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Parashat
Beha’alotcha
Carrying the Light - How is Torah the Prerequisite for
Dwelling in the Land?
Is
Israel a Secular or Torah-based State?
Lately,
I’ve had meaningful discussions with students and friends who have questioned
the legitimacy of Medinat Yisrael – the State of Israel. While many of
the early Zionists who fought for Israel’s establishment were secular and the
State was initially founded with a largely secular framework, we must not
overlook the deeper spiritual underpinnings at its foundation.
The
first draft of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, prepared by Mordechai
Beham, opened with a bold acknowledgment of our sacred inheritance: “Whereas
this Holy Land has been promised by the Lord God to our fathers, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and their seed after them…” This reference was later removed
by secular Zionists, sparking a passionate debate between the religious and
secular leaders of the time. Eventually, a compromise was reached. The final
document concluded with the phrase: “Placing our trust in the Rock of Israel,
we affix our signatures to this proclamation.”
The
expression Tzur Yisrael (“Rock of Israel”) appears several times in the
Torah as a reference to G-d. Yet the secular Zionists could interpret it more
ambiguously, as a symbol of the Jewish people’s enduring strength. Still, the
fact that even this phrase remained reflects the deep tension – and connection
– between the spiritual and political dimensions of the State.
What is
the Extent of Torah Learning and Observance in the State of Israel?
No
matter how one chooses to interpret the origins of the modern State of Israel,
I see the Torah at its core. To give a sense of scale, at the
beginning of 2024, there were around 169,366 Hereidi yeshiva and kollel
students in Israel. More than 20,000 students were learning in dati
leumi institutions, and around 7,439 women were enrolled in seminaries in
the 2021–2022 academic year. Remarkably, all of these students receive stipends
from the so-called “secular” state – to study Torah.
And
beyond the official statistics, there are tens of thousands of additional
Israelis – like my husband and me – who are actively engaged in Torah learning
and teaching, even without being formally registered in a yeshiva or midrasha.
For me,
coming to Israel and coming to Torah were inextricably connected. Unlike the
environment in which I was raised, Israel is a land where Torah is alive. It
boasts many neighborhoods where Shabbat is observed. The Shabbat atmosphere is tangibly
felt in the streets, where only emergency vehicles pass, and families stroll
peacefully in sanctified time. Most importantly, there is a vast array of
institutions dedicated to deep Torah learning, for men and women alike. Torah
is not a niche pursuit here – it is embedded in the rhythm of life.
What Does It
Mean to Rekindle the Light of Holiness Each Day?
Parashat
Beha’alotecha begins the final preparations for the
Israelites’ journey from the Sinai desert to the Promised Land. It opens with
the instructions for Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, to tend to the light of the
Menorah:
ספר במדבר פרק ח פסוק ב
דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרֹת אֶל מוּל
פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה יָאִירוּ שִׁבְעַת הַנֵּרוֹת:
“Speak
to Aharon and say to him: When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast
their light toward the face of the menorah” (Bamidbar 8:2).
The Ohr
Hachayim draws our attention to something surprising:
the Torah does not treat the lights as fixed parts of the Menorah. If the cups
were permanently attached, why would the verse separately list “its lights, its
tongs, and its fire pans” when describing how to wrap up the Menorah for
transport (Bamidbar 4:9)? Clearly, the cups were movable. The Ohr Hachayim
even notes how this is supported by the verse: “the menorot (candelabras)
and their lamps” (II Divrei HaYamim 4:20), implying they are not one and
the same. He explains that Aharon would remove, clean, reset, and rekindle the
cups each day – a process of daily renewal, not mere routine. So why is this
detail so meaningful? Because Aharon, feeling a sense of loss for not
participating in the tribal offerings at the dedication of the Mishkan, was
comforted with a task that transcends time: “Yours is greater than theirs – for
you will kindle and prepare the candles” (Tanchuma Beha’alothecha 3
cited by Rashi, Bamidbar 8:2).
Unlike
the tribal offerings that occurred once, Aharon’s avodah (service) was
continuous, bringing new light into the world each day. Each rekindling was
considered a new Chanukat HaMenorah – a daily rededication of light (Ohr
Hachayim, Bamidbar 8:2).
The
Deeper Message for Life in Eretz Yisrael
In our
own lives, especially in Eretz Yisrael, this teaching offers a profound
message. Life in the Land requires constant renewal. There is no autopilot for
holiness. Whether we’re facing bureaucratic frustration, ideological tension,
or the mundane routines of daily life, the soul of Eretz Yisrael calls us to be
like Aharon – to awaken and raise up the light anew.
