But what if I told you that, according to some deep mystical traditions, darkness isn't an accident, but… a necessity?
That's the mind-bending idea explored in the writings of Baal HaSulam, particularly in his introduction to the Zohar. Now, the Zohar itself is a foundational text of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. And Baal HaSulam (Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag) was a 20th-century Kabbalist who dedicated his life to making its wisdom accessible.
He tackles this very difficult concept head-on: the existence of evil, or what he calls the "system of impurity." It stems from the idea of Ein Sof, literally "without end," which represents the infinite, undifferentiated Divine essence.
Baal HaSulam poses a fascinating idea. If the ultimate, perfected state – a state of complete unity and goodness – is already contained within Ein Sof, then the process of reaching that state requires the intermediate steps. It's like saying the seed already contains the tree, but the seed still needs to sprout, grow, and weather storms to become that tree.
Think of it in terms of the human soul. We're a mix of the yetzer hara, the "evil inclination" or the selfish desire to receive, and the yetzer hatov, the good inclination, the desire to give and connect. According to Baal HaSulam, these two systems – the "body" and the "soul," if you will – must separate and come into conflict. Why? So that the defective desire to receive, the yetzer hara, can be repaired.
This is where things get really interesting. He argues that without the "system of impurity," without that very yetzer hara, we wouldn't even possess the desire to receive in the first place. And if we don't have that desire, how can we possibly transform it? How can we elevate it and use it for good?
A person, Baal HaSulam writes, "cannot repair what he does not possess."
So, don't ask how impurity emerges from the Divine source. The opposite is true! The initial, perfect state requires the existence of this "system of impurity" as a necessary stage in the process of growth and transformation. It’s a radical idea, isn't it? That darkness isn't just something to be avoided, but something to be engaged with, transformed, and ultimately, used to fuel our journey towards wholeness.
It's a challenging concept, and one that invites us to look at the world – and ourselves – with new eyes. Maybe the struggles we face, the darkness we encounter, isn't a deviation from the path, but an integral part of it. Maybe, just maybe, it's the very thing that allows us to become who we are meant to be.