The Beauty of Darkness

The Beauty of Darkness

Korach’s philosophy was as provocative as it was fascinating.

Make no mistake. Korach was not a jealous, power hungry, man, who resented being overlooked for the position of leader and therefore chose to rebel against moses and Aaron. In fact, argue the Kabbalists, Korach had a deep philosophical dispute with Aaron’s approach to spirituality.   

Korach was a great Kabbalist. He was also an extremist absolutest. Combine the two and you come up with Korach’s strange but compelling claim:  

Light is a distraction, darkness is beautiful.

Korach’s argument goes something like this: spiritual light, with all its virtue, cannot capture the essence. Only when the light is swallowed up by the pull of the source of light (similar, perhaps, to a black hole), only when the light is submerged in its infinite source, only when it is dark, do you notice the infinite source of light. Only darkness expresses that there is an essence, a force far superior than anything light can capture. Only darkness is able to express the mighty force of the black hole.    

Light, argues Korach, is not only unable to reveal the essence, it actually obscures it. Only darkness, ironically perhaps, is a testament to the source of infinity that the light can never express.  

Korach resented Aaron, specifically because Aaron is in the light business. Aaron spent his days lighting Menorahs. His life’s mission was to light the physical Menorah that stood in the temple, as well as to light the metaphorical Menorah in the heart of every Jew. Aaron was all about inspiring people to ignite spiritual light in their life through the study of Torah and observance of Mitzvot, to focus time and energy on spiritual pursuits, and to illuminate their soul with a light producing love and yearning to G-d. Aaron was the embodiment of the divine attribute of Chesed - kindness-sharing-light.      

Korach believes that Aaron’s approach of increasing spirituality misses a deeper truth. He believes it far better to help people understand materialism as a religious symbol and testament to G-d who is greater than anything spirituality can capture.  

Korach says: give me the job of high priest and I will introduce a completely different model of spirituality. No need for spiritual light. No need to inspire people to yearn to cleave to their source in heaven. No need to seek inspiration to escape the lure of the material and cleave to spiritual light. What I will preach, says Korach, is to celebrate the physical, because the physical represents the absence of spiritual light it is capable of directing our attention to the essence and the infinite source of both darkness and light.

Korach views light with disdain. In his view, the light, by definition, compromises the absolute truth of the infinite creator.

According to Korach’s plan the people would live a materialistic life without the burden of seeking spiritual inspiration. Eventually more and more people will come around to appreciate what Korach himself understood. They will understand that we are satisfied with materialism because it is a testament that the undefined G-d cannot be expressed in a limited measure of light.

Where did Korach go wrong?

Let’s begin by pointing out what he got right.

He was right that darkness has a higher source than light.

He was right that the material has a higher source than the spiritual.

Yet his philosophy was completely wrong. He was wrong because you need light to be able to understand the truth of darkness. Yes, indeed, the material is the greatest manifestation of the essence, so much so that in the messianic era the material itself will express its source as the prophet says “all flesh together shall see that the mouth of the Lord spoke”. Yet, the only way you can crack the shell of the material and connect to it’s source is if you subjugate the material to the spiritual.

Only when you allow Aaron to illuminate your life with spiritual light, with a yearning for holiness, will you be able to appreciate that the material is an expression of the essence of G-d. Only When you allow Aaron to inspire your soul will you be able to reveal and connect to the superior essence of the body. Only light can reconnect the darkness to it’s lofty source.

Seven Types of Motivation

Whenever we do anything there is always a motivation. I did it because of [this]. There are also 7 primary motives. Meaning why do I do what I do? What motivates me to remain committed to my marriage? What motivates me to keep my values? What motivates me to be moral? And why am I committed to being Jewish?

One reason can be because I enjoy it and therefore I love it. I'm committed to my spouse because I enjoy being with her. This can also be our motivation to being Jewish: I love being close to G-d.

A second reason can be that I miss it and therefore I love it. As the saying goes "distance makes the heart grow fonder". I feel so distant and I yearn to be close. This is a passionate love. A fiery love. I feel so far from G-d and I'm burning with passion to be closer.

A third reason: I do it not for me but for my spouse. I do it not for me but for G-d. Doing it altruistically.

A fourth reason: Because I'm determined to win. I will prove to myself and the world that I can do it. I will show the world that I can be Jewish under all circumstances.

