The Torah teaches that the darkness was so thick that it could be felt, so blinding that a person could not see his fellow. Within such a darkness, a person does not see or feel the distress of others. Our senses are dulled. This is why our Sages teach in the Midrash that "the darkness was as thick as a golden coin.” Running after golden coins increases one's egocentrism, dulls one’s eyes, and makes it difficult for someone to feel the distress of others.  

• What is the embodiment of the plague of darkness in the modern world?
• When have we failed to recognize the distress of those around us?
• How do we balance our concerns of security with our Jewish moral obligations to love the גֵר, the sojourner, the stranger, or the refugee? 
• What is the embodiment of the plague of darkness in the modern world?​