“How Great is Your Goodness, that is Hidden for those who Fear You!”

In memory of Daniel Perez hy”d

Regarding the aftermath of the great conflict between Yosef and his brothers – which led to Yosef being sold and Yehuda’s descent – the Midrash in Bereishit Rabbah (85) teaches:

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman opens with the verse, “For I know the plans I have for you” (Yirmiyahu 29:11). While the brothers were busy selling Yosef, Ya’akov was grieving in sackcloth and fasting, and Yehuda was occupied with finding a wife, G-d was quietly creating the light of the Mashiach.

This Midrash reveals something powerful: even in times of darkness – conflict, pain, mourning, and division – a great light is hidden beneath the surface. Beneath the harsh and painful reality, something deep and purposeful is unfolding.

The Book of Ruth, which we read on Shavuot, tells a similar story. It describes famine, displacement, and loss: Elimelech and his family leave Yehuda for Moav, Elimelech and his sons die, and Naomi and Ruth are left in poverty. Yet from within this difficult reality emerges King David – the figure most closely associated with the Mashiach.

The Gemara offers a deeper reading of a verse in Divrei HaYamim I (4:24), explaining that the names “Yoash and Saraf” refer to Mahlon and Chilion. These names reflect despair and spiritual failure: “Yoash” suggests giving up hope for redemption, and “Saraf” implies deserving destruction. They had settled in Moav and married Moabite women. But the verse continues: “and returned to Bethlehem” – this refers to Ruth the Moabite, who returns and binds herself to the people of Israel. And from this unlikely and painful chain of events, G-d ultimately says, “I have found David My servant.”

Out of despair, loss, and even assimilation – David emerges. The king of Israel emerges. The seed of the Mashiach emerges.

This idea – that G-d’s light, the light of the Mashiach, is hidden beneath layers of darkness – is not just an ancient concept from biblical times. It is a timeless truth, relevant today as much as ever.

In our own days, when we are living through periods marked by conflict, grief, tragedy, and division, we are called to adopt a deeper perspective. Alongside fully acknowledging the pain and difficulty, we hold onto a perspective of faith – one that recognizes a hidden, enduring light within everything we are experiencing. Even the darkness itself can be part of how that light is revealed.

This theme is also central to the days of the Counting of the Omer leading up to Shavuot. We begin with the Omer offering – barley, considered animal food – symbolizing a low, physical starting point. From there, we journey upward, moving from the depths of spiritual impurity toward receiving the Torah. These days carry a unique potential to strengthen our belief in the greater light: the light of Torah, the light of Shavuot, the light of the Mashiach.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches (Likutei Moharan, Tanina 10:14) that even in the lowest, most physical aspects of life – symbolized by barley – G-d’s presence is fully there.

These are days of anticipation – of preparing ourselves for the revelation of the Torah’s eternal light. Each year, we take this journey again, refining ourselves and becoming vessels for something greater. We count day by day, each person in their own way, deepening their relationship with G-d and with Torah. It’s a process that includes struggle, pain, and encountering G-d even in our lowest moments – and through that, we become ready to receive something higher.

May it be G-d’s will that we merit to experience the light of the Mashiach, and to learn Torah from him.

As it says in Tehillim: “How abundant is the goodness You have stored away for those who fear You” (31:20). There is so much goodness stored away for us – may we merit to be those who fear G-d.

Rabbanit Noa Lewis is the CEO of ECHAD, and director of OLAH, a program for Jewish women in Europe. She is also the leader of the IDF Women’s Chevra Kadisha.