Long Nights - Big Opportunities

 Saturday night we turn our clocks back an hour as Daylight Savings Time ends. While that extra hour of sleep is nice, the early sunset can feel disheartening. The days are getting shorter, the nights longer, and the absence of evening sunlight can weigh on us emotionally. Some people experience what’s known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, a mood change identified by psychologists that occurs when the lack of daylight affects our energy and mood. While falling back to Standard Time can throw us for a loop momentarily, Torah teaches us how to not only survive but thrive during the longer nights of autumn and winter. At the end of Masechet Ta’anit (31a), the Gemara explains why the 15^th of Av is considered one of the happiest days on the Jewish calendar. In that discussion the Talmud notes that starting on that date the days begin to get shorter. “Now that the nights are getting longer, a person must increase their Torah study at night. One who studies Torah at night will merit a long life.” The Gemara in Avodah Zara (3b) concurs and adds that one who studies Torah at night is blessed with a “thread of kindness”, a special spiritual grace that shines upon them even during the day. The Rambam (Hilchot Talmud Torah 3:13) codifies this, writing that although Torah must be learned both day and night, “the majority of one’s wisdom is acquired at night.” The Gemara in Eruvin (65b) goes so far as to say: “The night was created solely for Torah study.” Why does our tradition emphasize nighttime as especially suited for Torah study? One suggestion is that day represents our obligations; it is the time of day when we work, run errands, and address family responsibilities. Nighttime, on the other hand, is the time for discretionary activities. At night we do what we want to do, not just what we have to do. When a person chooses to spend some of their night time learning Torah, it shows that Torah is not only their duty, but also their desire. As we prepare to find meaning outside of the sunlit hours, we can look to Avraham Avinu for inspiration. Chazal describe how Avraham gazed at the sun, moon, and stars, forces of light and power, and realized that beyond them all stood Hashem. Avraham looked beyond the physical sun to find a more meaningful and transcendent source of illumination. Even as the physical light fades earlier each day at this time of year we can be like Avraham and look beyond the sun to find our light by connecting and growing together through Torah. Here at shul there are many opportunities to learn Torah, and especially in the evenings. Each session is a chance to bring light into our lives. Furthermore, I invite parents and grandparents to mark your calendars for the return of YIH Youth Veshinnantem Levanecha Family Learning, beginning Saturday night, November 8 at 6:45 PM in the Social Hall, our first “early Motzei Shabbat” of the season. It’s a wonderful opportunity for families to learn Torah together, to include the warmth and the glow of Torah into our Saturday nights, and to demonstrate these value to our children and grandchildren. As we “fall back” this week and the nights grow longer, let’s not regret the loss of sunlight. Let’s see this as an opportunity to rise up: to follow Avraham’s path, to look beyond the sun, and to benefit from the light of Torah.