If I get up at night to visit the bathroom, I pass three
windows on my way. My house sits high on a hill, and when I glance out those
windows, I can see across a small valley to the next street over where the
light from a gas lamp pierces the darkness and sends out rays of light, shining
like a star. For some reason, that small light always makes me feel better.
After the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, I’ve been
thinking a lot about light. The tragedy happened at the darkest time of the
year, making the grief and sorrow that has descended upon those living here
seem that much bleaker. Dwelling in darkness is not comfortable, and I believe
a longing for light has been encoded into our souls because ever since we’ve
discovered fire and the sun, humanity has been attracted to light.
Most every religion, ancient or otherwise, celebrates or incorporates
light into its practices. The ancient Druids had several light festivals. Hindus,
Jains and Sikhs celebrate the festival of light known as Diwali. Jews celebrate Hanukkah, which commemorates the
rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, when a miracle happened. Even
though they only had enough oil to keep the Menorah lit for one day, the lamp
burned for eight days. Christians light candles, Christmas trees and decorate their
homes with light at Christmastime.
The sacred books are filled with references to light. In
fact, the third verse of the Old Testament tells us that one of the first
things God created was light saying, “Let there be light.” In John’s Gospel in
the New Testament, he tells us in the Nativity narrative that, “What has come
into being in him was life, life that
was the light of men; and light shines in darkness, and darkness
could not overpower it."
A few nights after the shooting at Tree of Life it occurred
to me why that small light I see in the middle of the night gives me hope and
comfort. It’s because no matter how dark it may get, light cannot be vanquished
by the darkness. But light can defeat
darkness. In the midst of a bright summer day, have you ever seen a patch of
darkness? No. However, you can see light shining in the darkness, but you will
never see a patch of darkness penetrating the light. Not only are we created to
embrace the light, it is foreordained that light overcomes the darkness. Therefore,
no matter how dark it may feel this December whether from the loss of daylight,
genuine sorrow or sadness, know that in the end the light always triumphs—it’s
written into the code of the universe.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
This originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Northern Connection magazine.
