But what is that lack, really? Is it something in itself, a separate force in the universe? Or is it something else entirely?
That's the question that Da'at Tevunot, a fascinating work of Jewish thought, grapples with. And the answer it offers is surprisingly profound.
Imagine you have a room filled with light. Pure, radiant light. Now, imagine a shadow falls across the room. What is that shadow? Is it some thing, some entity that has entered the space? Or is it simply the absence of light in that particular spot?
According to Da'at Tevunot, negativity, that feeling of lack, is much like that shadow. It's not a separate, independent force. Instead, "negativity is not other than the loss of goodness itself."
Think about it. We often talk about "good" and "evil" as if they're two opposing powers locked in a cosmic battle. But what if "evil" is just what happens when "good" is missing?
The text goes on to say that if we could truly understand all the different kinds of goodness that exist, and then understand all the different kinds of negativity, we’d see this clearly. There's no independent existence to the negative – it's all just deficits in the good. Like a dimmer switch turning down the brightness, the absence of goodness is what creates the illusion of something "negative."
So, what does this mean for our understanding of the divine? Well, it gets rid of the idea that there are "two G-dly emanations" – one of good, and one of evil. Instead, there's only the G-dly emanation of goodness, and the absence of it. The nullification of that goodness, either in total or in part, is what we perceive as negativity.
It's a subtle but powerful distinction. It suggests that the universe, at its core, is fundamentally good. That the absence of good is not a separate power, but rather a temporary state, a deficiency that can be remedied.
This idea resonates deeply, doesn’t it? It reminds us that even in the darkest of times, the potential for goodness still exists. That the shadows are not permanent, and that light can always return. It suggests that our task isn't to fight some external force of evil, but rather to cultivate and nurture the goodness within ourselves and in the world around us. To turn up the dimmer switch, so to speak.
Maybe, just maybe, recognizing the absence of good for what it is, is the first step in bringing more light into the world.