One of the most difficult aspects of daily
life in the winter is the darkness that quickly overwhelms. It seems like
before we turn around, the sun is setting and we are driving home from work or
school in the dark! Halfway through Shabbos dinner, we feel like it’s almost
midnight, but the clock insists it’s only 7:15! During the winter months,
people tend to lack energy and motivation, and fail to work on their long-term
goals, “saving their strength” to just make it through the day, short as it is.
And the night seems to paralyze us as we struggle to take shelter from the
shadows.
A Bright Idea
There was a time
when people went to bed shortly after the sun went down. (I know, it sounds
amazing!) Light bulbs had not yet been invented, and lighting one’s home with
candles was both expensive and inefficient. There was only so much you could do
by candlelight. At night, yards and streets were pitch black, making it nearly
impossible to run errands or return home from visiting a friend. The world
simply stopped with the sun to await the next day.
In 1879, Thomas
Edison changed all of that, but not overnight. Not even over many nights. It
took him years of trying different elements to find the one that would conduct
electricity to produce light but not heat. He tried and failed time and again
but did not give up. Every light switch you flip on is a testimony to the power
of perseverance.
Few people realize
that Edison did not actually invent the first working light bulb. That is
credited to Humphry Davy, who created the electric arc lamp in 1802. Though it
produced light, it was too bright for practical purposes. Over the next 70
years, dozens of others succeeded in making light bulbs, but Thomas Edison was
the first to make one that could be commercially manufactured. We have him to
thank for replacing the shadows we feared with shadows under our eyes from late
nights in full light.
Shedding Some Light on Light
After traveling for a little over
eight minutes, light from the sun reaches Earth, where it warms us, influences
global weather patterns, fuels photosynthesis, and enables us to see. Light is
a form of electromagnetic radiation that we can perceive with our eyes. It is simultaneously a particle and a wave. As a particle, it is a
packet of energy called a photon. As a wave, it goes beyond the end of the
rainbow’s spectrum and includes everything from infrared to ultraviolet. Radio
waves, x-rays, and microwaves are also types of light waves. Even lasers,
holograms, and fiber optics are made of light. While all of these things have
recently become very useful to us, light has been generated by nature since the
Beginning.
Aside from the
sun, many creatures, from fireflies to deep sea fish, contain chemicals that
produce their own light. The natural ability to glow in the dark is called
bioluminescence. The light serves a specific function for these insects and
fish, enabling them to communicate with one another during the darkest night or
in the ocean’s inky depths.
Inspired by the
elements of the natural world that produce their own light, scientists have
been genetically modifying potato plants to glow as well. But don’t worry;
these glow-in-the-dark potatoes will not cause you to glow because they are not
for consumption. Instead of winding up on your potato kugel, these light-up
potato plants are helping farmers grow more regular potatoes.
Successfully
growing crops is difficult and depends on many different factors, including the
amount of water the plant gets. Too much water is as destructive to a crop as
too little. These new GM plants are engineered to only glow when they are
drying out. So, to tell when their potatoes need to be watered, farmers will just
have to stroll out to their fields at night and check on the few GM plants that
are present. A little light from the ground will indicate whether the entire
field needs to be watered. This will result in fewer shortages of the key
ingredient in kugel, french fries, and cholent.
How Fast Is Fast?
The average person
walks around three miles per hour. A car driving down Park Heights is limited
to 30 mph and can cruise down I-695 at 55 mph. An airplane flies at speeds of
around 575 mph, and a supersonic jet can break the sound barrier at 767 mph.
Light? Light travels at speeds of 671,000,000 mph!
