* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin ([email protected])
"Shalom Sivan, this is Efrat Bazak. During these days, a thought from Rabbi Kook has been my strength:
“When the soul shines -- even a murky sky glows with a pleasant light."
Rabbi Kook wrote this about the month of Cheshvan, in which the days keep getting shorter and everything gets dark at an early hour. But the rabbi reminds us that when we shine from within, our light penetrates the darkness outside. Our state of mind, our faith, and our resilience change reality for the better.
This year, in the midst of war, it's especially difficult for our souls to shine. Last Shabbat we celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of our son Uri. HIs father is on reserve duty and we had to make alternative plans due to the location of our home. Yet these and all sorts of other unexpected surprises actually helped us focus on the main thing -- the light within us, the faith, the joy in being a nation of light that is now fighting against the darkness.
Straight from the Bar Mitzvah I raced to be at the side of a beloved friend while she gave birth to a son even while his father was at the front. Here too it was inspiring to see how in such a challenging situation there was dazzling light -- as new life came into the world.
These are not easy days, but Rabbi Kook reminds us that the war is not only about what happens in Gaza, but about what transpires within our souls."
