Arts Shabes V: LIGHT! presented on Zoom on December 12, 2025 by the Shabes Committee was wonderfully warm both because of Jeff Berg’s presentation about his work lighting public spaces and because of participants sharing their thoughts about light, darkness, and their responses to Jeff’s work. For those who did not attend, you can see some of Jeff’s work at BergLightingDesign.com. A few photos of Jeff’s work are below.

In addition, we read some terrific poetry about darkness and light including:

Instead of Depression by Andrea Gibson

try calling it hibernation.
Imagine the darkness is a cave 
in which you will be nurtured 
by doing absolutely nothing.
Hibernating animals don’t even dream. 
It’s okay if you can’t imagine 
spring. Sleep through the alarm 
of the world. Name your hopelessness 
a quiet hollow, a place you go 
to heal, a den you dug, 
Sweetheart, instead 
of a grave.

A poem by Hafez, a 14th century Persian lyric poet from Shiraz, Iran 

Even after all this time,
the sun never says to the earth,
“You owe me.”
Look what happens
with a love like that:
it lights the whole sky.
— Hafiz

“Even After All This Time,” from The Gift: Poems Inspired by Hafiz, Daniel Ladinsky copyright 1999. www.danielladinsky.com.