As the country faces a possible government shutdown tonight, we wonder what type of negotiations might succeed in avoiding it.
In the art of negotiating, you might want to leave an ace up your sleeve. But, politicians seem to be expert at both not having an ace card and at waiting until the last minute.
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When we look at the plagues that G-d brought upon Egypt, we see a purposeful mission. Hashem did not only want to release the Jews from bondage. He wanted to help the Egyptians come to the realization that the one G-d is the true Master of the Universe. The plagues gradually taught the Egyptians this priceless lesson.
During the first two plagues the Egyptian magicians attributed the miraculous events to magic.
At the third plague they acknowledged that it is “the finger of G-d.”
Each plague penetrated Egypt at a deeper and deeper level. The grand finale was the plague of the firstborn, which obviously was the straw that broke Pharaoh’s back.
The ninth plague was darkness. For a week the Egyptians experienced a darkness darker than night.
The Torah describes it as follows:
“There was thick darkness over the entire land of Egypt for three days. They did not see each other, and no one rose from his place for three days, but for all the children of Israel there was light in their dwellings.”
It’s reasonable to suggest that this plague demonstrated Who is in charge of nature. But, its place in the gradual build-up to the Exodus doesn’t seem to fit. Unlike other plagues, this one did not destroy or harm any part of Egypt. It simply froze them in their places. They may have lost some time, but it doesn’t seem nearly as severe as blood, hail or boils for example.
Why was darkness the second-to-last plague?
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Darkness represents impurity and evil, while light is a metaphor of good and holiness.
The mission of G-d in Egypt wasn’t only to crush them physically, but to change them spiritually. After they had already experienced deep recognition of G-d’s power in the physical realm, it was time to show them how deeply steeped they were in impurity.
Imagine a whole week immersed 24/7 in darkness. It was an inescapable reminder that their entire identity was one of evil and impurity; that G-d was not only stronger, but how distant they were from Him.
Soon the Jews would leave Egypt. Would they revert right back to their old ways, or would there be a lasting impression?
The plague of darkness affected not only the bodies of the Egyptians, but also the souls. Now, they could truly become aware of their own depravity and perhaps repent.
***
Turns out, G-d’s ace card runs a lot deeper than we thought.
Let’s pray that we see the G-dliness in everything in life and never need to learn the harsh lessons of darkness and isolation from our sacred and benevolent G-d.