"G-d said, 'Let there be light,' and there was
light. G-d saw that the light was good (Tov) ..." (Bereshit 1:3-4)

The first time that the letter Tet, the letter for the month of Av, appears in the Torah
is in the account of the creation of light which G-d calls Tov, good. This
initial light is understood by our sages to be the profound spiritual light that
is hidden away for the righteous, as it is too intense to be openly present in
creation. This hidden spiritual light, this goodness, is a basic concept of the
letter Tet. The outer physical shape of the Tet creates an enclosed space. It is
a vessel that holds "light". With its gematria of 9, the Tet is further
associated with the nine months of pregnancy and the nurturing of the hidden
goodness and light that is to born (the white or negative space inside the Tet
is in the shape of an embryo).

One of G-d's names is Tov. With this name we recognize that everything is created from this primordial light that is Tov. Different dimensions of creation present us, though, with varying degrees of concealment. Our challenge is to see that good is present and that we need to
remove or see through the camouflage that conceals the light. The expression,
"Gam zu le' Tova"- "This is also for good" is not an attempt to deny the pain or
sorrow of particular circumstances, but rather to articulate a trust that
goodness is present, though it may be deeply concealed. Interestingly, one of
the words in Hebrew for trust is Bitachon (Bet- Tet- Chet-Vav- Nun). The Tet of
Bitachon hints to us that trust is about accepting that good is concealed in
places we might not expect and that G-d is present in all circumstances
directing them ultimately for the good.

With this beginning understanding of the letter Tet and concealed goodness, we can begin to appreciate that one of the major theological challenges confronting us -- the existence of evil --
takes on a different light. We tend to think in opposites like Good or Evil,
Pure or Impure, Life or Death . If Tet teaches us that everything is concealed
light, and is good, then our ideas about ultimate states of being shift to a
continuum. Goodness, purity, and life are on the end of the spectrum of more
revealed light. Evil, impurity, and death are at the other end of the spectrum
which are connected with densely concealed light (the words for pure-Tahor and
impure-Tameh both begin with the letter Tet). How we perceive this basic idea
has a profound impact on how we lead and understand our lives.

Our greatest doubts about the truth of what Tet tells us, that all is concealed goodness and
light, arise in times of personal or communal tragedy. How fitting, it is, that
Tet is the letter for the month of Av, the month in which we commemorate the
greatest tragedies of the Jewish people. Most significantly, the date on which
these tragedies occurred is the 9th of Av -- the Tet day of Av! G-d's light of
Tov could not be more concealed than on this date. Yet, the Tet, of the month of
Av reminds us there is another way -- a Tet way --to experience this day. As we
mournfully chant from the Book of Lamentations and recite the Kinot on the 9th
of Av, we are asked to see this day as deeply and densely concealed light that
one day will emerge in all of its brightness. We trust that one day all of the
light of the 9th of Av will be revealed. All of its goodness will be fully
realized and it will be celebrated as a Yom Tov, a Good Day! The darkest day of
our calendar is the one that holds the most potential for light. Our tradition
teaches us that the Mashiach will be born on the 9th of Av. The pregnancy will
be over and the concealed light will be born.

Addendum: Did you notice the thought crossing your mind, Rosh Hashana will soon be here? Although the next month of Elul begins our process of rectification and repentance for the past
year, the month of Av is a precursor to our reflections and commitments to the
future. When a person confronts the unrealized aspirations of the past year-on a
national level the unfulfilled coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the
Temple- and on a personal level-each according to their measure- he or she can
recommit to being the person that is a true expression of the full radiance of
light that is inside them.