Nachschlagewerk zu Mischlej 20:32

Rav Chisda performed a similar feat of interpretation in connection with the law of “searching out leaven”. How do we know that leavened bread must be searched out before Passover with a candle? In dealing with the matter the Bible says “rye shall not be found for seven days” (Exodus, 12, 19) and since in the story of Joseph’s cup the Bible says “and he searched and he found” (Genesis, 44, 12) it is clear that in order to find one must search, and there is a Biblical verse concerning searching which states “I will search Jerusalem with candles” (Zephaniah, 1, 12) so that we know that in order to search to find, one must use candles. And if we wish to know how many candles to use there is a verse which states “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Proverbs, 20, 27). From this we may infer that if one searches in order to find, one should search with one candle.²³⁾פּסחים ז׳ ב׳.

How pitiful if man’s sufferings do not bring him to a spiritual crisis, and his soul remains frozen ‎and ‎bereft of forgiveness. How pitiful is the sufferer if his soul is not warmed by the flame of ‎suffering, ‎and if his wounds do not spark “the Candle of God” (Proverbs 20:27) within him. When ‎pain ‎wanders in the wide world as a blind force without purpose, a stinging indictment of the man ‎who ‎squanders his suffering issues forth.‎