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Orchard of Delights
£The Darkness of Depression£The Darkness of DepressionThe Darkness of Depression of an object, but, on the other hand, simultaneously represents its
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The ninth of the ten plagues was the plague of darkness: “And God
said to Moses: stretch forth your hand towards the heavens and there
will be darkness upon the land of Egypt and the darkness will be
tangible” (Exodus 10:21). Rashi explains that the darkness was not
just the darkness of night; it was a type of darkness that could be
“felt.” Indeed, the Torah states that “no man could see his brother
nor could anyone get up from his place for a three day period”
(Exodus 10:23). Rashi adds that anyone who was standing up when
the plague began could not sit down and anyone who was sitting
when the plague began could not stand up.
The ten plagues can be understood on many different levels,
including the messages they have to teach every person in each
generation. In psychological terms darkness represents a sense of
depression that is fed by despair and purposelessness. Everyone
experiences depression to some degree, but for those who wrestle with
long bouts of depression the Torah’s description is quite frighteningly
accurate; darkness is a real plague.
Depression causes people to feel alone, as if no one cares about them
and in turn leads them not to care about others. This phenomenon is
quite literally described in the biblical verse – “no one could see their
brother.” An even more extreme form of depression occurs when
people are completely sunk in the abyss and are virtually unable to
move. They are stuck in a state of physical or emotional paralysis.
This phenomenon is also quite literally described in the biblical verse
– “nor could anyone get up from his place.”
Rebbe Nachman explains that the evil inclination is more interested
in the depression following a sin than in the act of sinning itself, for
nothing is as spiritually and even physically debilitating as depression.
Everyone makes mistakes and acts in ways they later regret. The
weight of guilt and inadequacy if not addressed can become a burden
too heavy to bear. Fortunately, teshuvah (true repentance) cures the
after effects of sin. By returning to God, the effect of “missing the
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Shemot
essence.
The same paradox obtains in the performance of mitzvot for they
too combine defined and finely detailed actions in the physical realm
and the possibility of attaining infinite spiritual pleasure. Working
within the constraints of the physical world, Jewish law defines each
mitzvah with great precision and detail, and virtually all mitzvot
include either an action, the use of a physical object, or speech. In this
sense, the performance of mitzvot connects us to a large degree to the
physical world. Indeed, our constant interaction with the physical
world through mitzvot enables us to fulfill Judaism’s cardinal
imperative – to rectify, uplift, heal, and transform the world around
us.
However, mitzvot also have an intensely spiritual component
as indicated by the Talmud’s explanation that the root of the word
“mitzvah” (usually correctly translated as “commandment”) denotes
“connection.” In performing a mitzvah, a person can make many
different sorts of connections on many different levels: for instance, a
person may connect to the surrounding world; his or her core emotions;
his or her intellect; or to the essence of his or her soul. Ultimately, the
performance of mitzvot has the power to connect human beings to
God. Thus we begin by performing a physical act and conclude by
establishing a connection with the essence and source of all things. We
first connect deeply to the physical world through the defined and finely
detailed mitzvah but then break through these finite limitations and
experience a moment of infinite connection and spiritual pleasure.
The Rebbe of Slonim explains that the process of transforming
the physical into the spiritual unfolds in two stages. First we must
sever our servitude to our physical desires and our attachments to
the material attractions of the physical world. We must conquer our
inclinations to indulge every physical whim and desire, so that our
minds gain mastery over our hearts and bodies and we gain control
over our decision-making processes, instead of remaining enslaved
to every base impulse. Only after doing so can we proceed to make
proper use of the physical world around us, transforming matter
into pure spiritual energy and thus attaining great spiritual heights.
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