Sometimes, when I
hear about things moving that fast, I wonder if I am moving too slowly. Perhaps
my alacrity only appears slow compared to the speed with which life rushes past
me. If I am honest with myself, though, I know I can pick up the pace when the
opportunity for a mitzvah comes my way. Our goal could be to move like
sunlight, responding speedily to those who need us, following through quickly with
the commitments we make, and running to get people the information they seek. The
sun is our guide in how to spread warmth. Nothing goes faster than the speed of
light; it is a fundamental physical constant. And when we stand in the sunshine,
we can remember to go just a little bit faster than we have in the past. And one
thing that we can learn from the short days of winter is that time is short,
and we should fill what little daylight we have with things that are truly
valuable.
Sharing the Spotlight
It is written in Bereishis
that, on the fourth day of creation, two great lights were set in the sky. In
the very next pasuk, one light was
larger than the other. Rashi explains that the moon had complained that it
would have to rule alongside the sun, resulting in its punishment by a
reduction in size. Since it couldn’t share the honor, it would not get the
chance to truly shine. While the sun’s light sustains life on our planet, the
moon can only reflect light from the sun; it cannot produce any of its own.
Since it wanted to stand alone, the moon lost its greatness as well as the
ability to give the greatest gift of all: life.
We can learn from
this that individuals working together create the harmony and melody upon which
all life flourishes. When we join together, we can accomplish what we cannot do
alone. Everyone contributing in his or her own way can move the world forward
to stand strong in the sunshine.
The Power of Light
The moon was
devastated when it was demoted and granted domain over the dark night. In His
mercy, Hashem gave the moon comfort in the companionship of the stars. This
generous gift was most appropriate as the moon, which had not been able to
share the sky with the sun, would now have to share it with thousands of other
celestial bodies. Yet, though the smallest of them all, the moon is most
important to life on Earth. It is the appearance of the new moon that
determines Rosh Chodesh and sets the dates for all of the Yamim Tovim. It is
the moon that lights up the dark night and controls the tides. And it is the
moon that never fails to fascinate us as it “follows” us home each night.
Moonlight
penetrates the blackest of nights. This illustrates one of the incredible
characteristics of light: its ability to push away the darkness. From the first
moment that Hashem said, “Let there be light,” darkness retreated. Even one
small flame can cut through the thick night air.
Unfortunately,
people of all ages don’t always invest themselves in endeavors they feel
certain will not succeed. Worthy causes like extending oneself for others,
improving one’s character traits, and increasing one’s learning sit on the
sidelines. People think that the time spent simply won’t make a difference and
give up before the race even starts.
Some people say that we live in a
time of darkness and that our small, individual actions can’t really fix the
world, so why bother? But that is precisely why our actions matter. Each small
light brings hope, healing, and happiness. Each flame pushes away the darkness,
which can, in turn, light another, until the world is lit up. Now, more than
ever, we need the encouragement of the light that was embedded in the very
first pasukim of the Torah.
While it’s true
that turning on a flashlight during the day doesn’t have a noticeable impact,
the same small action at night makes a huge difference. Anyone who has
experienced a power outage knows first hand the value of one tiny beam of
light. When the power goes out, we grope blindly, hesitantly, and stumble over
to the drawer where the flashlights are kept. Just holding the flashlight won’t
make the power come back on (BGE will send you updates) but it does make people
feel more calm and secure.
A number of years
ago, I was at a huge Chanukah party in a gym when the power suddenly went off.
I personally witnessed a modern miracle of light as the parents at the party
with cell phones turned on their flashlight feature and the room was lit up
within seconds. Dozens upon dozens of kids (and a few parents) had been about
to panic, but a little bit of light maintained the festive atmosphere until
power was restored.
We all have within
ourselves the power of light. Mishlei
compares a person’s neshama (soul) to
the candle of Hashem. Living in dark times, we can make a difference: by working
together, having zerizus (alacrity),
and spreading our light. It is a well-known expression that it is always
darkest before the dawn. The past 100 years have been the darkest in our long
history. It’s time to hold our flames high, share our light with others, and
bring on the Dawn.
Debbie Glazer
lives in Pikesville with her husband and seven children and teaches language arts
in Bnos Yisroel High School. She can often be found either writing or reading
and loves to share her passion for the written word with others.
