Rabbi's Message
The Blessings of Darkness: Reflections on a Passover Theme
"And it came to pass at midnight, that the Lord smote all the first born of Egypt." (Exodus 12:29) Midnight evokes instant images of danger and peril. We think in our era of muggers, thieves, carjackers, robbers, rapists, and vandals who are able to ply their destructive trades in the darkness with a minimum of restraint. In earlier times, midnight also generated immediate impressions of ominous deeds, wild beasts foraging, men stumbling into injury and ghosts haunting.
Nevertheless, the same tragedy which took the lives of the Egyptian first born in the middle of the night proved beneficial to the Israelites, who, as a result, were finally liberated by the obstinate Pharaoh. Darkness can, indeed, be a source of benediction. The Greeks spoke of "Evening, that brings all things home." It is then that the youngster at play returns to mother, the bird to its nest, and the worker to the security and joy of their domicile. Night is the time when vegetation flourishes, and people have their vigor and vitality restored. In Israel there is a flower called the "malkat halayla," the Queen of the Night, because it bursts into full bloom only during the hours of darkness.
Some of the most important events in the Bible occurred at night. In the midst of darkness, Jacob experienced his vision of the ladder stretching from heaven to earth with the angels ascending and descending. That was also the time when his name was changed to Israel. At the stroke of midnight, David agonized over his iniquities and found his way back to the gates of repentance. Often, we are preoccupied with activity during the day; and only at night can we find the leisure for reflection.
The Haggadah describes in exacting detail many epical events that, like the Exodus from Egypt, occurred at night. Abraham prevailed over his enemies at night. Lot and his family were saved from destruction at night. The Midianite foes were struck with terror at night. The Assyrian forces besieging Jerusalem melted away at night. Daniel was saved from the lions' den by interpreting terrifying dreams at night. Haman was defeated by God as a consequence of Ahasuerus' sleeplessness at night. As we chant at the Seder: "Most of Your wonders You did perform at night. Dear God, make known that Yours is the day and night. Make bright like the day the darkness of the night." The rituals of Passover, most of which occur during the hours of darkness, impress upon us the privilege which is ours, viz. to give form and shape to the sacred and exalted goals of this celebration even at a time of the day when most people are filled with anxiety and apprehension.
Our evening prayers each night also highlight how wonderful and magnificent is the arrival of darkness every twenty-four hours: "Praised be You, O Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe. In wisdom You bring on the dusk and the darkness before the light. You cause the day fade into the night and You have set a boundary between day and night. Praised be You, O Sovereign of the Universe, who brings on the evening twilight." Passover, too, reminds us of our duty to use darkness in a constructive way. It's the perfect time to meditate on the deeds of the day; to envision a better world; to repent for wrong-doing; to read and to study; to benefit from the therapeutic quietness of the night; and to prepare for a better tomorrow. By contemplating the Exodus from Egypt in the midst of darkness, we can endow our lives with a profounder dimension of meaning. We can recognize as well that eventually the darkness will dissipate; oppression will give way to the brightness of freedom; and gloom properly handled will produce perennial illumination and enlightenment.
