The ancient rabbis grappled with this very question. In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a fascinating discussion. Rabbi Ḥanina points to the Temple in Jerusalem, specifically its windows. He cites 1 Kings 6:4: "He made for the House recessed narrowing windows.” But here's the twist: these weren't ordinary windows. They were narrow on the inside and wide on the outside, designed, as Rabbi Ḥanina says, "in order to bring out its light to the world."

Rabbi Levi offers a contrasting image: a king building a palace would typically make windows wide on the inside to let light in. The Temple, however, was different. It wasn't about receiving light; it was about radiating it.

But wait a minute. Where did that light come from? Before the sun and moon, as Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak asks Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, "from where did light emerge to the world?"

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, known as a master of aggadah – storytelling that illuminates Jewish law and tradition – offers a stunning image. He says, "The Holy One blessed be He wrapped Himself [in light] as in a cloak, and the entire world shone from the aura of His glory." He said this in a whisper.

Wow. God Himself as the source of all light! It’s a powerful and intimate thought.

He whispered it because, as the text implies, there was a tradition against openly discussing the mysteries of Creation, as we also see in Ḥagiga 11b. But Rabbi Shimon is incredulous! "Enveloping with light as if with a cloak, He spreads the heavens like a sheet" (Psalms 104:2) is a verse right there in the Tanakh! Why the secrecy? Rabbi Shmuel responds that he's simply passing on what he received from his teachers, whispering it as they did.

Rabbi Berekhya adds another layer. He says that Rabbi Yitzḥak publicly interpreted Psalms 104:2. Had Rabbi Yitzḥak not done so, it "would not have been possible to say it.” Rabbi Yitzḥak, by publicly interpreting the verse, showed that he didn't believe this teaching fell under the restrictions against openly discussing Creation.

Before this public interpretation, what was the understanding? Rabbi Berekhya, again citing Rabbi Yitzḥak, offers another perspective: "From the place of the Temple, from there light would emerge to the world." He connects this to Ezekiel 43:2: "Behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the direction of the east, and its sound was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory." And he equates "His glory" with the Temple itself, citing Jeremiah 17:12: "Throne of glory, exalted from the beginning, the place of our Temple."

So, we have a multi-layered understanding here. God is the ultimate source of light, cloaked in it. But that light emanates, at least in this world, from the Temple, a physical manifestation of God's presence.

What does this all mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that we, too, can be sources of light in the world. Like the Temple windows, we can be conduits, radiating the divine spark within us outward. We can reflect the light of kindness, compassion, and wisdom onto those around us. Maybe that's the ultimate lesson – that the light isn't just something "out there," but something we can carry and share.