Dear all,

Earlier this week, a brilliant moon peeked out from behind the clouds. Just moments before, the sky had been pitch black.

It made me think about all the things that are present鈥攅ven when we cannot see them:

Another perspective.

A Divine Presence.

Love from someone far away.

Hope in difficult moments.

The story behind the unsheltered person we passed earlier in the day.

Roots beneath the soil.

A child鈥檚 worry that cannot yet be put into words.

Forgiveness.

There is a midrash that teaches that when God created the world, a great light was brought into being鈥攕o powerful that one could see from one end of the world to the other. But God knew the world was not yet ready for that kind of clarity, and so the light was hidden away for another time. (Bereishit Rabbah)

As a parent, I understand this.

There are moments when my children want something now, or want to understand something that will only make sense later. There are times when I can see the bigger picture鈥攁nd they simply can鈥檛.

And let鈥檚 be honest – there are moments when I am the one still waiting, still searching. And like my children, I can feel that same frustration.

So I return to that moon behind the clouds鈥攁nd remind myself to trust that the light is still there, waiting to reveal itself in the right moment in time.

And perhaps this is what we do each week when we gather on Shabbat 鈥攖rusting that even when life feels obscured, there is light among us, within us, and between us, waiting to be seen.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro