Darkness and Light

Hashem said to Moshe, “Stretch forth your hand toward the heavens and there shall be darkness upon the land of Egypt and one will feel the darkness.”[1]

The Gemara[2] relates the word חֹשֶׁךְ, darkness, to eternal death. They forfeited their share in the eternal light of Torah in exchange for the temporal pleasures in Egypt.

What happened? Rav Schwab zt”l explains:

“Hashem was telling Klal Yisrael to forgo the “fleshpot” of Egypt. What ‘fleshpot’ are we talking about? The Gemara says that from Rosh Hashanah before the Nissan of yetzias Mitzrayim, the enforcement of the labor decrees and slavery against Bnei Yisrael were suspended due to plagues. During this six month period, our forefathers lived a relaxed and good life in Egypt. Having been spared the ravages of the ten plagues against the Egyptians, which our forefathers experienced as ten miracles, they enjoyed their lives of leisure there, while eating and drinking at ‘the fleshpots of Egypt…’ The purpose of yetzias Mitzrayim was to elevate Bnei Yisrael from the depths of Egyptian culture and society.[3]

Hashem was sending them the following message:

“Your eyes have חָשֹׁךְ, darkened, from ‘meat and gefilte fish’ - the physicality of Egypt. You have שָׁכַח, forgotten, that the higher purpose of Me taking you out of Egypt was for you to develop a relationship with Me and receive the Torah. In that case, you’ll die in חֹשֶׁךְ, darkness.”

In Seifer Bereishis, the shevatim tell Pharaoh, “For there is no pasture for the sheep of your servants, for the famine is severe in the Land of Canaan.”[4]

This posuk can be interpreted as a metaphor. Sheep is a reference to Klal Yisrael. As the Novi says, “My sheep (Israel) have been scattered all over the earth...”[5] Famine is a reference to Torah. For the Novi says, “… I will send a hunger into the land; not a hunger for bread nor a thirst for water, but to hear the words of Hashem.”[6] Klal Yisrael cannot survive in any land without spiritual oasis’s – batei medrashos or yeshivos – in which Torah is learned.

The Medrash[7] says, “חָשֹׁךְ, darkness, is the exile of Greece, for they darkened the vision of Yisrael with their decrees.” The goal and agenda of the Greeks was לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּורָתֶךָ, to make us forget Hashem’s Torah. The root of לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם is שָׁכַח, forget.

Rav Chaim of Volozhin states, “One who does not learn Torah walks in darkness.”[8] For Torah is the real thing.[9] Everything is in it[10] and everything else – no matter how dazzling it is – is just fake.”[11] As the Medrash[12] says, “Hashem looked into the Torah and built His world.”[13]

If someone asked you to define Judaism in three words, what would your response be? Probably the same as Wikipedia’s: “A monotheistic religion.” It isn’t a religion. Then what is it? Avos D’Rebbe Nosson[14] says, “‘Torah is called Life,’ as it is stated, ‘It is a tree of life for those who grasp it and its supporters are praiseworthy.’”[15] In fact, if you type the word lifestyle into google translator, guess what pops up? Orach Chayim, which is what a Jew lives his life according to! Judaism is not a religion, but a lifestyle.

Rav Tzadok HaKohein of Lublin says that darkness - when things seem to be at their worst - is really Hashem’s way of preparing the way up to the light of salvation.[16] For the Medrash[17] states, “From distress, trouble or misfortune, comes relief, from the darkness, comes illumination.” As Dovid HaMelech says, “Salvation is found in troubles.”[18]

The Novi says, “Although I have fallen, I will rise and although I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light to me.”[19] However, the Medrash interpret this posuk slightly differently, “Because I have fallen, I will rise and because I sit in darkness, Hashem will be my light.”[20] It is the experience of descent that brings a person to rise.

The Gemara[21] says, “This World is compared to darkness…” Why? For the word חֹשֶׁךְ, darkness – as we already said – when flipped around spells שָׁכַח, forget. In this world, we sometimes forget that what we perceive as evil is not evil in the ‘eyes’ of G-d. We must remember that G-d is the ultimate good and therefore, even the worst evil will eventually revert to good.[22] Man may do evil, but even this will be redeemed by G-d and ultimately be turned into good. In this world, we must bless G-d for both good and evil,[23] but in the Future World; we will realize that there is nothing but good.[24]

May we choose life[25] – to follow the Torah’s guidelines - and merit to soon see the day when Hashem will redeem us and proclaim, “I am ‘Proud’ that a Few of My children managed to survive the Spiritual Holocaust of the American Exile!”[26]

Dedicated in memory of Miriam Liba bas R’ Aharon – a tzadeikes in our time,; Dovid Tzvi ben Yosef Yochanan, Kayla Rus bas Bunim Tuvia, Chana Tziporah bas HaRav Nochum Yehuda HaKohein, Dovid ben Uri HaLevi, Sarah bas Henoch Avraham, Dovid Avraham ben Chiya Kehos, Rafael Chaim Yitzchak Yaakov ben Binyamin Yehudah, Berinah Z’latah bas Reuven Yitzchak, Yosef ben Moshe HaLevi, Rafael Shachar ben Aharon, Aliza bas Henreias, Moshe ben Aliza, Yitzchak Hillel ben Aliza, Henreias Leah bas Aliza, Tuvyah Shlomo ben Naftali Tzvi HaKohein, Altah Soshah Devorah bas Aryeh Leibush, Mashah Tzivyah bas R’ Shlomo Zalman, Shmuel Dovid HaLevi ben R’ Yosef Moshe HaLevi, Yehudah Ruvein ben Meir, Esther Perel bas R’ Shlomo, Avraham Yosef ben Meir Dovid ​​​​​​​and as a merit for a complete recovery of Chayah Malka bas Bas-Sheva, Menachem ben Rivka, Rivka bas Esther Rochel, Shilat bas Louza Aliza, Daniel ben Louza Aliza, Avraham ben Louza Aliza, Yosef ben Ahuva Masuda and among the other sick ones of our nation.