Two Kinds of Darkness, Two Kinds of Light
Points to Ponder #15: Bo | Translated by Leah Hartman
Painting: Jaison Cianelli
Of the Ten Plagues inflicted upon Egypt, the ninth was darkness. This is how the Torah describes it:
... and there was thick darkness over the entire land of Egypt for three days. They did not see each other, and no one rose from his place for three days... (Exodus 10:22-23)
As we can see, the phrase “three days” appears twice. From a simple reading of the verse, it appears that the purpose of this repetition is only for emphasis, and that the plague lasted three days. The Jewish Sages, however, suggested a different reading: that the plague lasted six days and consisted of two three-day stages, each involving a different kind of darkness. In the first three days, there was ordinary darkness: it was pitch black and “They did not see each other...” But in the final three days there was a darkness which the Sages dubbed “double darkness.” This was a tangible darkness, one so thick and heavy that people couldn’t move: “...and no one rose from his place for three days.”
[According to the Sages, the concept of tangible darkness was also alluded to in G-d’s decree of the plague of darkness in the preceding verse (Exodus 10:21), which employed the enigmatic word vayamesh. The Sages interpreted this word as stemming from the word mamash, which means real and tangible.]
These two types of darkness beautifully match the two classic answers given to the question, “What is darkness?” The more familiar answer, which fits the explanation from physics, says that darkness is simply the absence of light. When there’s no light, whether physical or spiritual, darkness prevails. This is what took place in Egypt during the first three days of the plague.
The second answer is that darkness is something real, an actual entity. This kind of darkness is implied by the phrase used by Isaiah, “creates darkness” (boreh choshech, Isaiah 45:7), which is contrasted to “forms light” (yotzer ohr). While formation (“forms light”) is merely a change of form, “something from something,” creation (“creates darkness) is creatio ex nihilo, the coming-into-existence of “something from nothing.” This suggests that darkness as an actual “something.”
In the field of physics, an equivalent can be found in the concept of dark matter, which according to theory comprises the majority of the matter in the universe, or alternatively in the concept of black holes, which are actually stars that are so heavy they swallow their own light and appear dark.
Mental Darkness, Emotional Darkness
Where do these two kinds of darkness manifest in the realm of the human psyche? The most basic explanation offered by Hasidic teachings is that the absence-of-light darkness exists on the emotional plane, and the tangible darkness on the intellectual plane. But when you go deeper, you see that there exists between the two something called inter-inclusion, meaning that both kinds exist on both levels, as follows:
On the emotional level, there is a darkness that comes merely from lack of warmth and love, a lack of closeness to people or surroundings that evoke positive emotions. But there is also a heavier emotional darkness, more real and tangible, that stems from traumas or emotional wounds. This darkness is so palpable it can make it impossible to ‘move’ emotionally, that is, to advance in life.
The same applies on the intellectual plane. There is a mental darkness that flows from a lack of positive thinking or from a failure to engage in constructive content. Much like a vacuum, such an empty mind attracts dark thoughts. But there is also a more thickly woven intellectual darkness, which manifests as fully fledged, fully reasoned worldviews, the kind which suggest life is stark and meaningless, and breed a dark, brooding pessimism. Here too, once the mind is locked into such a paradigm, it becomes exceedingly hard for it to open up to more optimistic or spiritually-oriented ways of thinking.
Two Kinds of Light
There is a well-known Jewish precept that says “A little light dispels much darkness”: the moment one lights a candle or turns on a lamp in a dark room, it is immediately lit up, and the same applies on a spiritual level. But lesser known is the precept’s second half: “... and much light transforms darkness into light.”
On the surface, the phrases “a little light” and “much light” describe only a quantitative difference. According to this understanding, if we just add more and more light, more and more positive energy, it will succeed in both dispelling all of the negative energy and also somehow transform it into a positive one. But, on further thought, it seems more accurate to think of these phrases as describing a qualitative difference between two kinds of light. The “little” light signifies relatively simple positive energy, such as a heart-warming melody, words of encouragement, or a short and sweet Torah teaching. Conversely, the “much” light signifies a richer, more profound kind of positive energy, such as that found in a deep melody of longing, in a heartfelt conversation, or an in-depth and mind-expanding Torah.
These two kinds of light correspond exactly to the two kinds of darkness we’ve described. Facing a darkness that is nothing but the absence of light, it is enough to shine “little” light: warmth and love dispel this darkness from the heart, and short, sweet ideas banish it from the mind.
But the case of the tangible darkness is more complex and nuanced. For starters, we now realize that this darkness isn’t meant to be dispelled at all, but rather transformed into light. Whether it be an emotional trauma or a materialistic worldview, a treasure of light lies buried within it, just waiting for someone who doesn’t fear its dark mask to come and reveal it.
Secondly, this transformation cannot be handled by the “little” light. Only the “much” light has what it takes to penetrate the thick darkness, wrestle with it, and unravel it. On the emotional plane, this can be deep emotional therapy that helps one overcome a trauma or a wound and discover the blessing hidden within. On the intellectual level, it can be a deep Torah teaching that pierces a pessimistic worldview and illuminates it from within, raising the spark of holiness it contains.
People who go through life with a tangible darkness in their hearts or minds may be endlessly exposed to the “little”-type light, but it won’t change them one bit. The only way the darkness in them can be healed is if someone sits with them and shines “much” light into them . Such people are an invitation to all of us to become masters of light, specializing in transforming the darkness of the world into a great light.
Hi there,
This is great! Welcome back to the internet. I am already a subscriber.