Torah to Go - Parashat Bo And Moshe stretched forth his hand toward heaven and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings (Exodus 10:22-23). Much has been written about the plague of darkness. It wasnt, according to our sages, the absence of sunlight. It was a much more ominous darkness, a darkness, the Midrash offers, not of the eyes but of the heart. What kind of darkness is one where no one could see each other, where no one could get up and move? A number of opinions are offered, amongst them being: It was the darkness of Gehinom, where the presence of the Divine was completely concealed. It was a darkness as thick as a gold coin. It was a darkness of bondage, as a punishment for the Egyptians measure for measure. The Egyptians couldnt move for three days just as they would not allow the enslaved Israelites to leave Egypt for three days to go and worship the Lord. Each type of darkness is suggestive. Each one offers insights into the darkness we experience in todays world: Which of these dark-nesses can be equated to the violence around us? To the hatred and bigotry we face? To the occluded vision because of an emphasis on material? And what was the nature of the light in the dwellings of the Israelites? Light represents redemption as Isaiah teaches (9:1): The people that walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light, i.e., will be liberated from the yoke of their enemies. Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin connects this darkness to redemption through a lesson from the Talmud Brachot: When is the proper time to recite the morning Shema - meaning when does night pass into day? When you are able to see the face of another human being. Redemption comes, darkness is lifted, when we can perceive the radiating light of the divine presence in our fellow human beings. Yet, as we know from the Egyptians who enslaved our ancestors, it is easy to create suffering, to cause others to bear our own burdens. Much gets in the way of seeing the other as an extension of ourselves and of all others connected to the ultimate Other. Darkness surrounds us in our own pains, fears, insecurities which obstruct our views thus eclipsing the light. Our challenge as we face this plague is to always strive to see the face of another human being. And in that face, experience the presence of the One. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Richard Camras
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 21:28:16 +0000
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