Great Kiskadee : Following the Light

This is a Great Kiskadee. I’d never seen one before, so I was immediately excited and anxious. The reason for excitement is obvious. My anxiety stemmed from the concern that I wouldn’t be able to rush into the correct alignment of light/bird/camera for a photo before he flew off. As a photographer, I am entirely dependent on the light. Photography is a reflective art, mirroring back nature’s beauty rather than creating ab initio. If I could just get into the right position, I would take a beautifully illuminated portrait. From the other side, though, I’d have only a shadowed glimpse.

The story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt is truly epic. From the plagues through to the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the Sea of Reeds, “the strong hand and an outstretched arm” manifested on a massive scale. But there is subtlety too. A pillar of smoke or fire led the Israelites - until just before the crossing of the sea, when the pillar moved behind them. My Chumash describes this pillar as casting light for the Israelites while simultaneously shadowing the pursuing Egyptians. The same pillar, both light and shadow, illuminating and obscuring.

Our identities, too, are often a function of the light and where we are in relation to it. We position ourselves in different ways, allowing some aspects of our selves broad expression while other facets of who we are remain concealed. So much of our growth is defined less by changes in our essential being and rather by what we choose to reveal or to express. On which side of the pillar do we stand? In light or in shadow? Like the Kiskadee, proper alignment with the light reveals our finest nature and gives us guidance on our own journeys to our own promised land.