Darkness (Plague)
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5768
On August 24th 2003 much of the northeast was affected by a blackout. I was in the museum of Natural history at the time with Ariel in a room that had windows. As we moved toward the exit we had to pass through some of their great hall rooms in the middle of the building which were pitch black. The subways had stopped and so we walked home. At night things became more difficult without electricity. The fridge and freezer remained closed. We had no lights save a few flashlights and candles.
It was certainly inconvenient and in the summer uncomfortable without the air but not unmanageable.
That is probably our closest experience to choshech, or darkness which is the ninth plague brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt. Many people made the connection at the time and it certainly raises a good question for us as we study the Torah and read our Parsha. What was so bad about the darkness? Why is this one of the plagues? Is it really the equivalent of boils and hail or even frogs?
I know what most of you are thinking right now- but this darkness was different; it was not an ordinary darkness.
To that I would respond with a critical methodological point. That certainly is one of the answers to a good question. But because you have been taught this answer as the only meaning of the text it has prevented you from reading the text fairly, from formulating the question well and from entertaining other answers as well.
Let us start with what actually is in the text – Chapter 10:
21. And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, Veyamesh choshech which I will leave un-translated for a moment (darkness which may be felt.)
- And Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days;
- They saw not one another, nor any rose from his place for three days; but all the people of Israel had light in their dwellings.
All we know from here is that God tells Moshe to bring the darkness, which is then characterized. Moshe did as God commanded and brought a thick darkness that lasted for 3 days. And they did not see each other or leave their places.
From that fact that we have terms like thick darkness etc we have an indication that this darkness is different but that is all that we know. At this point the question is a fair one- what is so bad about darkness and why is it the ninth plague?
Now that we understand the question we can move on to the answers. There are 3 basic approaches to take.
- Choshech is not for the Egyptians but for the Jews.
Rashi quotes a fascinating Midrash that argues as follows. There were plenty of Jews who did not merit being saved and could not accompany the Jews out of Egypt. Rather these Jews were to die in Egypt before the Exodus. It would not look very good for God if the Egyptians watched the Jews die alongside them so Hashem kills the Jews at a time when the Egyptians could not witness it. According to this Midrash choshech comes to provide God with the cover needed to keep the operation secret!
- The most common and well known answer is that this choshech was a supernatural one. Rashi translates the phrase vayamesh choshech as a darkness that is mamash- that can be felt. He also reads the phrase any rose from his place to indicate that this darkness was paralyzing and incapacitating. They did not move because they could not. One who was sitting could not stand and vice versa.
This approach argues that darkness was a plague equivalent to the others in terms of its power and effect.
- The third approach I would build off of the comments of Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra. He has 2 comments that are particularly telling.
- He reads any rose from his place not as “they could not go due to paralysis” but as where are you going in the dark? They could move but chose not to.
- He argues that although it was dark they could see by candle light.
They could move and see – it was just dark. This begs for another explanation of the plague.
Ibn Ezra does not say this but I think that the rationale for such an approach might depend on the purpose of the plagues in general.
There are two distinct purposes for the plagues:
- To force the Egyptians to send the Jews out.
- To teach them that God exists, is involved in the world and is omnipotent and unequaled.
In terms of forcing the Egyptians to let the Jews go the plague must include pain and discomfort etc. That is the approach taken by the second answer. This darkness was different and harsh. The approach is best captured by Gersonides who argued that if they did not close there mouths and hold their noses the thick air would have killed them. He concludes his commentary with the following: the pain that this darkness brought the Egyptians was awesome.
If the focus however is not “let my people go” rather it is “they should know that God exists” then the simple fact that God can control light and dark might be very important. Until now we have seen God control the weather and the animals and water and disease must have been impressive. Now the Egyptians witness God controlling light and dark, the entire world is under God’s control. That too is part of the lesson. Then in the next plague we see controlling not only light and dark but life and death as well- omnipotent and unparalleled.
This I would argue is the approach of Eben Ezra. It was not the effects of the darkness that are important – it is the darkness itself.
In the age of technology one of our greatest challenges is to continue to be able to perceive God as the continual creator of the world. Sometimes it takes the failure of medicine or technology to remind us that we are fallible. That was one of the positive lessons learned during the blackout.
Eben Ezra’s vision of the plagues and their lessons are as critical for us today as they were for both the Egyptians and the Jews some 3800 years ago.
