Beshalach: Enlightening Darkness

By GOLDIE GUY
In last week`s Parasha, Parshat Chukat, we read about the 9<sup>th</sup> plague, the plague of choshech, or darkness.  Rav Ze`ev Friedman, a Ra”m in Midreshet Migdal Oz in Israel, points out that there are only three verses that describe the  choshech, yet we find in them a redundancy. In Chapter 10, verse 21, it says,

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, נְטֵה יָדְךָ עַל-הַשָּׁמַיִם, וִיהִי חֹשֶׁךְ, עַל-אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם; וְיָמֵשׁ, חֹשֶׁךְ

“And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”

Chaza”l noticed this repetition, and explained that the two descriptions of choshech actually point to two stages of the plague, in each of which the darkness was qualitatively different.  The first stage consisted of complete darkness, and involved the kind of darkness we`re all accustomed to seeing.  The second stage was palpable choshech, as the verse says “darkness which may be felt”. In this stage, the Egyptians` mobility was limited, to the point that when the darkness fell, they couldn`t move from the places in which they stood.

Rav Friedman asks: Why were Egyptians plagued by choshech? What does this plague symbolize?

The Midrash in Shemot Rabba explains:

שלח חשך ויחשיך ולא מרו את דברו, רבותינו אמרו על שלא קבלו במרות דברו של הקב"ה עליהם, ד"א אמר הקב"ה למלאכים המצריים ראויין ללקות בחשך, מיד הסכימו כולן כאחת ולא המרו

שמות רבה (וילנא) פרשת בא פרשה יד 

Rav Friedman highlights the connection made here in the midrash; the rejection of G-d`s sovereignty as the reason G-d inflicted darkness upon them; their continued blindness to G-d`s rulership`s (exemplified by Pharaoh`s saying:‘Who is G-d that I might heed his voice?’) leads to total and complete blindness, the physical blindness of the plague of darkness.

In this week`s parsha, pashat Beshalach, we find a similar occurrence. The parsha opens with Shirat Hayam, the ecstatic song on the sea, in which BneiYisrael exalt and praise G-d for saving them from the ahnds of the Egyptians. Immediately following this ecstatic song, we find what might be seen as jarring behavior on the part of the people. After beginning their journey in the wilderness (midbar), they complain about the lack of potable water. They travel on, and complain again about food. And when they start on the move again, another complaint follows, again over water. In their complaints, Bnei Yisrael lament over having left Egypt, an event over which they were joyously triumphant not a few months before. They turn on Moses and Aaron, almost becoming violent. Faced with a lack of water, they are ready to stone their humble leader Moses, who led their exodus from oppressive slavery to freedom!

Rav Yonatan Grossman comments that it was a common belief in the ancient world that gods only held dominion over settled areas, but had no control over open areas of wilderness. He proposes that this belief characterizes BneiYisrael`s attitude to their new life in the desert. As soon as they leave Egyptian civilization and enter the desert, they think God is no longer with them. Proofs to this claim are the fact that they address all 3 of their complaints to Moshe and Aaron, but do not direct them toward G-d. Additionally, the people describe their theoretical death had they stayed in Egypt as “by the hand of G-d” , but their potential death in the desert as due to physical causes, hunger and thirst.

Their lack of broader perspective distorts their short term perspective; the perception that god is not longer with them also affects the way they relate to earthly concerns and to each other. They romanticize their enslavement in Egypt; heretofore described only in negative terms, but now seeming to them like a haven full of food and luxury, compared to the desert, a place of barrenness; in reality, while in the desert they are protected and provided for by the presence of G-d constantly, day and night, and are finally a free people, slaves only to His will!

I think Rav Friedman`s point about the Choshech in Bo is applicable to the narratives of the travels and travails of Bnei Yisrael in parshat Beshalach as well; BneiYisrael`s lack of perspective on the level of the broader picture, their blindness to G-d`s presence in the desert, affected their short-term perspective and the way they related to their immediate physical needs and their leader Moshe. A skewed perspective on one end caused a similar distortion on the other, leaving them blind on both levels of reality.

I believe this is a truth of life in general, that if we do not relate in the proper manner to our immediate, smaller needs then our relationship to the bigger issues will be skewed as well, and vice versa. More specifically, however, this idea can be applied to our spiritual lives. In this Winter Week of Learning centered on “Judaism and the Other”, a group of amazing people took time from their vacation to come together and learn Torah. This is clearly an amazing display of sharp broader-picture vision; college-aged individuals dedicating a significant portion of their “down time” from school and work to the study of Torah and fostering their relationships with G-d, as well as their Jewish peers in a Torah community.

Every time I`ve come to learn at Drisha, whether for a single shiur or for a more extended period of time, I`ve had to stop and marvel at the people around me. Being at Drisha for some reason heightens my awareness of the uniqueness of everyone I encounter. I know that the people I encounter in other places have their own unique stories and personalities and are amazing in their own way; but being in a place of Torah learning and especially an environment that produces such dedicated, earnest and enthusiastic Torah study like Drisha, I believe heightens my awareness of those around me. The focus on Torah study and Torah values, which pertains, in my opinion, to the broader-picture level, sharpens my focus on my immediate surroundings, the smaller things, and allows me to better appreciate all that`s around me.
I`ll end with the blessing that we all are able to take such perspective with us always- to maintain the proper balance, and be more aware of the others around us, including the ultimate Other, G-d, at all times and in all places[i].

Shabbat Shalom.

**Hebrew verses, texts and their translations copied from the Mechon-Mamre website: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/

P.S.  Check out an insightful blog post by our fellow-Drisha student Aliza Donath, which partly inspired this dvar here:http://arbitribe.blogspot.com/2010/12/priorities.html