We read, "the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep" (Gen. 1:2). Pretty straightforward, right? But hold on. The Torah doesn't say God created the darkness. It says the darkness was already there.

So, what do we make of that?

Is it simply an absence of light, like the "unformed and void" suggests an absence of form? Or is darkness something more... substantial? Something that pre-existed creation itself?

Isaiah offers a fascinating clue. God proclaims, "I form light and create darkness" (Isa. 45:7). Notice the difference in verbs: yotzer, "forming," and borei, "creating." The key, according to some interpretations, is that whatever God only forms – rather than creates – must have already been in existence. So, if God "forms" light, but "creates" darkness, does that imply darkness had a head start?

That's where the idea of a pre-existing darkness, lying on the face of the deep, gets really interesting. It hints that darkness isn’t just nothingness. It suggests it's a primordial element, as foundational as light itself.

Where did it go? Some rabbinic traditions have an answer. Sefer ha-Zikhronot (11:11) suggests that this original darkness is now hidden away in the seventh compartment of Gehenna – often translated as Hell. And get this: in that compartment reside six nations who can’t even see each other because the darkness is so complete. It's also said that the heretic Elisha ben Abuyah, a figure who famously strayed from orthodox belief, makes his home there.

The implication is chilling. This isn't just about a lack of illumination. It's about a fundamental separation, an inability to connect. The darkness becomes a symbol of spiritual isolation, a consequence of rejecting the divine light.

This idea of a pre-existing darkness also carries echoes of Gnostic thought. Gnosticism, in its various forms, often posits a creator God who is less than fully supreme. The fact that the Torah seems to imply that something (darkness) pre-existed God, almost sounds Gnostic.

So, what does it all mean? Perhaps it’s a reminder that even within the most brilliant creation, shadows linger. That even as we strive for light and understanding, there's always a corner, a hidden compartment, where the ancient darkness still holds sway.

Perhaps it is our responsibility to seek out and illuminate these spaces, both within ourselves and in the world around us.