In the street of the blind, they call the one-eyed man “the great light.
Figuratively: In a place where there is no knowledge, even someone who knows only a little is considered wise (literally, “one-eyed” is a term for a person blind in one eye; in the original biblical source it means “open-eyed”).
("Noah was a just and perfect man in his generations - in his generations, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nehemiah, Rabbi Yehuda said in his generations there was a righteous man. Were these in the generation of Moses or Samuel? There was no righteous man. In the market, they call the blind 'Shatum Ha'ayin,' the great light." - Bereishit Rabbah (Vilna), Parashat Noah, Section 30)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
בִּרְחוֹב הָעִוְּרִים מְכַנִּים אֶת 'שְׁתוּם הָעַיִן' הַמָּאוֹר הַגָּדוֹל
Definition (Hebrew)
בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ יֶדַע, גַּם מִי שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ מְעַט נֶחֱשָׁב לֶחָכָם (שְׁתוּם עַיִן כִּנּוּי לָאָדָם הָעִוֵּר בְּעַיִן אַחַת. בַּמָּקוֹר הַמִּקְרָאִי הַכַּוָּנָה לְ"פָּקוּחַ עַיִן").
("נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו-בְּדוֹרוֹתָיו, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר בְּדוֹרוֹתָיו הָיָה צַדִּיק, הָא אֵלּוּ הָיָה בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה אוֹ בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל שְׁמוּאֵל לֹא הָיָה צַדִּיק, בַּשּׁוּק סְמָיַיא צְוָחִין לְעַוִּירָא סַגִּי נָהוֹר"-בְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (וִילְנָא) פָּרָשַׁת נֹחַ פָּרָשָׁה ל)