From the Chassidic Masters

King Solomon was baffled; Moses turned pale. Indeed, only the most incomprehensible of Divine decrees—the law of the red heifer—can act as an antidote for the most incomprehensible of human experiences—the phenomenon of death.

There must be important and less important things, primary and secondary goals, severe and less severe setbacks. But no less crucial are the moments and experiences that bring us in touch with the underlying singularity of our existence . . .

Perhaps it was the oils of the black bird’s feathers that refracted the light of the sun into so many rainbows. Perhaps it was the mystery of her absolute blackness, or the contrast she held against the bright morning sky. All that could be said is that it was a beauty as indefinable as black is dark.