Today we're going to discuss a pasuk in Micha. The Ramchal, Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, author of Mesilat Yesharim, writes in his Maamar HaGeulah/Essay on Redemption that this pasuk reveals the sod ha'bitachon Yisrael b'tikvatam/ the secret of the Jewish people's reliance on and hope for redemption, the geulah shlemah/complete redemption, bimherah v'yameinu, amen As we are in the Three Weeks, this is an extremely apropos piece. What is the pasuk? אל תשמחי איבתי לי כי נפלתי קמתי, כי אשב בחשך יהוה אור לי (מיכה ז' ח')/ Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light unto me." Says the Ramchal: In order for the redemption to come, there are many preparatory steps—many things that must happen beforehand. He says that when the Jewish people think that God has hidden His face from them and has forsaken them, actually what's happening is (quoting his words): Az HaKadosh Baruch Hu mechin lahem otzarot gedolim / God is preparing for them huge treasure houses, Asher l'rochvam ein ketz / whose expanse has no end, Ul'tovam ein tachlit / whose abundance is limitless. In these treasure houses, God places all the wonderful wealth, all the treasures of kings. He fills these treasure houses to the point where: Ein ha'peh yechola l'daber /the mouth cannot speak it, V'ha'ozen lishmoa/the ear cannot hear it, V'afilu l'lev l'harher/the heart cannot even fathom or imagine it. When the time of the geulah comes, all these treasure houses will be opened. What is in these treasure houses? Of course, we are not talking about gold and silver. The Ramchal continues and says about this secret: Al ha'sod ha'gadol ha'zeh — This is the great secret. This is the secret of our bitachon (faith/trust). How do we rely on Hashem and survive difficult times? He quotes another pasuk, and b'ezrat Hashem both of these pesukim we will discuss more at length: Samechenu k'mot initanu, shnot ra'inu ra'ah./Make us happy like the days You afflicted us, the years we saw evil." This means we tell God : We had difficult times, now make us happy corresponding to those times that you pained us. At first glance, it seems simple: You gave us ten bad days, now give us ten good days. The bad days are the bad days, and the good days are the good days. No, says the Ramchal. It's not just a one-for-one exchange—10 days of bad traded for 10 days of good. No. And again, in his words: Ki kol ha'yamim she'Yisrael b'galut/All the years that Israel was in exile, V'or lo nagah lahem /and the light did not shine for them, Oto ha'or ha'rauy l'otam ha'yamim lo avad/that light which was befitting for those days was not lost. This means every day has its light. And on days where the light doesn't shine, that light isn't gone—it's simply put away in the treasure house. Ha'or ha'hu HaKadosh Baruch Hu gonzo/ That light, God stores away. B'eleh ha'otzarot she'madachticha/ in those same treasure houses. Those treasure houses are full of the light that wasn't revealed. Az yetzei kol ha'or k'echad /Then, all the light will come out at once, as one abundant light So for every moment of darkness—of crusades, of Holocaust, of churban , of Gaza tunnels—every one of those moments of darkness, of absence of light, is being gathered and will one day explode in a single, immense burst. V'az yehiyeh zman simcha l'Yisrael asher kamo lo nihyata/And then will be a time of joy for the Jewish people like never before. That's the meaning of Samechenu k'mot initanu /The days of pain themselves are actually what create the light. Yitukan ha'olam b'menucha v'hashket /The world will be repaired with peace and serenity, V'lo yiyeh od yagon b'olam klal /and there will be no sorrow ever again . As we say: V'aseir mimenu yagon v'anacha/ remove from us sorrow and difficulties . So, these are two very powerful pesukim: 1 . כי אשב בחשך יהוה אור לי /When I sit in darkness, Hashem is light for me. He's explaining to us: It means that even though I am in darkness, there is light being created by the darkness. Because of the darkness the light is being stored in the treasure house. 2. שמחנו כימות עניתנו שנות ראינו רעה /Make us happy like the days that we were suffering the years we saw evil. These, according to the Ramchal—one of the greatest kabbalists—are the sod ha'bitachon Yisrael — the secret bitachon of the Jewish people. .