Genesis tells us, "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). Simple enough. But the rabbis of the Midrash, in Bereshit Rabbah, dive into some fascinating questions.

Like, what exactly is this light? The verse says, "God called the light, Day," (Genesis 1:5) but isn’t light just… day?

The Midrash presents a mind-bending idea: this initial light, the light created during those first six days, wasn't like anything we experience now. It was too powerful to exist alongside the sun, which would appear dim in comparison. And it wasn't meant to illuminate the night. So where did it go?

It was stored away! According to this tradition, that original light is reserved for the righteous in the future. Isaiah 30:26 hints at this, prophesying a time when "the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of the seven days." Imagine that – a world bathed in the pure, unadulterated light of Creation!

Now, there's a slight wrinkle here. The Midrash asks: "Seven [days]? Are they not three? Is it not so, that the lights were created only on the fourth day?" After all, the sun and moon weren't created until the fourth day. The answer? It's like someone preparing for a wedding feast. Even if the preparations are focused on one or two days, they still refer to the entire seven-day celebration.

Rabbi Nechemya offers another perspective. He suggests that this light shone during the seven days of mourning for Methuselah, a righteous figure from the Bible. During this time, God bestowed extra light upon the world.

The verse also says, "God saw the light, that it was good, and God distinguished between the light and the darkness" (Genesis 1:4). This leads to more exploration. Rabbi Ze'eira son of Rabbi Abahu, preaching in Caesarea, uses this verse to explain why we don't recite a blessing over a candle during Havdalah (the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat) until we’ve actually benefited from its light. We need to see and distinguish the light, just as God did.

Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon offers a beautiful interpretation of vayavdel, "He distinguished." He says it also means "He set it aside," implying that God set the light aside for Himself. As it says in Daniel 2:22, "Light dwells with Him." The Rabbis take this a step further, saying God set it aside for the righteous in the World to Come, like a king saving the best portion of food for his son.

Rabbi Berekhya shares an explanation attributed to Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, two giants of the Talmud. They say that "distinguished" means exactly that – to separate and define. They use the analogy of a king with two commanders, one for day and one for night. When they argued over who would rule the day, the king assigned each their distinct realm. Similarly, God assigned day to the light and night to the darkness.

Rabbi Yochanan connects this to Job 38:12, where God asks Job, "In all your days, have you commanded the morning and apprised darkness of its place?" Have you, Job, defined the boundaries and roles of light and darkness?

Rabbi Tanhuma points to Isaiah 45:7: "He forms light and creates darkness, He makes peace." After creating them, God established peace between light and darkness, ensuring they each have their place.

Finally, Rabbi Elazar makes a subtle but important point: "God called the light, Day," but the verse doesn't say "to the darkness God called night." Instead, it says "to the darkness He called night." According to Rabbi Elazar, God only associates His name with the good, with the light. With darkness, the verse uses a pronoun, "He," instead of God's name.

So, what does this all mean? Maybe it's about the hidden potential within creation, the idea that the most incredible things are often unseen, waiting for the right moment to be revealed. Or perhaps it's a lesson in appreciating the light we do have, recognizing its goodness and striving to bring more of it into the world. It's a reminder that even in the darkest night, there's a spark of divine light waiting to be ignited. What do you think?