It happened that when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness (Deuteronomy 5:23)

 A holy rabbi lived near the forest outside of the village. He would teach and pray with his students every day. The forest was dark and foreboding. The night, filled with sounds from the forest that frightened many. No one dared to travel far into the forest.

One Friday the holy rabbi began walking towards the forest. in the cold of the afternoon and the wail of the wind through the trees. The sun slowly set as the eerie shadows of the trees grew long, yet the holy rabbi and his students walked on into the forest. He stopped at a clearing and asked his students to recite the verses of Kabbalas Shabbos (service to welcome the Sabbath Day) with him.

The students were surprised, many wondering, why did their teacher the holy rabbi want them to say the Kabbalas Shabbos prayers in such a dark and fearful place?

The holy rabbi answered that he was fulfilling of the verse, “The voice of Hashem convulses the wilder­ness (Tehillim 29:8). He explained that even the wilderness is waiting from the days of Creation to hear Hashem’s (G-d’s) voice, and he wished to use the opportunity to bring Hashem’s voice to the wilderness.

The students were astounded by the holy rabbi’s faith and efforts to bring a renewed holiness to the forest, for even amid the suffering and darkness he was experiencing, he remem­bered the explanation of this verse and wished to implement it.

We see from here how holy people are able to remain serene and detach themselves from their surroundings, even under dire conditions. Indeed, a person who carries the Torah (Scriptures) in his heart can create an island of serenity that no one can take away from him, no matter what circumstances he finds himself in.

Although the students were well meaning, they could not overcome their fear and the cold winds, and they slipped away one by one and returned to their homes in the village. Only one student remained with the holy rabbi until he completed Kabbalas Shabbos prayer.

Years later the student met the holy rabbi on the street in a large city, and he reminded his teacher the holy rabbi of the time when they had said the verses of Kabbalas Shabbos together in the dark forest. The holy rabbi’s face lit up, and he said, “Don’t think that the verse, the voice of Hashem convulses the wilder­ness, applies only to the dark cold forest. The principle is true and exists everywhere. In every place, there are people who are living in a spiritually desolate wil­derness and are waiting to hear the voice of Hashem!”

How many people today are indeed living in spiritual desolation! It is incumbent on us to bring the  voice of  Hashem (G-d) into the dark forest of their lives and save them from their spiritual wilderness.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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