"Women are especially gifted in kindling light"
From an upcoming book of inspirational essays and poems,
"I Remembered in the Night Your Name."
Become a connoisseur of light.
Sometimes you know that a conversation with a neighbor on
the sidewalk is kindling light. You walk away bathed in the
light, enjoying the afterglow. Sometimes when you're
enjoying the cooking, the light you feel goes into the pots.
Whoever sits down to eat at your table gets a portion of
that light.
When dancing, you can weave light. The motions of arms and
the whole body make rippling fabrics of light.
When we are quietly listening, perhaps to another person's
pain, and we listen with our hears open to them, then we are
sitting in pools of light. Sometimes we are sitting
together, both silent, just being together in the light.
Also when you're alone, even the simplest thought can have a
pulse of light.
Unfortunately, the act of extinguishing light also has many
examples in our daily lives. When we snap at a child who is
bored, without trying to give her some light to live on, we
are blowing out the light she has. When we criticize an
innocent bystander with our thoughts or cut ourselves down,
then the light goes under.
Here is a simple yardstick. Ask the question: Am I kindling
light or extinguishing it? Then decide if you are really
going to do what you were contemplating doing or think what
you were about to plunge into thinking.
There are very subtle waves of light that we can bring
towards us or repel, as the case may be. Sometimes with just
a wave of the hand, we can absorb a beautiful light.
Women are especially gifted in kindling light. It's in the
blueprint. Besides all of our many opportunites to use our
abilites, we're given the precious mitzva of kindling the
Shabbos lights to inaugurate our holiest day. We are the
initiators of the light at this time above time when we
light the flame on the candle of bowl of oil for each member
of our household. It's our awesome responsibility and
privilege to kindle their lights.
Light. I need it like food and water. Walking to the corner
grocery in the morning, I drink it in thirstily. After the
torrential rainfall, the light outside is remarkable; it
delineates everything so clearly. It makes the whole city
look incredibly vivid. That is when I can actually see a
relationsiip between light and truth, that light illuminates
the truth.
I think about the light that is hidden away for the
tzaddikim. When Moshiach comes, we will all enjoy
that special light which will be flowing continuously into
the world for everyone to experience.