Just as
the Menorah’s candles were not fixed – they had to be removed, cleaned, and
reset – so too we are invited to continually reawaken our spiritual focus. The
Land of Israel is not passive; it interacts with us, mirrors us, and calls for
our intentionality. Each mitzvah here, even repeated daily, is a fresh
opportunity to draw down Divine light. Even when the act is externally the
same, the inner intention – kavanah – transforms it into something new.
Renewed Service
Beyond Routine
Rashi teaches
us that the Torah and the mitzvot should not appear to you as an antiquated
edict which no one cares about, but as a new one, which everyone hastens to
read, as it states, “these words, which I command you today shall be
upon your heart” (Devarim 6:6). We learn from this never to say, “I’ve
already done this mitzvah.” Instead, we must perform each act as if it were
the first time. This is the spiritual training embedded in the daily lighting
of the Menorah – and in our lives in the Holy Land.
Living
in Eretz Yisrael demands perseverance. But it also offers a powerful gift: the
opportunity to engage in constant renewal. Whether you’re planting a tree,
teaching Torah, raising children, or simply sweeping your doorstep with love
for the Land, you’re part of the daily rekindling of the Divine light. Like
Aharon, you are reassembling the sacred, cup by cup, flame by flame.
Let us
then walk into each day with the awareness that holiness is never static. The
Menorah’s flame calls to us: Reignite your light. Clean your vessel. Lift it up
anew.
Letting
our Flame Rise on Its Own in the Land of Light
Rashi
furthermore notes the unusual word בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ/beha’alotcha
used in our Torah verse for igniting which literally means “when you cause
to ascend.” He explains, based on Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 21a,
that since the flame rises, Scripture describes kindling in terms of ascending.
He is required to kindle the lamp until the flame rises by itself. This
concept is often cited for educational purposes. As teachers, we must not just
do the tasks for our students or even show them how. Rather, we must exercise
patience, allowing the student to practice what she has learned until she can
perform it independently, no longer reliant on her teacher.
During
the Israelites’ wilderness journeys, Hashem literally spoon-fed His people with
daily manna and fresh water from the well. He also protected them from enemies,
snakes, and scorpions within His Cloud of Glory. Yet, to conquer the land of
Canaan, the Children of Israel had to grow up and take the swords into their
own hands. They had to take up a hatchet and a pickaxe to break the hardened ground
and transform it into fertile fields, producing enough to sustain their
families. They needed to become like the flame that rises by itself, no longer
dependent on their Father in Heaven to provide for them unconditionally. How
fitting, then, was Aharon’s mitzvah of causing the flames to ascend as a
preparation for entering the Land of Israel, where we are called to rise to
the challenge of applying our own efforts, until our flame rises on its own.
The Ark Guides
Our Path and Leads the Way to the Land of Israel
Yet
Hashem is not leaving us completely to our own devices. His Holy Ark will
accompany us into the Land of Israel and bring about His protection from our
enemies. Moshe’s request that Hashem rise reflects our rising – like the flame
that ascends on its own. When we rise to eradicate evil and spread light, we
elicit Hashem’s response to complete our endeavor through the light of the
Torah.
Igniting
the lights of the Menorah parallels the Ark, which carries the Luchot –
the Tablets of the Covenant – as it states, “For a candle is a mitzvah and
Torah is light” (Mishlei 6:23). Just as the lights must ascend on their
own, the Ark went ahead of the people. It did not follow them – it led them.
The journey into the Land of Israel begins with the Ark, the container of
Torah. Just as light precedes movement, Torah precedes and guides the people’s
path. Without the Ark, there is no direction; without Torah, the journey is
devoid of purpose.
ספר במדבר פרק י פסוק לה וַיְהִי
בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה קוּמָה הַשֵׁם וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ וְיָנֻסוּ
מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ:
“So it
was, whenever the ark set out, Moshe would say, Arise, O Hashem let Your
enemies be scattered and may those who hate You flee from You” (Bamidbar
10:35).d
The Zohar
teaches that the Shechinah traveled with the Ark (Zohar Part 3, 155a).
Wherever the Ark went, the Divine Presence went. Thus, Torah is not only the
prerequisite for entering the Land – it is the channel for bringing the Shechinah
into it. The sanctity of Eretz Yisrael is not automatic; it is called into
being and sustained through the light of Torah.
Rather,
certainly He (Hashem) did not turn His face away from them. So what happened at
the moment the Ark began to rest? Moshe said, “Return, Hashem…” and then the
Ark would settle, and the Shechinah would stand on another side, with Her face
toward Israel and toward the Ark.
When we live in Eretz Yisrael today, we are not
simply inheriting land – we are fulfilling an eternal covenant. But just like
our ancestors in the wilderness, we must first carry the Ark. We must let Torah
go before us, illuminate our way, and guide our choices. Only then does our
dwelling in the Land become a true yerushah
– not just a physical inheritance, but a spiritual one.
