David Hamelech writes in Tehillim: “Tov L’hodot L’Hashem”—”It is good to give thanks to Hashem… To declare Your Chesed in the morning and Your Emuna at night.” (Tehillim 92:2-3)
It is easy to sing Hashem’s praises when life is smooth—“L’hagid baboker chasdecha”—we naturally feel Hashem’s kindness in those moments. But what about the darkness? What about the difficult times, when hope seems distant? That is why we also need, “ve’emunatcha baleilot”—because at night, when we cannot see the chesed, we must hold onto emunah.
In this week’s parsha, right before the final plague, Hashem tells Moshe: “At about midnight (K’Chatzot Halaila), I will go out in Egypt.” (Shemot 11:4) Why did Hashem choose chatzot halayla—the darkest moment of the night—to bring redemption?
The Nesivos Shalom explains Hashem created everything with the pattern of darkness before light. Hardships are not the end of the story—they are the beginning of redemption. From the very beginning of creation, we see this pattern: “Vayehi Erev Vayehi Boker”—first comes night, then comes morning. Hashem designed the world so that light emerges from darkness. We need the darkness first to appreciate the light.
Chatzot halayla represents the lowest point, when hope feels farthest away. Farthest away from the light of yesterday and tomorrow. That is precisely when Hashem chooses to reveal salvation. Whenever things seem the worst—when exile feels longest, when waiting seems endless—that is the sign that redemption is near.
We have been waiting over 2000 years for the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Third and final Beit HaMikdash. Chazal tell us that before Mashiach comes, we must strengthen our emunah. And that is exactly what we are doing.
Every act of Ahavat Yisrael, every moment of emunah and bitachon, every step we take in our Avodat Hashem is a declaration to our Father in Heaven: “We are ready.”
We are strengthening emunatcha baleilot today, so that we can l’hagid baboker chasdecha tomorrow as we rejoice in the building of the 3rd and final Beit Hamikdash.
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