope, we will begin to reap a harvest in the spring and continue through the summer months. But in Tamuz the precarity of the harvest is present. Will we have enough food to harvest? Will it be too hot and dry up all our precious sustenance? The precarity of life at this time of year was a time of fear. Fear that there wouldn’t be enough rain to make it through the season. When the willow is beaten on the soil in Tishrei, the prayer is for the rains to continue throughout the year. We remember Willow during Tamuz, to process our grief and fear. We plant willow by streams to restore habitat and the original aspirin came from willow bark. This plant is a source of relief and support to make it through hard times.