Torah Fax
Friday, January 11, 2008 - 4 Shevat, 5768
Torah Reading: Bo (Exodus 10:1 - 13:16)
Candle Lighting: 4:30 PM
Shabbat ends: 5:34 PM
White Hole
One of the plagues that we read about in this week's parsha is the plague of darkness. It was obviously intended to punish the Egyptians as were the other plagues. But, in addition to the punishment aspect of these plagues, they also convey a spiritual and moral message; a message that is relevant to us in this day and age.
The plague of darkness is described in the Torah thus:
"G‑d said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand towards the heavens, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt. And the darkness will be one that can be felt.’ Moses stretched out his hand toward the heaven, and there was thick darkness over the entire land of Egypt for three days. No person could see his brother, nor could any person rise from his place for three days. However, the children of Israel had light in all their homes."
According to Rashi and others the plague of darkness lasted for two sets of three days. In the first three days they could not see one another; in the second set of three days they could not rise from their place.
In summary the Torah makes several salient points about the plague of darkness:
(a) It was a palpable form of darkness
(b) They could not see each other
(c) No one could rise
(d) It lasted for two sets of three days
How can we understand this plague in the context of our own spiritual lives? And how do all the above details fit into the message the Torah imparted to us in the description of this plague?
The obvious lesson from the plague of darkness is that when one is in Egypt, which in Hebrew (Mitzraim) means confinement and constraint, they become blind and desensitized towards others as well. We are in the confined and constrained atmosphere of Mitzraim when we put limits on our own moral and spiritual life. When we stifle our soul's desire to grow and break out of its shell and cocoon we suffer from the plague of darkness that affects our relationships with others as well.
This is what the Torah means when it says that "And there was thick darkness over the entire land of Egypt for three days. No person could see his brother." Each person in the spiritually dark and G‑dly challenged state of Mitzraim lives for himself and cannot see his fellow; even his own brother.
When one believes they are limited and confined in terms of spiritual development it causes them to remain in the dark even with respect to interpersonal relationships. When a person imposes artificial limits on their potential it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and they will be engulfed in darkness. The more we aspire to more spirituality and the more liberated our souls become, the more comfortable we will be with other people. Because the Egyptians were so constrained they couldn't even see one another.
But the plague of darkness was worse than just being in the dark. The darkness is described by the Torah as one that can be touched and felt. The implication is that this darkness was not just the absence of light but a substantive and palpable form of darkness.
In terms of our spiritual lives this suggests that there are two forms of insensitivity towards others. There are times in our lives that we may be missing some light; it is a temporary condition that can be remedied by the study of a little bit of Torah, a small gesture of kindness, participation in a Holiday celebration etc., for a little bit of light can dispel much darkness.
But, when one is in Mitzraim, when one's mindset and emotions are in a "straight jacket," the darkness becomes palpable. This darkness is analogous to the black hole phenomenon that doesn't allow any light to exist or escape; it swallows all of the light.
The Torah continues to describe this phenomenon and how it becomes a slippery slope. When there is profound darkness in a person's life, and depression and narcissism take over, it will eventually lead the person to the state where they cannot get out of their rut: "No person could see his brother, nor could any person rise from his place for three days." Their paralysis was so intense that even when they tried they could not lift themselves out of their morass. The situation so deteriorated that every effort at generating some light was quickly swallowed up by the "black hole" of Mitzraim.
This latter period of darkness where "no person could rise from his place” reigned for three days that followed the earlier three day period in which "No person could see his brother." The cycle begins with self-imposed constraints (Mitzraim). It degenerates into darkness and a breakdown of our interpersonal relationships and the narcissistic obsession with our own darkness. This, in turn, declines further into a state where we cannot rise; we are utterly helpless.
We can now understand somewhat the significance of the two three day periods.
In Kabbalah we are taught that the word "day" in the Torah can also refer to attributes; either G‑d's Divine Sefirot, or the soul's faculties and traits. For example, when G‑d created the world in six days, the Zohar explains, that in addition to the simple meaning of six days it means He created the world by way of His six emotional attributes.
