Today is the first day of the month of Kislev. This is the darkest month of the year, and it’s also the month that holds Chanukkah, the holiday of light. One of the important themes of this month is bringing light to darkness, and the charge is for each of us to see ourselves as bearers of light.
There’s a midrash that depicts Adam haRishon, the first human, during this month, as the days get shorter and daylight decreases. As the month grows darker, Adam becomes fearful. As this is the beginning of the world, the seasons have never changed before; perhaps the world will continue to get darker until light is completely diminished! But then, just as Adam has nearly lost hope, light begins to increase. Each day Adam finds days that are a little bit longer, as we will, too, at the end of the month. Adam is comforted by the way of the world and decides to have an eight day celebration dedicated to light and bringing light into the world.
In the Midrash, the story is seen as a reason for Chanukkah, and we can also understand it to be about increasing the light that we bring into the world. As the calendar dictates that each day brings a bit more darkness, perhaps our response to that change can be bringing more light, more kindness, into the world.
I found this beautiful calendar, called Kislev is for Kindness, that offers one challenge each day to bring light into the world.
I’m going to take this challenge, and I invite you to join me. There is a lot of darkness in this world, and we have the power to help bring more light. May it be a Shabbat, and a month ahead, where kindness prevails. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
