Your Time Has Come to Shine!

How can one navigate the uncertainty that defines our times? What is the Jewish answer to this pervasive challenge?

As always, we find guidance by “living with the times”—specifically, the spiritual times. The Jewish people, and indeed the entire world, are guided by a unique spiritual energy that infuses each day, serving as a moral compass.

This Monday marks the fifteenth day of Av on the Jewish calendar, a day with an extraordinary spiritual intensity. The Talmud (Taanit 26b) notes that “There were no greater festivals for Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur.” Why is this day so significant?

Mystics explain that just as the moon is in a state of constant flux—ebbing, flowing, waxing, and waning—the Jewish people experience highs and lows throughout history. This is why we are often compared to the moon and why we count time according to its cycle. The moon’s journey mirrors our own story.

The moon reaches its optimal point on the fifteenth day of each month, shining in full glory. Consequently, some of the most significant events in Jewish history—such as Passover, Sukkot, and Purim—occur on this date.

But what makes the fifteenth day of Av stand out from all the others? 

The essence of the moon is that it reflects light that is not its own. As human beings, we have the choice to either shine our own light or reflect the light of another. We can create something new, or we can internalize an existing idea and then express it to others.

To reflect a light greater than ourselves, we must first ensure that there are no blockages in our ability to reflect. We must remain pure and impartial, removing all prejudice so that we can fully absorb the “light” and then allow it to shine outward without inhibition.

One of the most effective ways to overcome blockages in our lives is by overcoming setbacks. It is when our paradigms are challenged that we are forced to operate outside of our comfort zones. Only then do matters become crystallized, bringing about a greater sense of moral clarity.

The month of Av serves as a reminder of the greatest setbacks in Jewish history. But it is also a time of intense Jewish resilience. As our sages have said, “according to the pain is the reward.”

Through trial and error, all light becomes personalized. You can only truly own something once you have earned it, and you can only earn something by paying the price.

Our time to shine is now.

As we sing each Friday night in that beautiful mystical melody:

“Wake up, wake up, rise and shine, for your light has come.”

Yosef Vogel