Midnight. Most of us think of it as 12am, but Judaism looks at it differently. Judaism views midnight as the exact midpoint between sunrise and sunset. It is a very spiritual and holy time. King David used to get up every night at midnight in order to connect with God.
But what is it that is so significant about this moment? Let’s discuss it metaphorically for a moment, in our lives we have dark moments and light ones, something things are good and sometimes things are not as good. From a Jewish perspective the new day begins at sunset, meaning that all darkness is the beginning of light, and that light is inevitable. God will never put us in a dark situation without a light at the end of it.
When we are making the transition from darkness to light there is point where we stop moving away from darkness and moving towards light, the middle point. This is midnight. At some point in our lives we are able to put the darkness behind us and start focusing and the light that is coming. Even though it is still dark at midnight, midnight is the first feeling of hope.
This is why midnight is such a holy and spiritual time, it is the point in life when we stop moving away from darkness and start moving towards light. It is positivity, even in darkness.
Since the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jewish Nation and our Temple, midnight has been a time to say prayers and ask God to help us rebuild and renew our people and our land.
Today’s Jewish mission is really for tonight, if you plan to be out and awake at midnight (come on, I know you are) set an alarm to remind you to take a moment to reflect, pray and think about the significance of hope even in darkness, renewal of our people and land, and the success and safety of our brothers in Israel, who are rebuilding what we lost so many years ago.
(Goto http://www.myzmanim.com/ and enter your zip code to find your exact Jewish midnight)