It's not about easy answers, but about finding meaning even in the face of what seems meaningless. And sometimes, just sometimes, it finds a truly startling answer.
Imagine this: even the existence of evil, the really nasty stuff, can somehow, impossibly, bring glory to the King. Now, when we say "King" in this context, we aren't talking about a literal monarch, but about the divine, about Ein Sof, the Infinite.
The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, a key text of Kabbalah, suggests something radical. It posits that our actions, our deeds, are actually what unlock the revelation of unity, the oneness of everything. And here’s the kicker: that revelation is contingent on our actions. Meaning, it depends on us.
Think about that for a second.
The fact that evil exists, that there are deficiencies in the world, forces us to act. It compels us to repair what is broken, to strive for unity, to reveal the divine presence. And it is through that very struggle, through the hard work of Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">tikkun olam – repairing the world – that we attain merit.
If everything was already perfect, if there was no suffering, no injustice, no darkness... what would we strive for? What would be the point of action? We wouldn't need to reveal the supreme unity because, in a way, it would already be self-evident.
So, according to this line of thought, even evil's existence serves a purpose. It's a catalyst. It's the challenge that allows us to earn merit, to become partners with the divine in the ongoing work of creation.
And that’s not all. The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah goes even further. It says that through the repairs we carry out, the deficiencies themselves are repaired. It’s like saying the cracks in a vessel, once mended with gold, become even more beautiful and precious than the original flawless form.
The deficiencies were brought about, in a sense, for a good purpose: to give humanity a reward, to give us the opportunity to rise to the occasion, to demonstrate our capacity for love, compassion, and repair.
Then – and this is the truly mind-bending part – even evil's previous existence, its time in the category of "actual evil," turns out to have been... good. Not good in and of itself, of course. But good in its ultimate contribution to the grand tapestry of creation.
It's a radical idea, isn't it? That even the darkness can be redeemed, that even the most painful experiences can ultimately serve a higher purpose. It doesn't excuse evil. It doesn’t diminish the pain. But it does offer a glimmer of hope, a profound sense of meaning, even in the face of the seemingly incomprehensible.
It invites us to see our struggles, not as meaningless suffering, but as opportunities for growth, for repair, and for the revelation of the divine unity that underlies everything. It reminds us that even in the darkest of times, we have the power to bring light into the world. And perhaps, that’s the most glorious act of all.