The Yidden witnessed the most spectacular of miracles during the Makkos. The countless miracles they witnessed strengthened their faith in Hashem, and they purified themselves from idolatry. All of a sudden, they see the Egyptians are chasing after them and all that faith gets thrown out the window, and they start shaking in fear for their lives! At that very moment, while they were fearing for their lives, there was a miraculous pillar of fire showing them the way forward, and a cloud of protection surrounding them.
This repeated itself again and again. After they crossed the Yam Suf, “They believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant.” Moments later, they complain bitterly that they don’t have water, suggesting it would have been better to stay in Egypt working, rather than die in the desert. This happened again shortly thereafter when they complained about the lack of food. Hashem didn’t harden the Jewish people’s hearts! How could they have been so terrified, while surrounded by miracles?
We can ask this question about our ancestors, but the truth is that we experience this, on our own level, all the time. One day we are davening with connection and passion, and the next day we struggle to have any connection. One day we see an incredible display of hashgacha pratis, cementing our rock solid faith and trust in Hashem, and another day we go through a challenge and lose all hope, failing to find Hashem’s presence.
This is the nature of the way Hashem sends us challenges, but Hashem will never send someone a test they cannot overcome. The higher levels of faith that a person previously achieved does not mysteriously vanish when one is confronted with a difficult test of faith. On the contrary – it is that faith which gives him the ability to navigate that very test.
Imagine you’re in a room, and someone suddenly turns off the light. You can still navigate by remembering what you saw when the light was on. If you close your eyes, you can move through the room based on that memory. However, if you keep your eyes open, you’ll likely struggle, squinting and trying to see in the dark, which is futile because the room is pitch black. By closing your eyes, you free yourself from this futile effort and focus on navigating the room using your memory of the light.
In life, when Hashem ‘shuts the lights’ and conceals His presence, we need to remember what we experienced when the light was on. At this moment, you’d be better off ‘closing your eyes.’ Dwelling on the darkness makes it harder to find your way. Close your eyes, and let the light of your emunah illuminate your path, knowing that the darkness doesn’t make the room disappear. Hashem is still with you, just as He always was – it’s just that the lights are off. Now you need to close your eyes to see Him.
Take It To Go: The Beyam Darkecha teaches us 3 strategies we can learn from our ancestors to use to navigate the darkness. 1) Remember that Hashem is close to you right now, even if you don’t see Him because the ‘light is off.’ 2) Rather than trying to see in the dark, close your eyes and allow the emunah you experienced when the ‘light was on’ to guide you through. 3) Cry out to Hashem and ‘jump into the sea’’ through a spiritual act of self-sacrifice, like Nachshon did.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 23.
