Emptiness

In the Bible, the story of Creation begins with a reference to the void that existed before God uttered the famous phrase, "Let there be Light." This implies a fundamental connection between the emptiness of the void and the darkness that preceded the coming of Divine illumination. Indeed, true emptiness can only take place in spiritual darkness: When the Light is present, everything is present because the Light of the Creator contains everything within itself just as the sunlight encompasses all the colors of the spectrum. When we experience a sense of emptiness in any area of our lives, there's usually an inclination to try to fill that void with some person, place, or thing — with something tangible, in other words. But the real answer must be sought outside the physical realm, and Kabbalah provides us with the tools for connecting with that supernal dimension.

The biblical Book of Job tells of a righteous, well-to-do man who seemed to "have everything." He possessed all the attributes of wealth as they were understood in the ancient world, including luxurious houses, many servants, and vast herds of livestock. Yet it was only when he lost all these things that his greatest possession revealed itself, and this was his powerful connection to the Creator's Light. In Job's narrative, the false abundance of material goods had to be removed in order for the true abundance of the Light to become apparent. When connection to the Light is absent, only emptiness is possible on the spiritual level. But in the presence of the Light, emptiness is a logical contradiction. It is literally not possible, any more than a brightly illuminated room can remain shrouded in darkness.

Rav Berg