I recently came across an article offering advice to this year’s graduates. One beautiful insight stuck out. It came from my friend Rabbi Lizzi Heydeman.
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She noted that God’s first words in the Bible are “Let there be light.” We typically think of these words solely in terms of the creation of the universe. God creates light, then the waters, then the plants and animals and so forth.
Yet, we are not meant to read the Bible solely for information. We also read it for inspiration. These words are not just about the creation of the universe. They are about the creation of ourselves.
“Let there be light” is God’s call to each of us. “Let there be light” inside of you. Let that light shine into the universe.
Our Light Reveals God
This is not just a new-age idea. It is a call for human creativity. In Judaism light reveals God’s presence. We light candles on the Sabbath to bring the Divine presence into our home and synagogue.
When we find and live our unique gifts—the light God placed inside of us—we reveal God’s presence in the universe.
Reveal is the critical word here. Creativity is not inventing something new. It is discovering what is already here. We have a light inside of us. We just need to find it and turn it on.
What Stops Us?
Quite often we resist turning on our light. We struggle. We reject. We offer excuses.
We need help. We need others who believe in us. And we need to pay attention to the hints revealed through our loves and dreams.
A Sign from the Angels
Consider the story of Rabbi Hayim of Volozhin, the leader of a famed nineteenth century school. As a boy he was an indifferent student. One day he decided to abandon his studies.
He announced the decision to his parents, who reluctantly acquiesced. That night the young man had a dream. In it an angel held a stack of beautiful books. “Whose books are those?” he asked. “They are yours,” the angel replied, “if you have the courage to write them.”
That night changed the young man’s life. Hayim was on the way to finding his light, and shining it into the world.
Have you found yours?
