Ask Haviv Anything Episode 84: Why soldiers wept when Ran came home, lessons from Tu Bishvat
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Jan 29, 2026 A reflection on why reclaiming a fallen soldier’s remains stirred a nation and what dignified burial means in Jewish life. A reframe of Tu Bishvat as a deep theological meditation on hidden life, inner light, and human responsibility. Explorations of Rashi, Sfat Emet, Kabbalah, Rambam, and Nachmanides on fall, free will, and spiritual repair. Themes of stewardship, mortality, and chesed shelemet recur throughout.
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Homecoming Of Ran Gvili
- Haviv Rettig Gur describes the emotional return and burial of Ran Gvili, the last hostage returned from October 7.
- He recounts soldiers crying and blowing a shofar when they found his body, showing national relief and grief.
Collective Duty Explains Intensity
- Gur explains that the Israeli intensity over returning bodies is rooted in communal responsibility and solidarity.
- He says understanding requires being inside the circle of that national responsibility.
Tu Bishvat As Moral Meditation
- He reframes Tu Bishvat as a profound meditation on dignity, the human condition, and burial ethics.
- He links the holiday to 'chesed shel emet,' the unreciprocated kindness of dignified burial.
