בס"ד
The
very first documented part of creation was light (see Bereshis 1:3).
Hashem does not need light to see, nor is he afraid of the dark. So why, then,
did He create light first ?
Because
light is the most important.
The
light that was created wasn't the same as what we have now either. The Kli
Yakar maintains that the sun, moon and stars are all just derivatives of that
ephemeral light.
What
was the nature of the source, the original illumination that was so important
that Hashem wanted to create it first ? That first light is the ability to tell
right from wrong.
Until
Hashem created a world there was no need to have an external barometer of
morality since there was nothing external to G-d. As soon as He introduces
anything else – the first thing we're going to need is a moral compass; an
ability to discern, to differentiate right from wrong. That ability is called
light.
That's
why light helps us see. Because the first step in determining what is correct
and what isn't is properly sizing up that which in front of you.
But
that first light was hidden away (see Bereshis 1:4 and Rashi ad loc.)
The commentators all deal with the question of where the light was stashed.
Some maintain that it was buried away, only to be revealed at the end of days.
Others discuss the safeguarding of that light in the Torah, where it still
resides today. In any case, there is one more place that the light may be.
In
our actions.
Every
thing we do has the ability to illuminate or darken, clarify or confuse. When
we do the right thing, our world becomes a drop clearer. If we fail - the fog
of confusion gets a mite thicker.
This
Channukah let us celebrate the choice of those heroic Jews of long ago; the
choice to do what's right no matter the consequence. Actions and dedications
that inspire us with their light, even after all these years. Let us also ask
ourselves : What confusion surrounds us today and how can we make the right
choices and step into the light ?
Happy
Channukah !
