We all do sometimes. But what if you had a light to guide you?

That’s the image at the heart of Midrash Tehillim’s take on Psalm 119:105: "A candle to my feet is Your word, a light to my path." It’s not just beautiful poetry, it's a profound statement about the power of Torah.

The Midrash, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of scripture, contrasts the paths of the righteous and the wicked. Drawing on Proverbs, it paints a vivid picture. As Solomon said (Proverbs 4:18), "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, etc." On the other hand, "The way of the wicked is like darkness, etc" (Proverbs 4:19).

Why this stark difference?

The wicked, the Midrash explains, are like someone blindly stumbling through the night. They walk without a candle, tripping over stones, crashing into trees, maybe even falling into a river, completely lost. They have no light, just as Proverbs says, "the way of the wicked is like darkness."

But the righteous? Ah, they have a candle. They carefully navigate the darkness. They see the stone and avoid it. They see the tree and steer clear. They have guidance. That guidance, according to David, is the word of God: "A candle to my feet..."

Think about that for a moment. It’s not just about avoiding physical obstacles. It's about navigating the moral and ethical complexities of life. What keeps us on the right path? What illuminates our choices?

As Proverbs 6:23 says, "For the commandment is a lamp, etc." The mitzvot (commandments) aren’t just rules; they are beacons, shining a light on our path.

The Midrash even suggests that even if David was tempted to sin, "the words of the Torah do not let me go; if I seek to go, they illuminate before me." The Torah, then, isn't a constraint, but a liberating force, guiding us away from self-destruction and towards fulfillment.

Then the text shifts to David's oath: "I have sworn and I will fulfill it." What does this mean? The Midrash understands that David receives a double reward: the reward for making the oath itself, and the reward for performing the commandment.

The Midrash explains that David would receive reward for the oath and reward for performing commandments like taking the lulav (palm branch) and dwelling in the sukkah (temporary dwelling) during Sukkot, as well as for the commandments of tzitzit (fringes), tefillin (phylacteries), and circumcision.

So, where does this leave us? Perhaps with a renewed appreciation for the light we have available to us. In a world that often feels dark and confusing, the teachings of Torah, the wisdom of our tradition, can be that very candle, guiding us, step by step, toward a more meaningful and righteous life. And maybe, just maybe, helping us avoid a few trees along the way.