Similarly here, when the Torah says that there was darkness for three days it can also mean that this palpable darkness affected their three dominant attributes. And since the Torah repeats the phrase "three days" it suggests that all six emotional attributes of the one who is in the "Mitzraim-black hole" were affected.
The first attribute is chesed, kindness and love. It is the first victim of darkness. One who is down in the dumps and so wrapped up in his or her own life cannot express love and show kindness to others. Either their energy is depleted or it is directed entirely towards themselves.
The second attribute is gevurah, which means judgment or discipline. When a person is in the dark, and depressed because of their Mitzraim situation they will look for pleasure in areas that ought to be off-limits. They find it hard to follow a discipline. Moreover, a person who becomes so self-absorbed will eventually become self-indulgent as well. The blinding self-love that comes from the darkness will cover up and make them blind to any of their own faults.
The third attribute known as Tiferet, is a blend and balance between chesed and gevurah. A person who is in the dumps and blind to other's needs and feelings is certainly not capable of striking the right balance between chesed and gevurah. When one suffers from an acute case of imbalance between body and soul, which is essentially what being in Mitzraim is all about, cannot be expected to maintain the delicate balance between their soul's faculties.
All the other attributes are either offshoots of the two attributes of chesed and gevurah. One salient difference between the first three and the last three is that the last three are emotions that are closer to one's actual behavior. They include, tenacity (Netzach), submission (Hod) and bonding (Yesod). Obviously the person who is emotionally and spiritually paralyzed by the darkness that engulfs his or her soul and cannot express love or compassion and lacks the power of discipline, cannot possibly be tenacious, submissive and capable of bonding with others.
How does one get out of Mitzraim?
The are three parts to the answer: First, we have to know that we are in distress; that we are in Mitzraim. Second, we must seek help. We cannot liberate ourselves. G‑d must take us out of Mitzraim. Third, our role in this process is to not resist being free. We must allow G‑d to take us out of this terrible state of darkness and not decide that we cannot ever get out of this rut.
Tragically, there were many Jews back then who did want to leave Egypt , and our Sages tell us that they all perished during the week of the plague of darkness. A Jew must, at the very least, harbor a desire to get out of his or her personal Mitzraim.
On the most basic level this means that a person who is in a rut must ask for help. This includes assistance from G‑d as well as assistance from those who are G‑d's agents for help. Going to a physician or a therapist is not a sign that one lacks faith, but, on the contrary, it is a sign that one believes that G‑d endowed people with the talent and knowledge to help others, which is the very reason He put us here in the first place.
This message is as timely now as it has ever been. We are at the tail end of exile and in many ways enveloped in darkness. And while in some places and individuals there is light, for even as they are in exile they maintain their proud identities as children of Israel, nevertheless, for a great many there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
We must know that they feel this way because they are in the straits of Mitzraim. They must also turn to G‑d and other sensitive messengers of G‑d for support and guidance, and must harbor a desire to leave exile; certainly not to resist getting out of exile, either the personal one or the collective one.
There is just one significant difference between the exodus from this exile and the one we experienced in Egypt. Whereas, those Jews who refused to leave perished in Egypt , our Sages promise us that G‑d will leave no Jew behind. Every one of us will be liberated from this exile and experience the future Messianic Age. Our cooperation is crucial nevertheless to help us make a smooth transition from exile to Redemption.
Moshiach Matters
“The life of the Previous Rebbe (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn) can be divided into 3 stages. The first is when he began spreading Chassidus during the lifetime of his father, Rebbe Sholom Dovber, the second is during his reign as Rebbe when he spread Chassidus throughout the world, including bringing Torah to America. The third stage is after 1950 (the years of the Rebbe’s leadership), when his work intensified
greatly, to the point that the world has become absolutely ready for the arrival of Moshiach!”
(The Rebbe, Parshas VaEra, 1992)
Moshiach - It’s a Jewish issue. For more info, visit www.moshiach.com
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