When Darkness Fell, a Light Showed the Way

It was a peaceful morning in September 2001. Captain Jay Jonas, a veteran firefighter with over two decades of experience in the New York Fire Department, had just finished breakfast. He was getting ready to change shifts with his crew when the unimaginable happened. At exactly 8:46 AM, a loud, terrifying sound shook the air. A passenger plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Captain Jonas rushed to the scene with his team. “We saw two massive holes torn into the side of the building,” he recalled. “Thick black smoke and flames poured out. Even with 22 years of experience, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.”

As emergency crews organized their response, a second explosion suddenly rocked the area. Another plane had crashed into the South Tower. At that moment, everyone understood: this was no accident. It was an attack.

Captain Jonas and his fellow firefighters began to climb the North Tower—floor after floor—carrying heavy gear, stopping only briefly every ten flights to catch their breath. When they reached the 27th floor, everything changed again. They felt the South Tower begin to collapse. “It sounded like one floor crashing down on the next, like a massive chain reaction,” he said. “That’s when I realized we had to get out—fast. We might not make it out alive.”

As they ran down the stairwell, they feared every second might be their last. They waited for a huge piece of concrete to fall, for the building to crush them, but it didn’t happen. Then they reached the fourth floor—and discovered something shocking. The ground beneath them had disappeared. The first few floors had collapsed entirely. The fourth floor had become the ground.

Everything around them was filled with thick dust, smoke, and darkness. And then, out of nowhere, a small miracle appeared. “A beam of light broke through the stairwell,” Captain Jonas said, his voice full of emotion. “That narrow light helped us find the exit path.”

Grasping at that tiny glimmer of hope, they tied a rope around one firefighter and sent him forward toward where the light led. It worked. Slowly and carefully, they followed. They were able to lead others to safety as well. Against all odds, Captain Jonas and those with him made it out alive.

But just moments later, they turned around and saw a sight they would never forget—110 floors crashing down behind them, one after the other.

For those exploring Judaism, this story may feel deeply familiar. In the Torah, we often see that in the darkest moments, Hashem sends a small light—a path forward. Like the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites in the desert, or the oil that burned for eight days in the story of Chanukah, light represents hope, clarity, and Divine help when all seems lost.

Captain Jonas’s story is not just one of survival. It’s a reminder that even when the world is crumbling, even when we feel surrounded by darkness, Hashem can send a beam of light to lead us home.