The idea of harnessing solar energy has been around for decades. In Israel, they’ve been using solar energy to heat water since the 1950s. Solar panels on homes help bring down electric bills. And German, Dutch and Southern California-based companies are producing electric vehicles that can harness the sun’s power to provide 15-45 additional miles on a clear day.
Transforming sunlight into electricity is not only an engineering challenge, it is also a metaphor, one that Chasidic teachings began using and developing 200 years ago. The transforming-sunlight-to-energy metaphor provides insight into our spiritual nature.
Our purpose, the performance of mitzvot (commandments), is to transform the world - to make it a dwelling place for G-dliness. The electricity entering our homes, transmitted through wires, outlets and then electric cords, powers our dishwashers, air-conditioning and computers, transforming our houses into places of comfort and production.
Similarly, we should direct our spiritual energy - the electricity of our souls - to transforming the realm of human relationships and awareness of the Divine. As Maimonides writes in his code of Jewish law, regarding the times of Moshiach, that then there will be neither jealousy nor greed, neither war nor famine. In other words, relations between individuals and between nations will be harmonious, and for each other’s mutual benefit.
Also in the times of Moshiach, all humanity will direct its attention to the “knowledge of G-dliness.” We will focus not on accumulating things or statistics but on deepening our awareness of and appreciation of G-d’s Presence in the physical world.
But how do we achieve this? Whence our spiritual “electricity” which becomes ours - ours to use, and our responsibility to use to transform the world? Following the analogy, from some form of spiritual sunlight.
What is this “sunlight”? Well, what do we mean when we say someone “enlightens” us, or they “light up our life”? We mean they inspire us, reveal to us something about ourselves we weren’t aware of, provide direction and guidance in how best to actualize our potential.
Perhaps it is no coincidence, then, that on the 18th of Elul, twelve days before Rosh Hashana, we celebrate the birthday of two luminaries of the Jewish world - the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Chasidism in general, and Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chasidism in particular. (Indeed, the Alter Rebbe’s first name means “two lights.”)
So the sunlight is shining. We have within ourselves the spiritual photovoltaic cells to gather this spiritual sunlight and transform it into spiritual energy with which to transform the physical world into a dwelling place for G-dliness. All we need do is harvest it, to tend the solar farm of our souls.
Adapted from an article by Dr. David YB Kaufmann, obm
