Rabbi Strauchler's Blog

We all feel a great deal of frustration waiting for a vaccine amid growing virus numbers and an ever-tightening lockdown. We are rightly disappointed by the lack of vaccine availability in our country.

There is a phrase: it is always darkest right before the dawn. It means that things always seem the worst right before they improve. There is hope, even in the worst of circumstances.

Interestingly, the phrase is not true, physically. The brightness of the night-sky varies depending on the moon's appearance, as well as on artificial lighting on the ground. It is not related to the upcoming day.

So - do you know the source of this expression?

The phrase first appeared in Thomas Fuller's "Pisgah-Sight of Palestine and the confines thereof" in 1650. This religious travelogue contains maps of the Holy Land in addition to the words: "It is always darkest just before the Day dawneth."

Perhaps, Fuller was inspired by the Psalms (130:6) we have been saying throughout this pandemic. "My soul waits for the Lord more than they who watch for the morning: more than watchmen for the morning."