Shattering the Glass: Seeing the True Reality

There’s a Midrash that has always intrigued me—the idea that the whole world is blind until Hashem opens our eyes.

On the first day of Rosh Hashana, we read how Hashem opened Hagar’s eyes, and she suddenly saw a well of water right in front of her, enabling her to give her child a drink.

The well didn’t miraculously appear—it was there all along. Hagar just couldn’t perceive it until Hashem allowed her to see.

This story reminds us that we are unable to see anything, whether physical or spiritual, unless Hashem opens our eyes and grants us the clarity to recognize what’s right in front of us.

It’s not just physical items that we can be blind to. We can walk through life, believing certain truths to be absolute, until one day, Hashem opens our eyes.

The glass shatters, and we realize we were missing out on the real picture all along.

It’s like pointing out something obvious that everyone has overlooked—a hidden element in a logo or an unconscious habit we never noticed.

You mention to someone that another person chews their food very loudly. Once they hear it, it’s over! The glass shatters, and now, no matter how much they try, they can’t not hear it every single time that person eats.

It’s the same with logos like the hidden arrow in the FedEx logo or the smile in the Amazon logo that spans from “a” to “z”. Once someone points it out to you, it’s impossible to go back to your old way of seeing things.

The Torah teaches us that we are often blind to the true reality around us until Hashem chooses to lift the veil.

There are baalei teshuva (returnees to Torah observance) who look back at their previous lives and can’t believe they didn’t see the truth before.

Their old life, filled with all its pleasures and pursuits, feels like a distant, foggy dream. It’s as if they were sleepwalking through life, and suddenly, they’re awake and fully alive for the first time. They wonder, “How did I not see this before?”

This is the nature of shattering the glass. There are countless things we take for granted until Hashem reveals a deeper truth. Some people follow a certain political ideology for years, only to switch sides one day, astonished by how they didn’t see what the other side was doing. It’s like being in a dark room, fumbling around, thinking you know where everything is—until someone flips the light switch.

The Destructive Power of Lashon Hara

Lashon hara (negative speech) is a powerful example of how words can shatter the glass.

You might think you’re just stating an observation or an opinion, but once those words are out there, you can’t take them back.

Imagine someone goes through life doing something nobody ever noticed—maybe they fidget, maybe they have a peculiar way of laughing, or they have a little quirk that nobody paid attention to.

One day, someone mentions it out loud, and that person’s whole world changes. The glass shatters. Suddenly, every friend and every acquaintance can’t help but notice this “odd” behavior.

They see the person differently, maybe even treat them differently. What was once invisible becomes the only thing people see. And now, the person finds themselves in a spotlight they never wanted, all because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.

The impact can be devastating, isolating, and deeply hurtful.

When Avraham Avinu found Hashem, he must have felt that same glass shattering moment. He saw the world differently. He saw the oneness of Hashem, while everyone around him continued worshiping stone and wood.

They thought he was crazy, but he couldn’t unsee the truth. His new reality was so clear to him, and yet the rest of the world stayed blind.

Shattering the Glass in Our World Today

I believe with certainty that Mashiach is at our doorstep.

One of the signs the Sages gave us for the times just before his arrival is that the world would be filled with chutzpah—audaciousness and brazenness without any shame.

We see this manifest in world leaders and influencers blatantly lying without a shred of embarrassment. But once Mashiach arrives, the veil of falsehood will be lifted, and the world will finally see the truth.

Hashem’s name will be One, and His presence will be clear to all.

Today, Hashem is giving us opportunities to see through the falsehood. He is repeatedly shattering the illusion we live in, giving us a chance to grasp the reality beneath the surface.

Just look at the media—it’s rife with distortions, portraying Israel as the aggressor and terrorists as victims. It’s as if Hashem is urging us to wake up and see through the deception.

The facade extends to Hollywood, where a world of sheker (falsehood) is glorified. Corruption, vanity, and empty fame are elevated as success, while politicians pose as paragons of virtue despite their hypocrisy.

Hashem is making it almost impossible not to see through the charade. He’s shattering illusions left and right, letting us catch a glimpse of the truth—if we’re willing to open our eyes.

But it’s not just about the world’s lies. By focusing on the falsehoods around us, we often miss a more profound truth: a deeper, more authentic relationship with Hashem.

We walk through life unaware of the immense goodness and blessings right in front of us. Our distorted vision doesn’t just blind us to the world’s deceit; it prevents us from seeing the light of Hashem’s love and guidance, which is available to us at every moment.

When Mashiach comes, the mask will fall away, and the entire world will know Hashem as the ultimate truth.

Until then, we need to keep our eyes open and our hearts connected, recognizing that everything unfolding around us is Hashem’s way of urging us to see clearly and to return to Him with complete faith.

Opening Our Eyes to True Life

The remedy is simple.

As we mentioned above, the whole world is blind until Hashem opens our eyes. Hashem wants us to take the first step though. He wants us to ask Him to open our eyes—to see the good, to see the truth, to see Him in every aspect of our lives.

Moshe Rabbeinu tells us in the Parshat Ki Tavo that even after all the miracles Bnei Yisrael witnessed in Mitzrayim and the desert, they didn’t really “see” clearly until the glass shattered for them in the final days of his life.

He told them that Hashem didn’t give them eyes to see until that very day. All of a sudden, everything made sense. All the miracles, all the trials and tribulations, were Hashem’s way of revealing Himself to them, of showing them what true life is really about.

And that’s why, in the next Parsha, Netzavim, Hashem says: “I am putting before you life and good, and death and bad.”

The Talmud tells us that the wicked are considered dead even while they are alive, and the righteous are considered alive even after their death.

It’s all about how you see the world—whether your glass is shattered and you’re seeing the truth or whether you’re still stuck behind the veil.

Emuna and Bitachon: Shattering the Glass Regularly

This is where Emuna and Bitachon come in. It’s not enough to know that Hashem runs the world; you have to live it.

When you start working on your Emuna and Bitachon, when you learn and apply that learning to your life, you’re shattering the glass again and again. Each time, you see the world a little clearer than before.

Every struggle, every challenge, every frustration is an opportunity for us to take what we know intellectually and make it a part of who we are.

When you live in that space, when you truly trust that everything is in Hashem’s hands, you experience a profound calm and happiness that’s unlike anything you’ve ever felt.

So, my friends, let’s shatter some glass together.

Ask Hashem to show you the truth. See the world for what it really is—a place where Hashem is guiding every single step, waiting for us to choose life, to choose Him, and to Live the Dream.

Join me on this journey of growth and connection to Hashem. Sign up for the Elul 7-Day Sprint (FREE Course). You can even do it after Rosh Hashana—it’s never too late to work on your relationship with Hashem.

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