Dear all,
A few weeks ago, I boarded a flight that lifted off after sunset. Night had already settled in. But as we climbed higher, something unexpected happened—the sun rose in the west.
Transfixed, I gazed out the window. Darkness gave way to light. It felt like a gift—brief, breathtaking, and easily missed. Most people never noticed. The moment in time passed almost as quickly as it appeared.
Life offers moments like that. Second chances arrive quietly, often without announcement. Only if we are paying attention do we see how rays of light can pierce the darkness, how restored hope can break open a new dawn, how the horizon can suddenly glow with possibility.
Kohelet/ Ecclesiastes reminds us: “The sun rises, and the sun sets; it hurries back to the place from which it rises.”
And yet, sometimes—if only for a moment—we are given the miracle of seeing it rise where we least expect it.
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro
