Parashat Tetzaveh
What is the Inner Connection Between the Menorah and the Land of Israel?
How Can We Connect with Eternal Light?
From the earliest moments of my spiritual journey, I have felt a
deep, intrinsic connection to the concept of light. Light is not merely an
external phenomenon but an inner force that guides, uplifts, and transforms. I
have always been drawn to the idea that light represents Divine wisdom,
clarity, and the ability to illuminate even the darkest circumstances. The
Torah is replete with light imagery – linking it to the Torah as the source of
creation, the essence of wisdom, and the very presence of the Divine in the
world. The very first word my youngest granddaughter said when she was barely
one was אוֹר/Ohr – “light”!
She was standing on a stool, pointing to the Shabbat candles I had just
ignited. Since then, I have been praying for her to remain deeply connected
with light. What does it mean to be connected with light? First and foremost,
it is about walking the Torah path, as it states, כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר – “For a mitzvah is a candle, and the
Torah is light” (Mishlei 6:23). Walking in Torah is the light of my
life. Some people can’t understand why I labor so hard to produce yet another
Torah book – I certainly don’t do it for the money. I am addicted to expressing
the light of Torah, for the more Torah we share, the more Torah we receive – like
nursing a baby or drawing water from a wellspring. This is why I love to teach
Torah, living for those moments of epiphany when Hashem grants me a chiddush
– a new Torah insight. נֵר הַשֵׁם נִשְׁמַת אָדָם – “The candle of Hashem is the soul of a person”
(Mishlei 20:27). When we live with Torah, we awaken our
Divine soul. We become less obsessed with fleeting pleasures – gold and
diamonds, fancy clothes, extravagant travels, and gourmet food and wine. We
evolve from being like a child who rushes to gather as many sweets as possible
in a candy store to a spiritually mature person who learns to pursue the
eternal rather than the ephemeral. And yes, light is all about eternity.
Darkness will ultimately give way to eternal light, as expressed in the Temple
Menorah, whose middle candle never extinguishes (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot
86b). We can tap into this divine light, especially in the Land of Israel – the
Land of Light – where the Shechinah dwells and Divine wisdom shines most
brightly. The more we connect with Torah in the Holy Land, the more we
internalize and reflect this everlasting light, aligning ourselves with the
ultimate destiny of creation – when “Hashem will be an everlasting light” (Yesha’yahu
60:19).
How Does the Land of Israel Reflect the Light of the Menorah?
Parashat Tetzaveh does not explicitly mention the
land, yet concealed within its intricate descriptions lies a deep connection to
the Land of Israel. Its themes of spiritual leadership, Divine service, and
sanctity are inextricably tied to Eretz Yisrael – the ultimate place where
these ideals find full expression. Our parasha opens with the mitzvah to
bring pure olive oil for the Ner Tamid, the eternal flame of the
Menorah.
ספר שמות פרק כז פסוק כ וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה
אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת
נֵר תָּמִיד:
Olive oil is one of the seven species of Eretz Yisrael, symbolizing
the land’s spiritual and material richness. It embodies the purity of Israel
and the light that the land provides to the Jewish people and the world. The
eternal flame of the Menorah is ultimately kindled in the Holy Temple in the
heart of the Land of Israel. Furthermore, the Menorah’s light represents Divine
wisdom and the mission of Israel to be a light unto the nations – a mission
that can only be fully realized within the Land of Israel:
“They shall bring you pure olive oil…” (Shemot 27:20). Just as oil provides light, so too does the Beit Hamikdash illuminate the entire world as Scripture states: “The nations shall walk by your light” (Yesha’yahu 60:3). Therefore, G-d said to Moshe, “They shall bring you pure olive oil” (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 36:1).
How Does the Eternal Flame of the Menorah Shine Forth from Israel
to the World?
The Menorah’s glow in the Beit Hamikdash was more than a physical light;
it was a beacon of spiritual enlightenment emanating from Eretz Yisrael to the
world. The Menorah’s seven branches correspond to the seven lower Sefirot,
which mirror the seven species of Eretz Yisrael. The oil represents Chochmah
(Divine wisdom), which flows freely only when Israel is in its rightful place (Zohar
Part 2:158a). Israel is compared to olives. Just as the olive only brings forth
its oil when beaten, so does Israel only return and become refined through
difficulties and hardships (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 53b). The
process of refining oil, crushing it to extract its essence, parallels how the
Jewish people undergo challenges and refinement in exile, during our long
winding exile preparing us for the spiritual refinement necessary to access the
holiness of the Eretz Yisrael. The crushing hardships we have endured return us
to Eretz Yisrael as a purer, more radiant nation. The oil of the Menorah is
linked to the righteousness of Israel: Just as olive oil rises above other
liquids, so too will Israel rise above all nations (Midrash Devarim Rabbah
7:3), when we return to our land and fulfill our mission, as it is written: “Hashem
your G-d will place you supreme above all the nations of the earth” (Devarim
28:1). The light of the Menorah is a reminder that our ultimate source of
clarity and inspiration comes from our bond with Hashem in Eretz Yisrael – where
His presence dwells most fully and where the Jewish mission reaches its highest
potential.
The Land of Israel – Source of Our Inner Light
The Menorah was not merely a source of light within the Temple but
a reflection of the spiritual illumination that flows from Eretz Yisrael. As we
have learned, the Menorah’s light symbolized Hashem’s presence dwelling among
Israel, spreading its glow to the entire world (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 36:1).
In Chassidut, the Menorah represents the innate holiness of the Jewish soul,
which, like the flames, continually strives upward, reaching toward the Divine.
Just as the flames are kindled anew each day, so too is our spiritual mission
in Eretz Yisrael constantly renewed, reaffirming our role as bearers of Divine
light. The wordְּתְּצַוֶּה /tetzaveh connotes connection and attachment.
True unity is obstructed by impurities and
unclarity. Just as the process of pressing olives removes impurities and
refines the oil, so too do the Jewish people achieve spiritual refinement
through humility and unity. Becoming free of arrogance and divisions enables us
to kindle the eternal flame, for personal spiritual achievements are temporary, while illumination that stems from the collective soul of Israel is
everlasting. True, enduring light comes through integrating oneself within the
general community of Israel – becoming part of the whole rather than seeking
individual elevation alone (Sefat Emet, Likutim, Parashat Tetzaveh). This
alludes to a profound insight into the connection between the Menorah and
Eretz Yisrael. The light of the
Menorah represents the unity and refinement of the collective soul of
Israel, which reaches its highest fulfillment in the Land of Israel, where the
Shechinah dwells. Rav Kook further expounds: “The
return to a life of full Israeli expression, to a life illuminated by Torah in
its highest revelation, occurs in Eretz Yisrael, the land of our life. The
Spirit of G-d in the inner Israeli soul unites with the Spirit of G-d in the
land, and the outcast lover returns to her original love, renewing the holy
marriage of yore. This happens when the nation, the Torah, and all of the
mitzvot are reunited with the life-giving Spirit of G-d in the land” (Orot,
Eretz Yisrael Chapter 8).
The Emblem of the Land of Israel – The Light of our Mission
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