When the lights go out

For many people in Northwest Indiana, this past week has been a pretty good lesson in frustration.

The storms that tore through our area left hundreds of thousands of people without power. For many of us, the outage lasted more than a week. And many (including us, as I write this, and the Chabad House) still don’t have power going into a tenth day. No air conditioning, no internet, dead phones, spoiled food, and the uncertainty of not knowing when the lights would come back on. If you’re like me, you don't need anyone explaining how frustrating it was.

That's what makes a teaching I came across today particularly relevant. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe, taught that a person should strive for happiness because we believe that G-d is present in our lives at every moment. Our circumstances can change quickly, but our connection to G-d remains.

Frustration is part of life. We make plans, and things happen that are completely outside our control. Our natural reaction is to focus on the problem until it fills our entire field of vision. The challenge is to keep perspective.

This week's Torah portion is filled with laws about everyday life and how we treat the people around us. Judaism has plenty to say about the ordinary moments of life, including the moments when things aren't going smoothly.

That's also what makes Elul, the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, such a significant time. It’s when we look back at the year and think about what we want to change. Typically, that can become a list of everything we wish we had done differently.

Perhaps a better question to ask is: How do I respond when life doesn't go my way?

The storm gave us a very practical opportunity to think about that. Alongside all the frustration, there were countless stories of neighbors helping neighbors and people making sure others were getting through the week. With the electricity out, community became more visible.

There's a beautiful idea, also taught by the Alter Rebbe, that during Elul, “the King is in the field.” The idea is that G-d comes to meet us where we are.

You don't have to suddenly become more religious to appreciate the meaning of Elul. You can simply take a moment to think about your life and the person you want to be.

When things are going well, those questions are easy. The real test comes when the lights go out.

We can't control every storm that comes into our lives. We can't always control how long the darkness lasts. But we can choose how we spend that time.

Maybe that's a good place to begin the new year: with more gratitude and a greater awareness of the good that surrounds us.

Sometimes you only notice the light after you've spent some time in the dark.