We often think of God as purely good, and He is! But how do we reconcile that with the existence of negativity, of suffering, of… well, evil?

Da'at Tevunot, a profound work of Jewish thought, offers a fascinating, and perhaps unsettling, explanation. It suggests that even the source of negativity ultimately stems from God, but in a way you might not expect.

The text speaks of God having two "characteristics" (perhaps better understood as modes of being): a "concealment of His countenance" and an "illumination of His countenance." Think of it like this: when God shines His full light, His full presence, into the world, both the soul and the body are born. The soul, being closer to the Divine, is inherently more perfect, but the body, while less perfect, isn't inherently negative. It simply has "deficiencies" compared to the soul.

But what happens when God wills the creation of actual negativity, something truly opposite to His perfect nature? That's where things get interesting. Da'at Tevunot tells us that God "concealed His countenance to the greatest extent that one can contemplate." When He only conceals His countenance, and doesn't illuminate it at all, "born from this is the existence of actual deficiencies and creates a destroyer to do damage."

Wow.

It's a powerful image, isn't it? God almost turning away, withdrawing His direct presence. This withdrawal, this "removal of His right hand backwards from the management of His world," as the text puts it, results in a kind of sluggishness, a darkness. It’s as if God has placed all the deficiencies of goodness into this shadowed realm.

And what is the purpose of this "darkness of His mystery"? It's connected to justice. These "deficiencies of Goodness" become the "characteristics of the court," tools to bring to justice all that is concealed and all evildoers.

Think of it like a cosmic balancing act. God’s withdrawal isn’t arbitrary. It allows for a system of consequences, a way for negativity to be addressed and ultimately contained.

But here's the crucial point: even this "fury of the Holy One, blessed is He" is transient. It's not a permanent state. Da'at Tevunot emphasizes that God's wrath is ultimately aimed at purification, at setting things right. It’s "to make the snakes and seraphs set aside and invited to purgatory, to strike the evildoer in number according to the measure of his negative behavior."

So, what does this all mean? It suggests that evil isn't an independent force, separate from God. Instead, it’s a consequence of God's own self-limitation, a necessary, though painful, part of the cosmic order. It reminds us that even in the darkest corners, there is a connection, however faint, to the Divine. And that even negativity serves a purpose, however difficult to comprehend. It's a challenging idea, but one that offers a unique perspective on the nature of good and evil, and God's role in both. A perspective that perhaps invites us to look for the faintest glimmer of light, even in the deepest shadows.