It's like trying to capture the ocean in a teacup. Impossible. Yet, we try. We have to. Because as humans, we're wired to connect, to understand, and to share our experiences. And that includes our experience of the Divine.

So, what do we do? How do we even begin to approach something so far beyond our grasp?

Well, one way, according to the ancient text Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, is to use metaphors. To reach for something in our world that hints at the truth, even if it can’t fully capture it. And the metaphor this text suggests is…light.

But not just any light. Not the light of a lamp, or the sun, or even a star. We can’t call Godliness anything other than a radiation of light. The text is very clear about this. Think of it like this: all the colors, all the energy, all the potential, flowing outward, constantly creating and illuminating.

Now, before you start picturing God as some kind of cosmic lightbulb, let's be clear. The text emphasizes that we're not talking about physical light. This isn’t about photons and wavelengths. It’s about something much more profound. Something that physical light only vaguely reflects.

Why light, though? Why not sound, or water, or earth?

Well, the text explains that light is considered the finest and most subtle of all physical phenomena. It's the closest thing we have to pure energy, to something intangible yet incredibly powerful. So, if we have to choose a word, a name, a term to describe Godliness—and we do, because how else can we even begin to discuss it?—then "radiation of light" is the nearest we can get.

It's like trying to paint a sunrise. You can use all the colors in the world, but you'll never truly capture the glory of the real thing. Yet, the painting can still evoke a sense of wonder, can still point us towards the beauty and power of the dawn.

That's what language does when we talk about God. It points. It evokes. It gives us a glimpse, however fleeting, of something beyond words.

The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah reminds us that no word, no name, no term can adequately be applied to Godliness. But because we need to talk, we need to connect, we choose the closest thing we can find: a radiation of light. Just remember, when we use that word, we're not just talking about light. We're talking about something much, much more. Something that shines within us all.