Jewish Life Digital Edition November 2013 | Page 22

chosen nation. While the nations of the
world also possess their own ideas of altars
and sacrifices, the concept of a Menorah,
however, is completely alien to them, especially when its light is not at all needed for
the purpose of illumination. Thus, the fiery
light of the Menorah, the quieter echo of
the raging fire upon the altar – lit by the
lone nation which lives above and beyond
the world of the mundane – represents the
unique bond. The lights of the Menora
were to be prepared solely from shemen,
the pure olive oil that is intrinsically tied to
the concept of holiness and all that is
above nature: just as it floats above the water, it symbolises rising above the mundane, as specifically oil is used to sanctify
the holy vessels of the Temple and also
anoint G-d-chosen kings.
“A mitzvah, a commandment, is like a
flame,” we read in King Solomon’s Book of

20 JEWISH LIFE

ISSUE 68

Proverbs (6:23). The Maharal from Prague explains that the ‘flame’ mentioned in the verse
refers to the lights of the Menorah that stood
in the holy Temple, since only regarding that
Menorah do we notice an actual mitzvah to
light its oil. The word mitzvah, used in reference to commandments, in fact, is etymologically related to the word le’tzavos, meaning to
attach and wholly connect oneself to. Through
the performance of G-d’s mitzvot, we become
firmly attached to Him. Based on all the aforementioned, it is quite understandable then
why King Solomon would refer specifically to
the flame of the Temple’s Menorah as the
flame of mitzvah. The cherished lights of the
Menorah symbolised the unbreakable bond
between G-d and the nation charged with
serving Him in the Temple. The enveloping
warmth of those special flames reminds us of
the shalom, the peace and harmony, that
dwells constantly between us and G-d above.

Reprinted with permission from aish.com, the
leading Judaism website

PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER

THE FIERY LIGHT OF THE MENORAH, THE QUIETER ECHO
OF THE RAGING FIRE UPON THE ALTAR – LIT BY THE LONE
NATION WHICH LIVES ABOVE AND BEYOND THE WORLD OF
THE MUNDANE – REPRESENTS THE UNIQUE BOND.

They are, in fact, the only lights that, as long
as the Temple stood, miraculously never
stopped flickering.
Commenting on a passage in Tractate
Shabbat (23b), Rashi applies this very verse
to the Talmudic dictum which promises the
merit of having children who are Torah sages to anyone who is careful to fulfil the
“flames of mitzvah”. He says that this refers
to the lights of both the weekly Shabbat and
the annual Chanukah. The connection so
strongly felt between G-d and His people
would not be limited to the lights of the
Temple’s Menorah. Every Shabbat and every
Chanukah, we can feel the closeness of the
Divine Presence as well. The Friday night
candles representing shalom bayit have
much in common with the lights of Chanukah, the ones that echoed the original deepfelt connection between G-d and us, first introduced in the Tabernacle of the wilderness. They all tap into the realm of shalom,
the state of achieving complete unity with
the G-d, Who gave us the precious gift of
Shabbat and Who graciously gave us the
Tabernacle and subsequent two Temples as
well. And one who heeds them both merits
having children, true Torah sages who personify the principles of G-d and serve to increase shalom in the world.
If the glorious festival of Chanukah is to
be maximised, we must tap into the harmony that is made possible by the Menorah’s lighting, which brings us all together
as one. The Midrash relates: “Said G-d to
the Jewish people: ‘If you are careful to
light [the Menorah] before Me, then I will
watch over your souls which are compared
to a flame, for it is written, ‘Ner Hashem
nishmat Adam’,” the flame of G-d is the
soul of man. The only way we can rest assured that our neirot, our flames, our
burning souls, can be carefully guarded by
G-d, is to ensure that we heed the call of
our actual candles and flames, the cries and
pleas for preserving shalom in our homes,
in our communities, and in our own mini
sanctuaries. Only then will the light of the
Temple’s Menorah flicker and shine once
again, as we all return to bask in the
warmth and glory of the full-fledged closeness between us and G-d that only a third
Temple can really provide. JL