Shabbat Shalom!
This week, our Torah portion is called Bo – from the book of Exodus. We read in Exodus 10:21 “And God said to Moses, hold out your arm toward the sky so that darkness may fall on the land of Egypt, a darkness that cannot be touched.” We are told that “…the people could not see one another for three days…but the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings.”
What does this mean? What kind of darkness are we talking about here? To find the answer, we must go back to the beginning – to the book of Genesis. The first thing that God created was light. However, the sun, moon, stars and heavenly luminaries were not created until day four. So, there must have been two different kinds of light that were created. The light created on Day One must be something other than the sun and the stars.
The light that we see on each day is the light that was created on day four. The light created on day one was the light of ultimate awareness. This was a light so powerful that one could see from one end of the universe to the other – from the beginning to the end of time. This unique light is not something we normally see.
Jewish tradition teaches us that during the plague of darkness, the Egyptians were totally blinded. The Hebrews, however, were only blinded in regards to the stars and planets in the sky. They were given the opportunity to make use of that light created on the first day – the light of awareness – to be able to see what was in front of them the whole time.
They were able to “see” what God could do for them. They were then able to appreciate and experience the power and love of God. They were no longer spiritually “blind.”
May we make use of that light as well. May we allow ourselves to have our eyes “opened” to the glory of God. May we experience the awareness that led our people out of Egypt.
This week, at your Shabbat Table, ask each the following questions?
- Was there ever a time in your life where you “felt” that God was right there with you? If so, when was that?
- What do you think the Torah meant when it said: “…the people could not see one another for three days…but the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings?”
Shabbat Shalom!
