When Will we Emerge from the Plague of Darkness?

 

Parashat Bo
When Will we Emerge from the Plague of Darkness? 

Unblocking the Dark Cloud Blocking us from Moving Forward

Light is essential in spiritual healing. As part of my spiritual healing practice, I often light candles for the soul elevation of holy people from the time of the Bible until today. Connecting with these great role models helps shed light on our current quandaries, pulling us up from the murkiness that blocks our path. When we have tapped into the particular block(s) that we are experiencing, we pray for Hashem’s Infinite Light to illuminate us, our lives, and the darkness that blocks us from moving forward and coming closer to the Divine. Actually, Hashem Himself is called אוֹר אֵין סוֹף/Ohr Ein Sof – ‘Infinite Light’ by the Arizal and various other kabbalists. Light is associated with spirituality and wisdom. A wise intelligent person is regarded as being filled with light and therefore called ‘bright.’ When we are disillusioned, confused, and depressed, G-d forbid, we are like walking in darkness. Any kind of trauma we may have experienced in our lives can also be compared to darkness. Whenever something is stuck in our lives, it is like there is a dark cloud hovering over us, pushing us down by hiding Hashem’s light. Such a cloud of darkness could become a barrier between us and Hashem, preventing our prayer from penetrating the gate of heaven. It could also dim our Emunah (faith), disorient us, and make us lose our self-confidence. In creating the world, Hashem contracted, so to speak, His Infinite Light to make room for the world. Yet He gave us an opportunity to return this lost light by connecting with Him through keeping the Torah and mitzvot. “For a mitzvah is a candle, and Torah is light” (Mishlei 6:23). Lighting candles is so central to Judaism, as light represents the Divine light. All darkness that we experience is the hiding of Hashem’s light. When we learn Torah, perform a mitzvah, engage in spiritual healing, or light candles, especially the Shabbat and holiday candles, which we have a mitzvah to ignite, we return sparks of the original light back into the world.  

What is the Root of Darkness?

Parashat Bo describes the last three plagues that Hashem inflicted upon Egypt. These plagues, and especially the plague of darkness became the turning point, preparing the way for the Exodus:

ספר שמות פרק י פסוק כב וַיֵּט משֶׁה אֶת יָדוֹ עַל הַשָּׁמָיִם וַיְהִי חשֶׁךְ אֲפֵלָה בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׁלשֶׁת יָמִים:

“So Moshe stretched forth his hand toward the heavens, and there was thick darkness over the entire land of Egypt for three days” (Shemot 10:22).

The midrash explains that Egypt deserved the plague of darkness because they refused to accept Hashem’s authority upon themselves (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 14:1). Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain asks why the midrash tells us this, as it is well known that all the plagues were inflicted upon Egypt because the Egyptians defied Hashem and refused to let the Children of Israel go. The answer is alluded to in the continuation of the Midrash regarding the root of darkness:

Whence did that darkness come? Rabbi Yehuda said: From the darkness above, for it says: “He made darkness His hiding place, His pavilion round about Him” (Tehillim 18:12). Rabbi Nechemiyah said: It came from the darkness of Gehinnom… (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 14:2). 

The Plague of Darkness – Darkening the Mind

There is a difference between the plague of darkness and the rest of the plagues. The prior plagues only blocked the hearts of the Egyptians, weakening their strength and enthusiasm. Although they lost their heart, they didn’t lose their mind, and they continued to understand reality. Yet, the plague of darkness also affected their mind, darkening the eyes of their intellect, to the extent that they no longer could see what was before them. Therefore, following the plague of darkness, Pharaoh was overtaken by foolishness. Although during all the prior plagues he was unable to harm Moshe, he still threatened to kill Moshe saying: “If the son of Amram comes to me, I will kill him, crucify him, and I will burn him.” Yet, when Moshe entered, Pharaoh would immediately behave as a staff [unable to act on his threats]. (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 9:4). How could Pharaoh make such foolish threats? How could he forget that during all the prior plagues his hands were completely tied? This was because his eyes had become darkened, and he was unable to fathom his reality.

