Did you ever stop and realize that in order for a person to see, multiple fascinating dynamics are playing out in a matter of milliseconds?
Light first enters the eye through the cornea which then passes through to the pupil. Meanwhile the Iris, (colored part of your eye) is controlling the amount of light passing through until eventually it hits the lens. The lens then focuses light rays onto the retina in which Photoreceptors cells change light energy into an electrical signal which then travel through the optic nerve to the brain.
Finally the visual cortex in the brain turns these signals into the images we are seeing with our eyes.
All of these amazing elements are happening every second you see with your eyes, and enable you to have the vision you need.
This Shabbat is known as the Shabbat of Vision, perhaps a different kind of vision, but certainly something that makes us see things differently.
Somewhere in our soul and mind, we have the ability to turn the signals we are absorbing from the world the around us, into the images that we use to paint our vision of the direction and destiny of the world.
It is not always easy, sometimes the data and the signals seem to shout one thing, yet our job is to sort through the signals, often to see beyond the peripheral, and understand and stay focused on the deeper dynamic at play.
This Shabbat named for the Vision of Isaiah that we read about in the Haftorah, which predicts the impending destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, is also understood to reflect a deeper kind of vision that comes to mind at this time period as we remember some of the tragedies of our history, but also and most importantly imagine the vision of the future as laid out by Judaism.
The history of the past and unfortunately even the events of today bring to mind a lot of pain, sadness and tragedy and can easily cloud our vision for the future. Yet despite that, and perhaps especially now, we need to remind ourselves of what is the vision for the future, and perhaps most importantly how we can be the ones that will help make this vision, a reality.
Isaiah states "Woe to those who say of the evil that it is good and of the good that it is evil; who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet and sweet as bitter."
Indeed, as countries and editorials run to claim how mass murderers are moderates, and threats of evil are issued in abundance, morality and a vision of good, seems lost out there and it can certainly be disheartening.
Yet despite that, our job is to stay focused on our vision of making the world be the beautiful place it needs to become, and holding onto and living a reality that reflects a healthy and beautiful vision for the future, for our family, for our community and for society at large.
Indeed as Isaiah states "“Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and her captives, through tzedakah.". Isaiah is sharing a message, that no matter what is happening out there, we have the inner ability to change reality and create a different vision to live by through the ways of kindness, good deeds and justice that we live by.
May the vision of the better abd beautiful world we all hope for, become the reality that merit to see and make happen.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel