Hello Darkness My Old Friend

By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.

As we approach the Winter Solstice this weekend, it is clear that our days are darker than they are light. Darkness and the chill it brings to this season has the potential to bring us down, make us fearful. And even the very first human felt this concern. 

From Talmud Bavli Avodah Zarah 8a: When Adam saw the day becoming shorter and shorter, he said: “Woe is me! Perhaps because I sinned, the world is becoming dark around me and returning to chaos and void, and this is the death that was sentenced upon me from Heaven?” He stood up and fasted (and prayed) for eight days. When he saw the winter solstice, and saw the day becoming longer and longer, he said: “This is the way of the world!” He went and celebrated for eight days. For the next year, he made both these and those days of celebration.

After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden. This is the sin that he speculates is the cause of darkness around him. As the days are shortening, Adam is anxious and interprets this as a consequence of his sin, thinking the world is coming to an end. According to this story, he fasts and prays as a way to connect with God and hopefully keep this catastrophe from happening.

By designating the days both before and after the solstice as festivals, Adam seems to be transformed from his first statements, thinking the darkness was happening because of his actions. He learns that he is not the cause of the growing darkness and the growing lightness. Adam celebrates his newfound ability to observe the world in a new “light,” learning more about himself and the world around him.

As the authors of Hadar’s 5785 Chanukah Companion share: “Adam teaches us that it is in the face of adversity, when hope seems dim, that we must tap into our inner courage and resilience. This internal spark, once ignited, has the potential to grow into a beacon of light, guiding us through life’s challenges and illuminating our path forward.”

From the beginning to the end of this weekend, let us greet the darkest day this Shabbat, knowing that a little bit of light will be added on Sunday, gradually increasing over these next months.