A fifth reason: I'm obedient. A marriage is forever and I have got to surrender myself to make it happen. And I surrender to G-d.

A sixth reason; [This one is missing from the original text so I can only give it a shot] I'm connected to my family so I do what I have to do. I'm connected to G-d so I act Jewish.

A seventh reason: It is my responsibility. I'm the leader so I must do my part and I also recognize as a leader I'm really their servant. I'm confident yet understand that I'm a nobody without you.

Aaron the High Priest would kindle the Menorah in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Menorah had 7 branches representing 7 different types of Jews. And Aaron's job would be to light up each type of Jew. So what type of Jew are you? What is your primary motivator?

Hyper awareness

How is it that we are the most insensitive to the ones we love the most and are closest to?

Familiarity.

What is the antidote to familiarity? Hyper awareness.

When we read in Chassidus about hisbonenus, what we are trying to cultivate is an awareness to an alternate reality. One which demands that we consciously relate to it and not take it for granted. And this applies to Mitzvos, Berochos and relationships equally.

The Four Worlds, The Garments and the Body

As a student of Jewish mysticism you will hear a lot about the doctrine of the Four Worlds. According to the Kabbalists, the process of creation begins with the infinite light descending to create the spiritual world of “Atzilut”/”Emanation”, a world which has ten Divine attributes, or Sefirot. The en attributes of the world of Emanation then move to create the lower three worlds of “Creation” “Formation” and “Action” (Hebrew acronym: “Biy”a”); the universe as we know it is the world of action, which is the lowest of the four worlds.  

Thousands of pages have been written to describe the nature if these four worlds, the differences between them, their purpose and so much more. If you are like me, you want a one phrase soundbite that captures the essence of the difference between the highest world, where the Divine reality is felt, and the lower worlds, where the reality of creation is felt.  

The Tikuney Zohar, offers a strange sound bite; it writes that the lower worlds are “garments” the higher world is a “body”.

Both the body and the garment serve to enclothe something else, the body enclothe the soul, while the garments enclothe the body. Yet there are important differences between them. These differences capture the essence of the differences between the worlds.  

The garment tells it’s own story.

The garment industry is a multiple billion-dollar-a-year industry, because people are attracted to the beauty and personality of  garments. I too wear a specific garment because I want the garment to tell a story. I want it to attract attention to it’s beauty and artistry, I want it to to highlight it’s unique features. I want it to hide behind its story.

I am in love with my garment. In fact, every now and then I catch myself standing in the closet holding a garment in my hand, feeling it’s texture, admiring it’s beauty and enjoying it’s elegance hanging there on the rack.

A body, while also serving to enclothe the soul, is a completely different story.

The body serves no function other than expressing the soul. When the soul departs the body, we don't display the body on a shelf to admire it’s remarkable complexity. Instead, we bury it in the ground. Because a body’s purpose is, not to showcase it’s own features, rather it is is to serve as a vehicle for the soul’s expression.

We live on a magnificent planet that is part of a universe that is a “garment”, the lowest of the three worlds of “Biy”a”. As such, our world is shouting to us about its beauty, about it’s importance, about it’s physicality, and about reality from it’s perspective. The truth, hidden within the garment, the life-force that is the source and sustenance of the universe, is hidden within the garment, waiting to be discovered by the spiritual seeker.

In the highest world of “Atzilut”, or when the creations of the lower world succeed in elevating themselves to the level of “Atzilut”, there are no garments, only a “body”. In the reality of that world there is only the infinite light. Although it is a world comprised of definition, such as kindness, judgment, compassion etc., these defined realities are like a body, for they contain a soul of infinite light, yet they do not hide it. They tell a story but their story is not about themselves, it’s about the infinity within them.

Loshon Horo

It says in the Gemara that Loshon Horo kills three people; the one who says it, the one who hears it and the one it is said about. There are different explanations as to what exactly is the meaning of this, with a Sicha talking about the damage to the one it is about. There are many ways one  can understand the damage to the person who says it and the one who hears it.
An interesting idea is to focus on Loshon Horo being true and the knowledge that there is someone going around and talking about someone and judging them, The one who hears Loshon Horo may think that today I am in but tomorrow I might be the object of this judgement. He might be afraid to give his opinion or to try something new or to just act natural as he shuts down some part of his personality that just doesn't conform.