The Light Through Noah’s Window

What kind of lights were on Noah’s Ark?
Floodlights!

Corny, I know. But the Torah itself asks a real question about the Ark’s light. When God instructs Noah to build the Ark, He adds one curious detail: 

צֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה

Make a tzohar for the Ark. (Bereishit 6:16)

What exactly is a tzohar?

Rashi, quoting the Midrash, offers two possibilities:

“Some say it was a window; others say it was a precious stone that shone and provided light.”

A window brings in light from the outside. It connects us to the world beyond—the rising sun, the promise of renewal. Even as the floodwaters raged, Noah needed to believe that light still existed beyond the Ark’s walls. Yet a window also exposes us: it lets in the storm, and it lets the world look in.

A precious stone, by contrast, filters the light. It glows softly, refracting brightness from within. It protects from the outside while still illuminating the inside. It’s a kind of spiritual “frosted glass.” With such a tzohar, Noah could shield himself from the chaos around him while preserving the light within.

So, which did Noah have—a window or a gem?

Chizkuni suggests both.

There were moments when Noah needed to face the full glare of reality through a window, and moments when he needed the protection of the gem’s filtered glow.

Like Noah, we need both.

At times, we must filter what enters our lives - shielding ourselves from the noise, cynicism, or negativity that can cloud our vision. We create boundaries through community, tradition, and values. This kind of tzohar protects our inner light.

But too much filtering becomes its own darkness. Living entirely behind frosted glass can turn faith into an echo chamber. We risk mistaking insulation for illumination. To truly grow, we need to open the window—to see beyond ourselves, to encounter new ideas and perspectives, to let in the full light of the world.

After the Flood, the Torah tells us: “Vayiftach Noach et chalon ha-teivah - Noah opened the window of the Ark.”

Perhaps the message is that protection alone is not enough. Faith demands engagement. We must learn when to filter and when to face the world head-on.

The tzohar teaches us not to choose between a window or a gem but to balance both - to live with clarity and courage, light and limits.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks captured this beautifully:

“The challenge for our time is to open a series of windows so that the world can illuminate our understanding of Torah, and so that the Torah may guide us as we seek to make our way through the world.”

When a door closes, a window opens. That window lets light in - and lets light out.

Our task is to absorb the best of what enters, elevate it, and let it shine forth as Torah light to the world. In this way, what glows within us can illuminate far beyond us.