Summary:
In our portion this week, God speaks to Moses, describing the menorah for the Tent of Meeting. Then the Levites are appointed to serve as assistants under Aaron and his sons. Those who are unable to celebrate Passover during Nisan are given a time in the month of Sivan to observe a "second Passover." A cloud by day and fire by night show God's Presence over the Tabernacle. When the cloud lifts from the Tabernacle, the people leave Sinai, setting out on their journey, tribe by tribe. In a recurring theme, the Israelites complain about the lack of meat, and Moses becomes frustrated. God tells him to appoint a council of elders. God provides the people with meat and then strikes them with a very severe plague. Miriam and Aaron talk about the "Cushite woman" whom Moses has married. In addition, they complain that God speaks not only through Moses but also through them. Miriam is struck with leprosy, and Moses begs God to heal her. After her recovery, the people resume their journey.
Lessons from our Haftarah - Zechariah 2:14-4:7:
Both our Torah and haftarah portion describe the Menorah that stood in the ancient temple. Both portions go into great depth as they talk about the place of the Menorah as a symbol of the nation. No visit to Rome is complete without seeing the Arch of Titus on which the Menorah from the temple in Jerusalem is carried out of Jerusalem into captivity. And on visit to the Knesset in Jerusalem is complete without a visit to the ceremonial Menorah which stands facing the Knesset and which retells the history of the Jewish people.
The power of the Menorah – and other ritual objects – cannot be understated. The beauty of the Menoral fulfills the mitzvah of “hidur mitzvah”, the principle of enhancing a mitzvah through aesthetics. This concept is derived from Rabbi Ishmael’s comment in the Talmud on the verse in the Torah, “This is my God, whom I will glorify. Any cup can hold the wine for Kiddush for Friday night; however a decorated silver cup sets the moment aside as unique and glorifies it. Because of hidur mitzvah just as the beautiful menorah stood in the ancient Temple, so too are Jewish homes today filled with beautiful ritual items.
The Menorah that stood in the Temple teaches us another important lesson as well. In our haftarah this week we read, “Not by might, nor by power, buy by My spirit.” While the Menorah was a physical object which we used to bring about holiness, it did not have the power of a religious relic which embodied holiness on its own. No, Zechariah reminds us that it not by might, and not by power that God invited into our world. It is not through ritual objects such as the menorah or the light of its candles that God enters our lives. Instead we pray that the light of the candles that flicker from the branches of the Menorah can touch our souls, creating a spirit of holiness that can fill our lives and our world.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Don Goor