Galus (Exile) is tough and terrible, with hester panim (G-d's concealment of Himself and His ways) getting more and more brutal by the day. I want to just process one small idea here, one precious thought, something that is really burning within me. This post, as you will notice, has a more serious tone than usual, and that's because the topic is one of dire importance. I feel that, by far, today's generation is faced with the deepest, blackest curtain of indecision and confusion, compounded endlessly by thousands of splintered, false voices that distract us from Truth and Light. In this darkest part of night, how are we to know which way to go? How do we avoid getting lost? How can we steer clear of the tragic state that the Mesillas Yesharim (An eighteen-century classic by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, entitled The Path of the Just) calls "ke'iver be'afeila", like a blind man in a thick darkness, which connotes a far deeper level of inability to see?

The answer is surprisingly simple. It's turning to our talmidei chachamim (Torah Sages, or rabbis). It is so vital that each one of us take to heart the injunction of "Asei lecha Rav"--make for yourself a Rav (rabbi). No one can afford to be unanchored, and especially when the winds are so turbulent and the sea is so choppy. Today, we cannot be alone. Each of us needs a torch to light the night; someone who understands us and can guide us; someone we can trust to have the Torah wisdom and insight to carry us forward.

It is my fervent hope and blessing to you, dear reader, that you, too, can find a Rav or Rebbetzin (female spiritual guide) to light your path, like a wonderful torch illuminating the dark, intense night.