One of the most enigmatic of all the plagues brought upon Egypt was the plague of darkness. First came three days of thick darkness and then three additional days when the darkness was so "tangible" that no one could move. The
Birkat Mordechai
asks
,
how can darkness be so physically oppressive as to prevent movement? Why was this plague necessary? What made it different?
Rashi tells us that the darkness served two purposes. First, a portion of the Jewish people had assimilated and did not merit to be redeemed. Hashem killed them during the plague of darkness so that the Egyptians would not see them die and mockingly assert that the Israelites were also suffering. Second, Hashem had promised Avraham that his descendants would leave Egypt with great riches. The darkness gave the Israelites the opportunity to uncover the places where the Egyptians hid their treasures so those Egyptians could not deny later that they had them.
The Areshet Sefateynu asks what was the nature of this darkness? The Torah does not say that the Jews had no darkness. Rather, "There was light
be'moshvoteyhem
, in their dwellings." He further notes that the verb
yomush
, as in
v'yamesh choshech
, often means "remove." How can we reconcile the idea of removing darkness with the tangibility of this darkness? What was the source of this darkness?
The Tanna, Rabbi Yehudah, claims that this darkness originated in the highest realms of heaven, in absolute purity. On the other hand, Rabbi Nechemiah claims it emanated from the regions of
Gehinom
. According to Rabbi Yehudah, this darkness was parallel to the state of nothingness before creation when only God existed. But since the wicked are unworthy of witnessing such purity, they simply could not see.
The
Ohr Gedalyahu
observes that the ten plagues parallel the ten utterances of creation, but in reverse order. The ninth plague of darkness parallels the utterance, "Let there be light." When Hashem created light, He also created its opposite, darkness. Anyone who believed in God, lived in light. Anyone who did not, lived in darkness. Rabbi Wolbe citing the Saba of Slabodka adds that during the plague people were able to see individual Divine providence. The light shone for everyone, yet each individual perceived it differently.
Mima'amakim
explains that at the beginning of creation Hashem did indeed see that the light was good. This was the light of absolute clarity in which man could see all the secrets of the hidden world. But Hashem was afraid it would be abused by evil people, so He concealed it behind layers of darkness.
Mima'amakim
cites the
Malbim
who says that the plague was not darkness or an absence of light, but the original, completely spiritual, bright, light. While the Israelites gained clarity with this light to the point that they could see the hidden treasures, the Egyptians were blinded by its intensity. As Rabbi Schlesinger quoting the Kedushat Levi explains,
V'yameish choshech
means the darkness was palpable. The veils of darkness that hid the original light were removed.
Rabbi Pincus uses this idea to give us some contemporary advice. The way for us to subdue our enemies today is no different from the way it was then. Through the light of Torah and mitzvot we can move forward and paralyze them.
The
Ner Uziel
writes that light exists both in the upper spiritual world and in the lower, physical realm. What the Torah refers to as light is actually a manifestation of the spiritual essence known as truth. As light is truth and clarity, darkness is confusion and a distorted view of reality. This confusion paralyzed the Egyptians and prevented them from moving forward. In contrast, the Jews experienced heightened awareness. One who "can't see the light" has no understanding, notes Rabbi Ezrachi. If there's a break in communication between the brain's message and the appropriate limb, the limb will not move. The darkness of the Egyptians was intellectual. They had lost all understanding and couldn't even function in the world.
What allowed Bnei Yisroel to be redeemed? It was nothing more than an intense desire for that redemption. We must open our eyes, for we are also submerged in darkness. Hashem is waiting for us.
