Put Out the Light
I believe it was the wisest of men, King Solomon, who first coined the phrase, “For everything there is a season.” / Of course, Pesach is the cleaning, shopping, cooking, more cleaning, inviting family and friends, never-ending lists to do, still more cleaning season. It comes as no surprise therefore, that to some, the official Bedikas Chametz (search for leaven) ritual, the night before the holiday is regarded as ceremonial rather than practical.
The Sages in the Talmud inform us that Chametz is symbolic of the Yetzer Horah, the Evil Inclination. Thus the search by the light of the candle must not only penetrate the dark corners of the cupboard, but the hidden recesses of one’s heart, mind and soul. With this in mind, read the following parable.
A villager visiting the big city for the first time in his life was awestruck by the tall buildings, the crowds of people and the vast array of items for sale. He saw exquisite suits, fragile ceramics, and realized how impractical they would be in his farming community. Even the electric lamps would be of no value, as the village had no electricity. Finally he spotted a powerful flashlight that worked with batteries. “What a wonderful invention,” he thought to himself. He would be the envy of all his neighbors.
Walking out of the store with his new purchase, he noticed a large group of people gathered on the sidewalk.
“What’s going on? ” he asked.
“A moving picture,” they answered.
Not wishing to admit that he was completely ignorant of what they were excited about he bought a ticket, went inside and found himself a seat facing a large screen. Suddenly the lights went out and the screen came to life with people, scenes, action and breathtaking vistas. He couldn’t figure out how so many different things were able to get on the screen one after another.
“What a pity their lights ran out of electricity,” he reasoned. “If this moving picture is so amazing in the dark, imagine how much better it would be if the room was lit up!” Remembering his flashlight he took it out of his pocket and aimed its powerful rays to the front of the room. Much to the wonderment of the villager, the images on the screen faded away.
“Put out the light,” someone shouted. Another screamed, “You’re spoiling the show.”
But the villager defended himself and responded, “I just thought this would help us all see better.”
“But don’t you understand? Here you can only see in the darkness.”
All the desirable things that the Yetzer Horah tries to convince you are real, in truth are illusory. There are no real people on the screen and there is no real substance or permanence to the images shown us by the evil one. Still, as deceptive as they are, they can be seen. There is but one condition. It must be dark. Otherwise, their false nature is revealed.
The candle that we utilize in searching out the spiritual chametz (negatives) in our life represents the light of Torah and untarnished truth. Shine its beam and the picture becomes clearer than ever.