Dark Knowing Light

When the divine spark within us awakens to the divine, what is the wonder?

For that, your soul should have stayed in its heavenly place above. Why must it enter into this murky, perilous world?

It is so that the beast within you should lift its eyes to the heavens, that the dark side of a human creature should let in a little light, that a human ego should do good despite itself—and that is truly wondrous.

How can darkness know light? How can earth know heaven?

Only with the power of He who is beyond both darkness and light, heaven and earth.

And that is an experience your soul could only discover in this world.

Maamar Bati LeGani I & II 5734; Torat Chaim, Noach, p. 60.

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Knowing That Which You Know

Inspired Animal

By Tzvi Freeman

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. To order Rabbi Freeman’s latest book, Wisdom to Heal the Earth, click here.

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By Tzvi Freeman

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Wisdom to Heal the Earth is a revolutionary new look at Tikun Olam based on the teachings of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

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15 Comments

Rita Forbes Clinton April 26, 2022

"How can darkness know light? How can earth know heaven?"

When the priest came out of the Holy Place the glory of the L-rd filled the house of the L-rd and the priest could not continue to minister. Then Solomon spoke,
"The L-rd said He would dwell in the dark cloud. . . " Isn't that profound? Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that glorious? How can that be? Light in darkness!? Wow! Isaiah said, "Everyone who is called by My name, whom I've created for My glory; I've formed him; yes, I've created him." Since we are are chosen by G-d and have His glory, G-d charges us to bring out of darkness into the light the blind who have eyes and the deaf who have ears because G-d's glory dwell in our hearts.

1 Kings 8:10-12; Isaiah 43:7-8; Ezekiel 36:36; Jeremiah 32:39.

Thank you Rabbi Freeman for a mesmerizing inspiration! Reply

Jeff shapiro April 26, 2022

Should be Him, not He. Reply

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman April 26, 2022

in response to Jeff shapiro :

“He” is a subject in this sentence, not an object. Similar to “Blessed is He who spoke and the world came into being.” Reply

Raizel NJ December 13, 2015

I truly enjoy every single one of these meditations! Thank you!!! And the visuals are a nice bonus! ;) happy chanukah!!! Reply

muchiri Nairobi December 22, 2014

dark jnowing light This simply means irreligious spirituality.When you awaken to your responsibility to do good for the sake of goodness! Reply

James More Seasaw City December 21, 2014

Light another candle Light another Hanukkah candle and the light shine, and darkness run away afraid of the great festival of lights Reply

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman November 28, 2013

For Henrico You wrote, "I thought God was light and dark everything?" But that's what we call pantheism. G‑d is beyond all things, even as He is found within them.

Yes, that's a mystery. But there's a place for it in the human soul, called wisdom (chochmah). That's what makes us G‑dly. Reply

Anonymous Henrico November 27, 2013

dark knowing light I thought God was light and dark everything? Reply

Anonymous Lenexa, Kansas December 19, 2011

Light He is immeasurable light, and in Him is no darkness. We struggle in the dark, but not forever. Reply

liora ny, ny December 13, 2009

Is this like 'grace'? Hi Rabbi:
Maybe you can elucidate this comment. The way the world is today, it would be good to know what he meant by 'He who is beyond light and dark' . . .Seems to me that it is the despair of suffering caused by the 'dark' side that calls out to Gd for Light. Right now, there's a whole lot of darkness that I pray will call out to Gd for truth as well as light. Sooner the better. Reply

chana givat Zeev, israel December 13, 2009

Lovely the essence of chanuka, the essence of our lives on earth Reply

Anonymous Blythe, California December 11, 2009

Truly Wondrous! It is truly wondrous when Man lets in the light! The sages speak of light originally concealed within darkness. Numerous references in Torah ascribe darkness to G-d’s Divine attribute of Judgment/Justice and light to G-d’s Divine attribute of Mercy.

It is wondrous from three different standpoints (darkness to light): the transformation of Man that he would judge HIMSELF, resulting in Teshuvah (drawing down Divine Mercy); the transformation of Man from a destiny of receiving Divine Justice/Judgment but instead receiving Divine Mercy; the transformation of Man from judgmental attitudes to a life full of Mercy towards fellow Man. Reply

sharon in mahattan April 16, 2007

darkess and light It seems that Adam and Eve had complete faith in G-d. And G-d provided for all their needs. When then they sinned and ate of the Tree of Knowlage they then had to toil for all their basic needs and live with suffering. And now had an awareness of hardship and suffering.
So that having knowlage of ourselves is a state of darkness and complete faith and trust in G-d is a state of light.
That is where I went with the idea of darkness and light. Reply

Tzvi Freeman (Author) February 13, 2007

For Michal Doesn't say that the body is darkness. "The animal inside".

The body is the battle-ground--it could go either way. The animal is a drive inside that must be transformed. Reply

Michal Passau, Germany February 13, 2007

Dark Knowing Light Shalom, Rabbi Freeman,

Dark = our body?
Spark of God within us = Neshama???

That reminds me very strongly of the Christian doctrine, that the body is bad,
the soul is good.
But Hashem created our bodies. There is
nothing dark in them. We just have to look at a baby. We let the darkness in with our bad middot. But our bad middot are able to turn
to G-d (letting some heavenly light in?)???
Perhaps the "Rebbe" really ment, that our bad middot can change into good ones?Sorry, that I am writing again. But these "Doses of the day" always make me thinking. Reply

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