Rabbi's Corner

There is a short story written by Joseph Epstein entitled "Felix Emeritus."  The story is about two residents of a retirement community, both all alone in this world, who engage in a conversation.  One is a bitter, divorced man who lost his business in a lawsuit.  The other is a retired English professor who keeps secret the fact that he is a Holocaust survivor.  The divorced man shares his written life's story with the English professor.  After reading the story, the professor asks, "You have very, very dark thoughts about life...Does life seem so bleak to you?"  The divorced man replies, "Only when I think about it."

In this day and age we seem to be surrounded by darkness, and it more and more appears to be similar to that thick, "touchable" darkness that made up the "Choshech Afaylah," the "Darkness of Blackness," that lasted for three days throughout the entire Land of Egypt causing the Egyptians to remain in place, not being able to move or live their normal lives.  In our own time, we seem to have gotten lost in the middle of this "darkness" as it engulfs our society.  We especially see this with religion and how it is "used" as a "kardom lachpor bo," "an axe with which to gore," resulting in Hashem and everything about H-m being associated with all that is bad.  As we begin Parashat Bereshit this week, we see that the very beginning of the Creation Story speaks of darkness: "In the beginning of G-d's creating of the heavens and the earth, the earth was wondrously void, and [there was] darkness upon the face of the deep...."  We see that darkness when we hear the so-called leaders of religion telling people that they are wicked sinners, that they are infidels, and that they are the cause of disease and disaster in this world.  How do we combat this illusion of darkness that seems to control our lives at this time?

We read further on in the parashah: "...and the spirit of G-d was hovering over the surface of the waters.  And G-d said, "Let there be light,  and there was light.  And G-d saw the light - that it was good, and G-d separated the light and the darkness."  And a little further on we read, "And G-d created the man in H-s image - in the Image of G-d did He create him...."  It is our duty to reflect the Image of G-d in all that we do in this world.  We cannot reflect that image in darkness - it must be done in light.  After all, we are commanded to be "a light unto the nations."

As we proceed into the year 5779, let your light shine unto yourself, your family, your friends, your Synagogue, and the world.