KISLEV 27
Hanukkah 4th Night
“Yahweh is my light
and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?” (Ps 27:1)
We have an auxiliary
antenna, on the roof of our house, to boost our cell phone reception. Most of the time I am not even aware of it, I
just know that it is there. However, I
can recall some years ago a time period of several weeks, where we had been
consistently inundated with high winds throughout the night. On several occasions during that time, I was
woken in the middle of the night by strange noises, almost like that of a
carpenter with a hammer. And, of course,
the longer that I lay there and listened, the louder it seemed to get.
Finally, after a few
repetitive nights, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I had to go
investigate. Getting dressed in all my
outdoor clothes – this is after midnight, naturally – I discovered that it was
the cable leading from the antenna to the receiver box inside the house. The high winds were whipping it every which
way but loose and causing the banging on the side of the house. And of course, once I knew what the noise
was, it no longer disturbed my sleep.
It is human nature to
be uncomfortable and fearful of what we cannot see, of what we do not
recognize. Nonetheless, just as I
trusted the flashlight that revealed to me the reason for my sleeplessness, so
too must we rely on the One who is the
source of all light, our Father, and
Creator. When we know – intimately – the One who holds our hand, we truly have nothing to fear, for we know who lights our path.
I perceive that our
opening verse would be of benefit to include in our morning prayers. King David made a strong statement of emunah – trust and belief – when he
wrote these words; should we not follow his example?
“The people
who were walking in darkness have seen a GREAT LIGHT; upon those who dwelt in
the land of the shadow of death a light has shone.”
(Isa 9:2, emphasis mine)
“Covering Yourself with light as with a garment,
Stretching out the heavens like a curtain
…”
(Ps 104:2)
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