Shtiebel 929 Zechariah 1

(16) This is what our sages said: "'You make darkness, and it is night' (Ps. 104:20) - this refers to this world which is analogous to night." (Bava Metzia 83b).

(17) How wondrous is this truthful statement to one who delves deeply to understand it. For behold the darkness of night causes man's eyes to err in two ways. (1) it covers the eye so that he cannot see at all what is before him. (2) Or it deceives him so that a pillar appears as if it is a man or a man as a pillar.

(18) So too, the material and physicality of this world - behold it is darkness of night to the eye of the intellect, and causes him to err on two fronts:

(19) First, it prevents him from seeing the stumbling blocks standing in the ways of this world.

(20) Thus the simpletons walk confidently, fall and are lost without having felt any prior fear. This is what scripture refers to: "the way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble" (Prov. 4:19), and "the clever one foresees the evil and hides himself, but the foolish commits transgression and is punished" (Prov. 22:3), and "[a wise one fears and departs from evil], but the fool transgresses and feels confident" (Prov 14:16). For they feel as secure as an edifice, and they fall before having any knowledge whatsoever of the stumbling block.

(21) The second error, and this is even worse than the first, is that [the darkness] distorts their sight until they literally see evil as if it were good and good as if it were evil. Thus they strengthen in clenching to their evil ways. For not only do they lack the [proper] vision to see the truth, to perceive the evil right in front of their eyes, but they also see fit to conjure up great proofs and convincing evidences to support their evil logic and false ideas.

(22) This is the great evil which envelopes them and clings to them, carrying them to the abyss of destruction. This is what scripture states: "the heart of this people has become fattened, and its ears heavy, their eyes covered shut; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed" (Isaiah 6:10).

(23) All this is due to their being under [the influence of] darkness and held captive under the dominion of their evil inclination. But those who already escaped from this prison are able to see the truth clearly and can counsel other people on it.