?There was an opaque darkness in all Egypt, lasting for three days. People could not see one another, and no one left his place for three days. All of Israel, however, had light where they lived.? (Exodus 10:22-23)
Rashi explains that there were two levels to the darkness in Egypt: The first three days, in which ?people one could not see one another,? and another three days in which ?no one left his place,? i.e., those sitting could not stand and those standing could not sit.
Indeed, darkness is not just a physical phenomenon. Rather, it also alludes to the psychological and spiritual state of the individual and the community. If someone does not see his fellowman?s suffering, if he does not notice those around him, he must be sunken in spiritual and emotional darkness. That is the first level of decline.
Yet there is level that is worse still, in which a person lacks the emotional strength to move and to act, to get out of bed or to rise from one?s chair, due to his being sorrowful and depressed. That person is sunken in two-fold darkness, a black depression. The remedy to such darkness is to illuminate one?s soul. One can accomplish this by emerging from one?s private universe, from one?s pettiness, through all-encompassing vision, through addressing the needs of the public: ?All of Israel had light where they lived.? When a person rises to the level of empathizing with ?all of Israel,? when a person is an idealist, who gives and contributes, then his soul fills with light.
Today, we are living in a generation which enjoys a great deal of light but not a few shadows as well. Those shadows generally derive from people taking a materialistic, self-interested approach to life. It is this which causes us not to see those around us or to feel for their plight. Sometimes, we are so engrossed in ourselves that we lack the strength and ability to rise up from our spiritual level. We must therefore increase the light by taking a public-spirited, idealistic approach, by increasing our good deeds, by following in G-d?s ways and keeping His mitzvot. Of G-d it says, ?For the L-rd is good to all, and His mercy is over all His works.? (Psalm 145:9) By such means, we will merit that all of Israel will have light wherever they live.
Rashi explains that there were two levels to the darkness in Egypt: The first three days, in which ?people one could not see one another,? and another three days in which ?no one left his place,? i.e., those sitting could not stand and those standing could not sit.
Indeed, darkness is not just a physical phenomenon. Rather, it also alludes to the psychological and spiritual state of the individual and the community. If someone does not see his fellowman?s suffering, if he does not notice those around him, he must be sunken in spiritual and emotional darkness. That is the first level of decline.
Yet there is level that is worse still, in which a person lacks the emotional strength to move and to act, to get out of bed or to rise from one?s chair, due to his being sorrowful and depressed. That person is sunken in two-fold darkness, a black depression. The remedy to such darkness is to illuminate one?s soul. One can accomplish this by emerging from one?s private universe, from one?s pettiness, through all-encompassing vision, through addressing the needs of the public: ?All of Israel had light where they lived.? When a person rises to the level of empathizing with ?all of Israel,? when a person is an idealist, who gives and contributes, then his soul fills with light.
Today, we are living in a generation which enjoys a great deal of light but not a few shadows as well. Those shadows generally derive from people taking a materialistic, self-interested approach to life. It is this which causes us not to see those around us or to feel for their plight. Sometimes, we are so engrossed in ourselves that we lack the strength and ability to rise up from our spiritual level. We must therefore increase the light by taking a public-spirited, idealistic approach, by increasing our good deeds, by following in G-d?s ways and keeping His mitzvot. Of G-d it says, ?For the L-rd is good to all, and His mercy is over all His works.? (Psalm 145:9) By such means, we will merit that all of Israel will have light wherever they live.