The
following article is dedicated to the memory of my father and
teacher, Seymour Oboler - Shlomo Ben Avraham Hakohen. His yahrtzeit -
the anniversary of his passing - is the 8th day of Chanukah, which is
on the third of Teves.
Dear
Friends,
We
began to explore the teaching that the light of the Menorah is a
testimony to the presence of the Shechinah. We also mentioned other
teachings which indicate that light is an expression of the
Shechinah. How are we to understand the connection between light and
the Shechinah?
In
our search for an answer, let us examine a Divine promise to
Jerusalem which speaks of both the "darkness" and the
"light" that will exist in the world at the dawn of the
messianic age:
"Arise!
Shine! for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem shines upon
you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and a thick cloud the
kingdoms, but upon you Hashem will shine, and His glory will be seen
upon you. Nations will walk by your light and sovereigns by the
brilliance of your shine." (Isaiah 60: 1-3)
The
"glory of Hashem" that will shine upon Jerusalem is the
Shechinah, explains "Metzudas David," one of the classical
biblical commentators. But what is the nature of the darkness
covering the earth that the light of the Shechinah will dispel? An
answer can be found in the writings of a great Chassidic Rebbe, known
as "Chidushei Ha-Rim," who was a leader of the Gerer
Chassidim. To help us understand the spiritual meaning of darkness,
he comments on the following verse from the Book of Exodus which
describes the plague of darkness which struck the Egyptians:
"Moses
stretched forth his hand toward the heavens, and there was a thick
darkness throughout the land of Egypt for a three-day period. No one
could see his brother..." (Exodus 10:22,23)
The
Rebbe writes: "The worst darkness is when a person does not want
to see his suffering brother and to extend to him support"
(Mayana Shel Torah).
We
are all the children of the Compassionate One, and each human being
is a "brother" or "sister" that has a claim to
our help and support. The failure to see the suffering of another is
the worst form of darkness, and it is this darkness that will "cover
the earth" at the very dawn of the new age. It is the spirit of
selfishness that will spread to many nations during this period.
From
Zion, however, is to come a "light" to dispel this
darkness. Through this light, a human being will once again be able
to see the suffering of a brother and a sister, and extend to them
the help and support that they, as the children of the Compassionate
One, are entitled to. The awareness that others are entitled to our
love and concern is known as "tzedek" - justice-love. It is
also a name for the Shechinah.
As
Rabbi Hirsch taught us, tzedek is the Divine plan for all creation,
and any action which brings us closer to this ideal is known as
"tzedakah." In this spirit, a midrash offers the following
interpretation of the prophecy, "And nations shall walk by your
light":
"And
what is the light that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, will shine upon
Israel? It is the light of tzedakah, as it is written (Malachi 3:20):
'But the sun of tzedakah shall shine for you who revere My Name...' "
(Yalkut Shimoni, Numbers, B'Ha'alosecha 8)
"The
sun of Tzedakah," explains Metzudas David, is refering to the
deeds of tzedakah that the people of Israel will perform - deeds that
will give forth a great light. If the greatest darkness is the
inability to see the suffering of others and the failure to give them
support, then the greatest light is the ability to see the suffering
of others and the willingness to give them support.
It
is this light that we and all humanity are yearning for. As we say in
our daily morning prayers:
"May
You shine a new light on Zion, and may we all speedily merit its
light."
Shalom,
Yosef
Ben Shlomo Hakohen
