The Plague of Darkness Thick and Tangible from Gehinnom

"And the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven" (Exodus 10:21). This is what Scripture says: "He sent darkness, and made it dark" (Psalms 105:28). The darkness the Holy One, blessed be He, sent upon the Egyptians was very severe. Rabbi Acha said: because they did not accept the dominion of the Holy One, blessed be He, upon themselves. Rabbi Acha said: what is the meaning of "they did not rebel against His word"? Because they exchanged the word of the Holy One, blessed be He, "He sent darkness, and made it dark." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the ministering angels: are the Egyptians fit to be smitten with darkness? Immediately they all agreed as one and did not change their word. What is the meaning of "He sent darkness, and made it dark"? To what may the matter be compared? To a king whose servant offended him, and he said to one of his men, Go and strike him fifty lashes, and the man went and struck him a hundred. So the Holy One, blessed be He, sent darkness upon Egypt and the darkness added to itself. From where did that darkness come? Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemyah: [Rabbi Yehudah says, from the darkness above, and Rabbi Nechemyah] says, from the darkness of Gehinnom. Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi says: with what are the wicked covered in Sheol? With darkness. Chizkiyah says: this barrel, with what do they cover it? With an earthenware lid from its own kind; just as it is of clay, so they cover it with a vessel of clay. So too the wicked, of whom it is written, "their deeds are in the dark" (Isaiah 29:15); therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, covers over them the deep, which is darkness, as it is said, "and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2). And how thick was that darkness? [Our Rabbis said, as thick as a] kordina coin, [as it is said] "and let there be a darkness that may be felt" -- [for it had substance in it]. There were seven days of darkness upon Egypt. During the first three days, whoever was sitting and wished to stand could stand, and whoever was standing and wished to sit could sit; but during the other three days, whoever was sitting could not stand and whoever was standing could not sit. And which was the seventh day? It was the seventh day at the sea, as it is said, "and there was the cloud and the darkness" -- the cloud was darkening for the Egyptians and giving light to Israel, as it is written, "but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." And the Israelites would enter the houses of the Egyptians and see all that they had. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "every woman shall ask of her neighbor" (Exodus 3:22), the Israelites would come to them and say, Lend me that vessel you have, and the Egyptian would say, I have none, and the Israelite would say, I know that you have it, and here it is in your chest, it is in such-and-such a place, I saw it in your hand; and he would lend him that vessel. And how did the Israelites know? Only because of those days of darkness. And from the plague of darkness and the plague of blood Israel grew rich. "And there was thick darkness for the Egyptians, but for Israel there was light in their dwellings." And when the Egyptians pursued, what is written? "And there was the cloud and the darkness." If a cloud, why darkness? If darkness, why a cloud? It had two faces: light for Israel and darkness for the Egyptians. And so, "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples, but upon you the LORD will shine, and His glory will be seen upon you" (Isaiah 60:2). "You shall also give into our hands" (Exodus 10:25) [is written in section 92].