45 Cisterns

Brachot 34b

From above, the passerby sees only a few branches on the face of the desert, although there is a perfectly formed tree in the cistern, growing a long way up from below the surface. Spiritual growth starts from the desire to attain a higher level of consciousness. In their striving for the light, the penitents can only begin where they are – a place of darkness – but the roots of their insight are found in those dark, deep places.