The Kabbalah of Darkness
By: Lazer Gurkow ------------------------ The ninth of the Ten Plagues to be visited on Egypt was the plague of Darkness: “No person could see his brother, nor could any person rise from his place, for three days; but for the children of Israel, there was light in all their dwellings" (Exodus 10:23). The physical plague of darkness had its root in a spiritual darkness, which can be defined as the absence of G-d’s revealed presence. In discussing the spiritual origin of this plague the Midrash cites two opinions: Rabbi Nechemia taught that the darkness originated in the regions of geheinom (purgatory); Rabbi Yehudah taught that it originated in the celestial spheres. [1] The Chassidic masters explain the difference between these two forms of darkness: 1) The classic dark, associated with geheinom, acts as a curtain. When a curtain is drawn across a window it obstructs the sunlight and leaves the room thoroughly in the dark. This is the darkness of geheinom, where G-d’s presence is ...