BLINDING BRILLIANCE
In this week’s Parsha, Bo, when HaShem instructs Moshe to deliver the plague of choshech, darkness, He says ‘stretch out your hand on the heavens and there shall be darkness on the land of Egypt, and ‘vayameish choshech’. The word ‘vayameish’ actually means to take away. This would imply that Egypt was to be covered with darkness by taking away the darkness. How do we make sense out of this statement?
The miracle of this plague is truly confounding; how can it be light for the Jew in the room and dark for the Egyptian in the same room at the same time? While we do not necessarily deserve an answer to this conundrum perhaps we can understand it with the following Midrash.
In the Midrash there is a dispute from where the darkness of Egypt came. One opinion is that it came from Geheinom and the second opinion is that came from Heaven. The second opinion is very difficult to reconcile with all the teachings of our Sages who identify the source of light as coming from HaShem. How can we ascribe the darkness of Egypt as coming from Heaven?
We have all experienced the blinding light of switching on the lights in a perfectly dark room. For a moment we can see nothing at all; it is truly blinding. After a mo-ment our eyes adjust and it is no longer blinding. The same is true when we look at the sun to which our eyes are not able to adjust and we become blinded. Excessive light is blinding.
The light of Heaven which refers to the light that emanates from HaShem is truly blinding. A mortal being is blinded by its brilliance. The only way we are able to see with this light is when there a darkening filter that is placed over the raw light which allows us to see. According to the second opinion the plague of Choshech was actually a removal of that darkening filter and hence the Egyptians were blinded. The light was so brilliant that they were paralyzed. HaShem in His kindness allowed us to see that light and were able to use it.
By the other plagues where the Torah mentions how the Jews were not struck by the plague it says that the Jewish people did not suffer the plague. However, by this plague of darkness in-stead of saying that the Jewish people did not have darkness it says that the Jewish people had light. The implication is that we did have a change in our environment; instead of suffering the blinding brilliance, that very light was usable and not blinding. We were able to process the new brilliant light.
Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky extrapolates from this plague a great lesson that has practical applications. There are times when we have a stroke of clarity of the responsibilities we have to HaShem and to His Torah. However, this clarity can often be blinding and paralyzing. The clarity drives us to take on projects that are far beyond our grasp. We know what we should be doing and realize that we are incapable of achieving it. The result is that we give up everything. Instead of mobilizing us to change, it paralyzes us and we sink.
In reality, however, because of our limited capabilities we should not attempt to undertake such grand projects. Rather keep our anticipated accomplishments small and reachable. While we pray to have clarity we must also have the insight how to channel that clarity.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind