Summary:
In our portion, the children of Israel are commanded to bring pure olive oil for the ner tamid "a constantly burning light," in the sanctuary. Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Itamar, are then chosen to serve as priests. Afterwards, God instructs Moses to make special clothes for the priests. Finally, Aaron and his sons are ordained in a seven-day ceremony and Aaron is commanded to burn incense on an acacia altar every morning and evening.
Lesson:
A Holy Ark with a ner tamid above it
A Modern ner tamid
As a child I used to sit in synagogue and stare at the eternal light. Did it really never go out? What would happen if the electricity went out? What would happen if the light bulb burned out? It turns out that my childhood focus on the eternal light is based on a text in our Torah portion this week. Moses continues to instruct the people regarding the building of the tabernacle. In the midst of the construction details, Moses commands the Jewish people to bring pure olive oil for the light, “to keep a flame burning there perpetually.” What was the importance of this ner tamid - “eternal light” that continues to burn in every synagogue around the world?
We are taught that the fact that the eternal light burns above the Aron haKodesh – the ark holding the Torah scrolls – reminds us that the Torah provides the light of wisdom to all who study it. It lights our way as we journey through life. Offering a very different interpretation, some of our rabbis understand the commandment that a light burns continually as something that serves God rather than human beings. They argue that God needs Israel as a source of light in the world. It's as if God says to the people of Israel, “hold this light so that I may see the path.”
Other interpreters explain the ner tamid in a completely different manner. For many of our rabbis, the eternal light is a reminder to the Jewish people to live a Jewish life and fulfill mitzvot. They base their argument on the statement in the book of Proverbs: “the mitzvah is a lamp; the teaching is a light.” It's as if every mitzvah that we fulfill brightens the world.
The Jewish people are often referred to as “the chosen people”. We are chosen not because of any racial or genetic difference. Instead, we are chosen to be “a light unto the nations.” It could be that the eternal light is a reminder of the mission of every Jew to provide moral and religious leadership to the larger world.
From ancient times, thousands of years ago, when the Israelites created the first ner tamid, to the artistic interpretations of the eternal light in modern synagogues, interpreters have found and elaborated upon a variety of symbolic messages. When I stared at the ner tamid in my home synagogue, my childhood concern focused on electricity and light bulbs rather on the symbolic message of the eternal light. What is central in all the rabbinic commentary is that the Torah continues to illuminate our lives as Jews as well as bringing light to a very dark world.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Donald Goor