Regarding the Plague of Darkness, she discusses how the darkness affected the Egyptians versus how it affected the Jews. The Torah says that the Jews had light in their homes.
But what kind of light? It wasn't just a physical light.
The Jews merited light because of their attachment to Torah and mitzvot.
She recalls the advice of Rabbi Pincus:
The way for us to subdue our enemies today is no different from the way it was then. Through the light of Torah and mitzvot, we can move forward and paralyze them.
You add light, rather than adding more darkness to the darkness.
And those who run from light and embrace the darkness end up getting stuck there, helpless to harm you further.
But then she adds more depth and insight to the phenomenon of Darkness:
The Ner Uziel writes that light exists both in the upper spiritual world and in the lower, physical realm. What the Torah refers to as light is actually a manifestation of the spiritual essence known as truth.
As light is truth and clarity, darkness is confusion and a distorted view of reality.
This confusion paralyzed the Egyptians and prevented them from moving forward.
In contrast, the Jews experienced heightened awareness. One who "can't see the light" has no understanding, notes Rabbi Ezrachi. If there's a break in communication between the brain's message and the appropriate limb, the limb will not move.
The darkness of the Egyptians was intellectual. They had lost all understanding and couldn't even function in the world.
"They had lost all understanding and couldn't even function in the world."
Today, young Leftist radicals are referred to as "snowflakes" due to their tendency to "melt" (or collapse into a meltdown) when faced with facts they don't like. On the non-political side, you have an increase of young people sitting at home with their smartphones and social media. (In truth, this has increased among people of all ages, but it's most extreme among teens.) Those who go to college often major in subjects that won't enable them to get a job. Suicide is up. Increasingly, many people truly cannot even function in the world.
Yet the way to create light is the same secret Gidon discovered during the Pesach Seder millennia ago: Yearn for Redemption!
As Rebbetzin Smiles concludes:
What allowed Bnei Yisroel to be redeemed?
It was nothing more than an intense desire for that redemption.
We must open our eyes, for we are also submerged in darkness.
Hashem is waiting for us.
Naaleh Online Torah for Women
True Greatness Hides Itself before God Makes It Known (discusses Gidon the Judge)