Light and Holiness

It is said that which is holy is filled with light; and that which is not holy is cast in darkness.  The charge of living is to fill life with holiness and light.

Admittedly, it is sometimes difficult to find light in this world.  We open the newspaper in the morning, listen to the radio during the day, turn on the television at night, and surf the net morning, noon and night; and we are witness to a world that seems to be plunging more deeply into darkness.  News reports are filled with stories of murder and kidnapping, graft and political maneuvering, people who second-guess others and ascribe motives so that the good work of society cannot be done.

 

It would be so easy to wallow in darkness, to point fingers at the other and to say:  “Don’t you dare.”  Our commitment is to bring light to the world, to enlighten ourselves and to enhance, delight in being part of this world.

The ultimate meaning and the ultimate justice requires constant and consistent human effort.  Our individual actions, small though they may seem, are the indispensable building blocks of a society that moves from darkness to light.

Without the ability to trust each other, without the willingness to rely on each other for decency and assistance, darkness will prevail as no government; no community can hope to stand.  At some point we must provide a source of light to drive away the darkness.

It was said of Eleanor Roosevelt that she would prefer to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.  That is all any of us can do:  light a little candle of hope, a little candle of goodness, a little candle of decency.

One small candle may not be much by itself; but with mine and yours, with long-time friends and with newcomers, we can build a blaze that will light our paths; and free ourselves of biases and our misunderstandings, and forge an unbreakable bond of righteousness and compassion. 

With warmth and affection,
Rabbi Sally

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Rabbi Sally - The People's Rabbi