LIGHT, EVEN IN THE WOODS
Rabbi Avi Killip
Today, in 2025, it feels like we are too often in the dark. The sense of uncertainty and the fear of what may be lurking around the next corner, can be overwhelming. But we are not the first generation to feel this way. In Sotah 21a, the Talmud tells a parable about a person who is lost in the dark, frozen in fear:
A parable: A person walking in the dark of night and thick darkness is afraid of the thorns, the pits, the thistles, wild beasts, and bandits, and doesn’ t know on which road he is walking.
If a torch of light comes his way, he is safe from the thorns, the pits, and the thistles, but he is still afraid of the wild animals and of the bandits, and still doesn’ t know on which road he is walking.
When the sun rises at dawn, he is safe from the wild animals and the bandits, but still doesn’ t know on which road he is walking.
When he comes to a crossroads, he is safe from all of them.
The person in this story is not only lost but paralyzed with fear. And this fear has layers. They are afraid to take a single step lest they step on a thorn or fall into a pit; they are afraid of wild animals and bandits that may lurk farther out and can’ t be seen; and they are fundamentally disoriented, unsure where they are or which direction to turn.
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