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Share(ז) נטה ידך על השמים ויהי חושך על ארץ מצרים וימש חשך ויט משה כו' ולכל בני ישראל היה אור במושבותם (שמות י, כא-כב). ועיין ברש"י שמדקדק על לשון וימש חושך. וגם יש לדקדק שכתוב ולכל בני ישראל היה אור במושבותם, הוי ליה לומר ולכל בני ישראל לא היה חושך. ויבואר על פי המדרש (שמות רבה יד) מהיכן החושך מחושך של מעלה שנאמר ישת חושך סתרו (תהלים יח, יב) ויש להבין שיהיה החושך של מצרים מהחושך שכתוב בו ישת חושך סתרו, שזה רומז על האור הנעלם. ונראה להבין על פי הגמרא נתן עיניו בו ונעשה גל של עצמות, מאי זה הלשון נתן עיניו בו. וגם יש להבין הלא ענוש לצדיק לא טוב. ונראה, דהנה בהירות הבורא ברוך הוא הוא אין סוף וכשעלה ברצונו לברוא עולמו בגין דיתקרי רחום כו', צמצם בהירותו כפי איכות המקבלים לעולם השרפים כפי בחינתם וכן לעולם החיות ולעולם המלאכים וכן לכל העולמות עליונים והם תמיד במדריגה אחד כפי איכות קבלתם ביום הבראם, כי לא יביט למעלה ממדריגתו כדי שלא יבטל לו ממציאות בהירתו אין סוף ולא למטה ממדריגתו. וזהו הרמז בפסוק (ישעיה ו, ב) בשתים יכסה פניו ובשתים יכסה רגליו. פניו, שלא יביט למעלה ויתבטל במציאות. רגליו שלא יביט למטה ממדריגתו. אבל ישראל עם קדושו על ידי התורה והמצות עושים לבושים ועולים ממדריגה למדריגה על ידי התורה והמצות שיש להם:
(7) Exodus 10,21. “stretch out your hand in the direction of the sky and there will be darkness in the land of Egypt; Moses did so, and there was palpable darkness in Egypt, whereas in all the dwellings of the Israelites there was light.” Rashi already concentrates on the meaning of the words וימש חושך, “the darkness was tangible,” we also need to examine why the Torah emphasized that all the dwellings of the Israelites continued to enjoy normal daylight. Why did the Torah not merely write that the Israelites were not struck by darkness?
The phraseology used by the Torah may become clear when we read Sh’mot Rabbah 14,2 where the Midrash examines whence this darkness originated. Rabbi Yehudah there claims that the “darkness” originated in the celestial regions, quoting psalms 18,12 as proof that such a phenomenon exists. The psalmist says there (referring to G’d) ישת חשך סתרו סביבותיו, “He makes darkness be His screen.” We need to understand why the darkness decreed in Egypt had to be of the kind mentioned in psalms. This “darkness” is an allusion to a hidden kind of light. We must now understand the concept underlying this “concealed light.” The Talmud in Shabbat 34 deals with an incident when a great Talmudic scholar killed an outstanding student for having violated a basic rule of not revealing discussions that had occurred within the walls of academy. The method of killing that student is described as “he set his eye upon him and he turned into a heap of bones.”
What precisely does the Talmud mean when it refers to נתן עיניו בו, “He set his eyes on him?” Moreover, in light of Proverbs 17,26 גם ענוש לצדיק לא טוב, “also it is not good to punish the righteous,” [meaning that when a judge takes an especially harsh line with a person reputed to be a tzaddik, as he should have served as a model for the community, this, in Solomon’s view is not an appropriate approach. Ed.], how could the teacher of the student in Shabbat 34 have been so harsh
In order to understand all this we must remember that the brightness surrounding the Creator was so overpowering that in order to create a universe in which the creatures could live without dying from exposure to so much light, He had to impose limitations not only on Himself, but also on the brightness surrounding Him. This “light” had to be adjusted in accordance with the ability of the creatures in the universe to tolerate it without coming to harm thereby. Various regions of the universe therefore were provided with light of differing degrees of intensity, tolerable for beasts, inert objects, etc., so that even in the regions populated by angels the light that was the norm there was not of the intensity of the light that had surrounded the Almighty prior to His creating the universe. Different categories of angels lived in different celestial regions, each of which was illuminated in a manner that corresponded to their ability to tolerate that light’s intensity. These angels have not been allowed to glimpse “higher” regions in the celestial spheres than those inhabited by them, so as not to blind them through exposure to overpowering brightness. Similarly, they were not allowed to look into regions that were less brightly illuminated. These details of what goes on in the celestial regions have been referred to in Isaiah’s vision (Isaiah 6,2) where the prophet describes the angels as using two of their six wings to cover their faces with the words: בשתים יכסה פניו ובשתים יכסה רגליו יעופף “and with two he would cover his feet, and with two he would fly.” [Covering his feet, presumably is an allusion to not looking into lower regions beneath his habitat. Ed.] Israelites, as distinct from the angels, due to having been given the Torah and the commandments it contains, are able to use these very commandments as protective “clothing” so that they can be at home in different regions, exposed to different intensities of light.
