Beha'alotcha 5773

A Lamp of The Lord is the Soul of Man

This week’s Torah portion, Beha’alotcha, opens with God’s instructions to Aaron about how to light the lamps of the menorah in the Mishkan – which raises a difficult question: why does Aaron light the menorah only here, more than halfway through the Torah, instead of earlier – in parashat Pekudei, when the Mishkan was set up, or in parashat Shmini, when it was dedicated?

We are familiar with the use of light as a metaphor for spiritual experience; the book of Proverbs tells us, For the mitzvah is a lamp, and the Torah is light (6:23). And light, as we know, has special qualities. Only light can travel vast distances, literally across the universe, without ever slowing down or weakening.  And only light – specifically, candle light – can spread without diminishing the original light.  If you take a cup of water and divide it into two cups, you have half as much water in each cup; but take a candle and light a second candle, and you have twice as much light as before.

The menorah is lit now, after the census of the Israelites at the beginning of the book of Numbers, to remind us – again, in the language of Proverbs – that A lamp of the Lord is the soul of man (20:27).  Aaron is only able to light the lamps in the Mishkan after each and every Israelite has been accounted for, because each person is God’s lamp, bringing divine light into the world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Abe Friedman

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim 5773

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim

Two weeks ago, in the course of reading “Parashat Shemini”, we were informed of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, two of the sons of Aaron the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) and brother of Moses.  No explicit reason is given for their unlikely and unexpected deaths though traditional commentaries largely support the notion that they must have done something so awful that their family is commanded not to mourn their deaths.

Another puzzle regarding this episode is why, after the Torah details these events is there a break in the story picking up only this week with the opening words of the first of the two parshiyot which we read this Shabbat:  “Achrei Mot” (to be followed by “Kedoshim”).

Returning to “Parashat Shemini” we see that Aaron’s initial response to the news of his personal tragedy is retreat into silence “Va-yidom Aharon/ and Aaron was silent” [Leviticus 10:3].  But then he and the other priests are charged with distinguishing between the sacred and the profane and teaching all the laws which God has imparted to Moses [10:9-11].

Only when we reach the 16^th chapter of this book of the Torah does the narrative pick up in the aftermath of the deaths of the young priests.  How the family of Aaron managed to internalize all the laws taught in the interim and not mourn their losses is beyond me.  I do not have an answer.

But I have noticed a parallel in our own contemporary Jewish world for during these past two weeks Jews around the world have joined the citizens of Israel and her supporters everywhere in marking two occasions added to the modern Hebrew calendar during the last several decades.  First we commemorated Yom Ha-Shoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) on the 27^th of Nisan, and 6 days later Yom Ha-Zikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror).

On these days nearly the entire population of the Jewish state comes to a halt as sirens wail reminding everyone of the great losses incurred first during the Holocaust and then in building and preserving the State of Israel.  And while some may try to understand the violence that has taken so many from us, like the family of Nadav and Avihu we have no good answers.

But notice where “Parashat Achrei Mot” takes us after picking up the narrative.  It continues with instructions for Aaron who must carry on, brings details of the original Yom Kippur rituals which force us to confront our mortality and then introduces us to the section known as the “Holiness Code” in chapter 17.

And this too parallels our modern Jewish experience.  For after Israel’s memorial day the country zooms right into celebration of Israeli Independence Day on the 5^th of Iyyar as a reminder that despite the heavy prices paid we do go on and we do not give up.  The mission of the Jewish people and therefore of the Jewish state is to bring holiness into the world.  We do that every time we study Torah and engage in fulfilling God’s mitzvot.  That is why we can never give in to hatred and violence – for we have yet to complete our mission: to be God’s holy people and live by God’s teachings.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Matt Futterman

Senior Educator