וּמַלְכִּי-צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן פָּתַח וְאָמַר וַיְהִי בְשָׁלֵם סֻכּוֹ וגו'. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד סָלֵיק בִּרְעוּתָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִבְרֵי עָלְמָא, אַפֵּיק חַד שַׁלְהוֹבָא דְּבוֹצִינָא דְּקַרְדִינוּתָא, וּנְשַׁף זִיקָא בְּזִיקָא, חָשְׁכַאת וְאוֹקִידַת. וְאַפֵּיק מִגּוֹ סִטְרֵי תְּהוֹמָא, חַד טִיף, וְחַבַּר לוֹן כְּחַד, וּבָרָא בְהוֹ עָלְמָא.(זוהר הקדוש, לך לך פ"ו)

“and Melchizedek king of Shalem brought forth bread and wine..." (Beresheet 14:18). Rabbi Shimon opened the discourse, saying, "In Shalem also is set his tabernacle" (Tehillim 76:3). Come and behold, When the Holy One, blessed be they decided to create the world, they produced a flame of darkness (B’utzinah D’kardinutah). As wind blew wind, the flame darkened and began to burn. They reached into the abyss and drew out one drop, which they poured into the dark flame. They joined them as one, and from there, they created the world.” ( Zohar, Lech Lecha, 86)

nourished by the carob trees of Palestine, Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai took refuge in darkness. 

The 2nd second-century Jewish anti-roman freedom fighter and sage publicly resisted the roman occupation of Jerusalem, hiding in a cave in northern Palestine for 13 years. there, Rebbe Shimon revealed the foundation of Jewish mysticism: the Zohar, the book of shining radiant light, the light that emerges in and through darkness.