B'Midbar/Numbers
CHAPTER 8
1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,
2. "Speak to Aharon, and tell him, ‘When you cause the lamps to ascend [b'haAlothkha], the seven lamps must give light toward the front of the menorah’s face.'"
The menorah itself is not a lamp, but a place to set lamps so that they would be sufficiently elevated to illuminate more of the room. So the menorah is a utilitarian thing, even in the Sanctuary, but the very fact that it exists to bring light to a house tells us that there is much more we can learn from it. And the lampstand for YHWH’s House has a very specific design. It looks like a particular tree that grows in Israel, after whose Aramaic name Mt. Moryah is named. The menorah as such is really the central "trunk", which then has six branches, and the highest central lamp is called "the servant". This six-plus-one pattern is the same as the creation pattern, which we participate in by resting on the seventh day, when YHWH Himself rested. His example is even more powerful than His command. It is not just any one day in seven; the Jews have preserved for us the correct seventh day. But the fruit of this tree is light, and that is what we are after. The oil lamps (which looked much like Aladdin’s) could separate from the stand so that they could be more easily cleaned, so when they were replaced, they needed to be put back in the right position to produce the lighting effect YHWH wanted. If they faced in a different direction, their handles would cast shadows on what He wanted illuminated, and if each faced in a different direction, they would not be working together. And these lamps represent individual Israelites. In Exodus 39:37 and Lev. 24:4, YHWH had told Aharon to set the lamps in order, a phrase which in Hebrew also means “in battle array”. This time, he is actually telling him to light them, because an army lined up on the parade field is not making war. It is only preparing to do so by getting in position. It was important that the lamps be in the right place, but they only count when light actually comes out from them. Lamps that are not lit are doing nothing to dispel the darkness. The most beautiful chandelier is useless if it gives no light. We can get in position in many ways—studying Torah, taking inventory of each part of our lives and being honest about ourselves, by appreciating the authorities He sets us under—anything that brings us closer to the General. But mere studying will accomplish nothing until we act on what we learn by obeying YHWH, serving one another. We actually light the lamps by doing something about the shortcomings we discover in ourselves, by beginning to praise YHWH, by shoring up our strengths, and by giving to one another. Yahshua warns us to make sure the light within us is not darkness. This is in context of saying the body’s lamp is the eye, and if our eye is sound, our whole body will be full of light. (Luke 11:33ff) According to the Mishnah, “a sound eye” is a Hebrew idiom for generosity. If our generosity has selfish motivation, it is a “dark light” indeed. Do you regret giving of yourself in some area? If you cannot see clearly or there is darkness in some area, you need to examine whether it is due to a lack of generosity, and hospitality in particular, because when one is lost, seeing a light in the distance gives him great hope. Even when he was freshly circumcised, Avraham exuded this kind of light, eager to make others feel comfortable and cared for within his space. He was looking to give something back for what YHWH had done for him. YHWH invites us into His space especially at His appointed times, opening special gates then that are open at no other times. ;If we are likewise generous, we will see things we have never seen before. Our earthly king said that letting our lights shine rather than hiding them means letting men see our the works of Torah alive in us. (Matt. 5:16) The purpose is so that those who enter the house (not just anyone out on the street) may see, and that every secret may be revealed. (Luke 8:16) If our lights shine in the right way, we will know secrets that are now hidden, and the priests will find hidden answers from the shadows they cast. Proverbs 25:2 tells us it is the prerogative of kings to search out what YHWH has concealed. (And all of Israel are called kings in Rev. 1:6.) But the things that separate the sheep from the goats all have to do with being hospitable or failing to do so. (Mat. 25) But the word for "front" here is rooted in a word meaning "circumcision". It is the sign of the continuation of the covenant that was made with Avraham and his descendants. Our actions are meant to cast light on the covenant of which circumcision is a sign.
3. So Aharon did just that. He made the lamps ascend toward the front of the menorah’s face, just as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
Just as: or, when—so apparently he did it immediately as well. This sounds very simple, but notice that YHWH did not tell Aharon to do this; He told Moshe to tell Aharon. Aharon had to trust him to be telling the truth about what YHWH said. We, too, have to trust the Torah even when it says things that go against our modern sensitivities. The place we make for YHWH in the midst of our camp must be not only full of light, but the light must point in the right direction. All the lamps are to be turned in the same direction so that all of our light is focused on the same thing, which is across from the menorah, that is, the Table of the Bread of the Faces (or Presence). Only then could it be seen properly. It held twelve loaves (representing the twelve tribes of Israel) baked with the ends turned inward to approximate the shape of the two kh’ruvim on the Ark of the Covenant--facing each other. They represent the whole community of Israel in its most unified form, and that is something YHWH wants to highlight. Where are they? At the table—another reminder of hospitality. At every Sabbath and festival, we share a table. This table is the only other thing said to be set in battle array, so like the menorah, consuming food together in unity is another powerful way of making war on YHWH’s enemies. But again, are we just believing in theory that YHWH can reunite both houses of Israel, or are we taking practical steps to call the twelve tribes back together? The light does not face outward, though some light will, of course, “leak” out through the windows, and others will see it and realize there is something inside worth partaking of. If someone outside is not inspired enough to coming looking for the light, he should not expect it to be brought to him. The emphasis is that the community receive more light, so that they can be well trained to be useful when people do come in seeking light. That makes our light all the brighter rather than diffusing it everywhere so that it amounts to almost nothing. Our lights light one another, and make all of us brighter. And this makes the lamps themselves ascend.
4. And this workmanship of the menorah was hammered out of one piece of gold [and finely decorated] from its trunk to its blossoms. According to the vision which YHWH had shown Moshe, he fashioned the menorah.
None of this will work if we try to arrange the lamps in a different pattern. Then our light would only be darkness. And even the lampstand must be made a certain way. YHWH’s people may have to be beaten into shape because of our crookedness, in order to become the “light to the nations” that He called us to be. If we did it our own way—or based on others’ logic-- instead of the way the Torah said to build it, the light would not be able to shine the way He wants it to. We are usually the ones who stand in the way of our lights shining brightly. The technique for hammering out gold is a lost art, yet still it is a standing command, so we must go as far as we can until the right technique is again discovered. The Temple Institute has made a solid-gold menorah as accurately as they can, but using wax displacement, saying this is a temporary arrangement until the Messiah or someone he knows can tell them how to do it rightly, in which case it can be melted back down and recast. In the meantime, we need to ask what menorah we are meant to be hammering on. The term “hammered” comes from a root word meaning “hard” or “fierce”, and indeed it is not easy to form unity; much blood has been shed so that we can have a place to live it out, and it might not yet be fully shaped. What is the fuel for the lights? Nothing but pure olive oil from the first pressing (Ex. 27:20)—that which does not require undue pressure to come forth. It is a picture of the one who, when given an order, says, “Right away, sir!” and responds immediately. Each of us is responsible to kindle the lights in Israel—and not just our own. Aharon did not light just one light. Light someone else’s light and make sure he has something worth having. Take responsibility for the whole menorah.
Commentary on
Parashat B'haAlothkha
Where the Light Must Focus