The Plague of Darkness in our Time

It seems to me that we are currently experiencing an abundance of spiritual darkness, wherein people are losing their minds. An estimated 26% of Americans aged 18 and older – about 1 in 4 adults – suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Likewise, dementia is rapidly increasing in the world. Arizal teaches us, that the process of our current redemption follows the pattern of the Exodus as it states:

ספר מיכה פרק ז פסוק טו כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת:

“As in the days of your Exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders” (Michah 7:15). 

We have seen many plagues during the last decades, tsunamis, floods, forest fires, Coronavirus disease and more. Perhaps, as we approach the final redemption we are now entrenched in darkness, the plague before the last one. Yet, while the minds of the Egyptians were darkened the minds of the children of Israel were unaffected as it states,

ספר שמות פרק י פסוק כג לֹא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו וְלֹא קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו שְׁלשֶׁת יָמִים וּלְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה אוֹר בְּמוֹשְׁבֹתָם:

“They did not see each other, and no one rose from his place for three days, but for all the children of Israel there was light in their dwellings” (Shemot 10:23).

Also, today we have the ability to keep our souls and minds alert by connecting with Hashem’s light through keeping Torah and Mitzvot, and through meditation and spiritual healing!

EmunaHealing Exercise for Tapping into the Hidden Light within the Darkness
(Based on Rabbi Rachamim Bitton)
1. Make yourself comfortable, close your eyes and allow all inner images to pass through you.
Perhaps there may be lopsided shapes in different colors, allow yourself to watch whatever you see in your mind’s eye without making any judgments.  
2. Keep breathing slowly and let all the shapes pass through you until you experience an emptiness of black darkness. Breathe into the darkness, and allow yourself to be enveloped by this velvety, all-encompassing darkness with the awareness that this darkness is Hashem’s hiding place.
3. Within this darkness the greatest light is hiding. Recognize that the source of all light is Hashem. In the Torah, אוֹר/Ohr –‘light’ and חַיִּים/Chayim – ‘life’ energy is synonymous. The Source of all light is the source of all Life. Intend and allow yourself to connect to the Source of all Life, the life of all life, and the light of all light – Hashem.
4. In the Source Life energy perpetually flows. There’s a constant infinite flow of more and more life and light. There is only more and more light, deeper and deeper, greater and greater, sweeter and sweeter experience of life essence, in this world, and for all eternity. Our intention is to connect and completely surrender to the experience of this light, right now.
5. Connect to the light and experience it spreading throughout your body, permeating and saturating every atom, every molecule, and every cell of your body, both your spiritual body and your physical body. Imagine the Light completely dissolving any blemishes and any blocks... any darkness which you may be aware of… or which you are unaware of.... wherever they may be conscious or unconscious, right now.
6. Allow yourself to completely surrender to this Light, to this Life energy, to the Source of all Life until you feel so connected that you can imagine and feel you have become it. Become the light...
7. Now, sit in this state for as long as you can, peacefully and comfortably... enjoy it.
8. Visualize lovingly spreading this Light, sharing this light with your loved ones. Imagine and visualize sharing it with your family and friends, those that you are praying for, and all of Am Yisrael. Imagine and visualize spreading and sharing this light kindly with all of the Jewish people and with the entire world.
9. Become a channel for this Light of Hashem’s infinite life, transmitted through your soul, to be spread throughout the whole world, permeating, and saturating us all, so profoundly, dissolving any pain, healing and transforming us to renewed living and a deeper inclusion in the Light. As you spread this Light and share it with others, your experience of Light intensifies and increases.
10. Now, sit in this feeling of loving kindness for everyone. Recognize and connect to your inherent love for others, your unconditional love, and kindness, and your intrinsic desire to enrich the lives of others. From this loving place within your heart, share this pleasant, pleasurable experience of healing, redemption, and loving life energy with everyone and all.