A Broken Heart Becomes Light
When a person falls from closeness to Hashem, the humble sorrow of the fall can itself become great light.
The Bas Ayin opens the Torah by teaching that creation came for the sake of awe. Israel were meant to cling to Hashem in deep reverence, but no one remains on that height always. Like the creatures in Yechezkel's vision that dart forth and return, a person sometimes falls, and the light of holiness dims in his heart. Then his heart breaks within him, ashamed to have drifted, and he becomes deeply humbled before Hashem. This, the Rebbe teaches, is the secret of the broken tablets, which were also kept in the Ark. The words describing the earth as formless and void speak of this stunned, shattered heart, and the very next words, Let there be light, show that such brokenness is turned into great light. Evening and morning become one day when humility joins the two states.
Source: Bas Ayin, Bereishis 2–5 (on Bereishis 1:1–3)
Everyone has days when davening feels dry or when they have fallen short of who they hope to be. Instead of sinking into harsh self-judgment, take two quiet minutes and let your heart soften. Tell Hashem honestly where you drifted and that you miss the closeness. Then make one small, concrete resolution for tomorrow, such as a calmer start to your morning blessings. The Bas Ayin teaches that this honest, humble ache is itself light, and that the distance can become the doorway back.