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Jewish Thinking

Jewish Thinking

Close Your Eyes and Look

Published on Sunday October 17th, 2021

Some time ago there was a day dedicated to the blind and visually impaired communities. The slogan that marked that day focused on a thought that lit up my life: "Close your eyes and look."

In order to see, it is not necessary to have eyes, but to resort to an objective reflection and to be less socially judgmental. The frantic rat race of life transforms us, obscures our vision, or, in other words, blinds us.
Example: a bus stops at a bus stop, and a man approaches the steps of the vehicle and asks the driver: "Is this the 647? The driver replies: "Are you blind? Look at what's written on the front of the bus. The traveller responds: "Look for yourself. Yes, I am blind. "

We all live in blindness. We wear glasses with thick lenses that make us unable to see the right perspective on life.

Do we manage to see an abundance of sunlight? Of course not. The blinding sun disturbs our vision.

When Hashem created His world, He created light, but also darkness, because, without darkness, we could not have seen the light. If we try to look from a light-filled room into a dark room, we will have a hard time seeing anything, but if we look from a dark room to room that is lit-up, we will be able to see the darkened room more clearly.
There is a parable about a king who wanted to offer his inheritance to one of his three sons. He had trouble choosing which one because he loved all his sons. He decided to give them a test and whoever would pass the test would get the inheritance.
The father gathered his three sons, and showed them a large, old, dark cabin. He handed each one 100 coins and asked them to fill the entire space of the hut using the allocated money. The eldest son bought sandbags, but barely managed to fill half the cabin. The next son bought feathers that filled barely a quarter of the hut. The third son bought, for 30 coins, candles. He scattered them throughout the hit and lit them, and the whole cabin lit up. This third son won the inheritance.

The frantic race of life is like a train running through the darkness. We travel and travel, immersing ourselves in our daily life that distorts our vision and reflection. We choose to settle in a swamp of grievances and complaints and blame our surroundings rather than to stop for a moment and consider an alternative way of life. Look out for the light through the prism of everyday life and see the good that constantly surrounds us.

You must not be blind in order to see, because too much light repels the darkness. Stop, even for a moment, close your eyes, and look!

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