Why were we commanded to light the menorah - does Hashem need the light ?!
(27,20) “And you shall command the children of Yisrael, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually.”
The Midrash says that this posuk is explained by Iyov 14:15 “Call and I will answer you; You desire the work of Your hands” - in four things Hashem desired the work of His hands. See there, where it enumerates four things that Hashem desired from the work of His hands. But it is not clear why it specified four things, and it did not consider the making of the Mishkan, since this was also something which Hashem desired from the work of human hands. Another difficulty is that surely Hashem desires the work of human hands in all the mitzvos. So again, why enumerate only these four.
It seems to me that the Midrash had a difficulty with the language of the posuk “You desire the work of Your hands”, because according to the apparent explanation of the Midrash of the posuk, that Hashem desired four deeds, it should have said “You desire the work of the work of Your hands”. This is what the Midrash came to answer.
But first let us preface with a parable. If a king loves a certain person because he is able to play a musical instrument really beautifully, and therefore the king desires him, behold, his desire in him is because he loves to hear his playing. So his chief desire is the work of his hands - his playing - because it is impossible to hear such beautiful playing from anyone else. But also, the king loves also the musician himself, since through him he hears the work of his hands which give him so much pleasure. But if there are two musicians who are equally skilful, and nevertheless the king desires only one of them, then it appears that the chief desire of the king is not only to hear the music, since he could hear this from the other, equally talented musician, but rather his main desire is in the musician himself, without desiring the work of his hands.
So too Hashem. Behold, Hashem desires Yisrael, and He gave them the Torah in order that they should fulfil the mitzvos, and when Yisrael does this, it brings Hashem pleasure. But it is not apparent from this that Hashem desires Yisrael themselves, because maybe Hashem desires only the work of their hands, that is, their fulfilling of the mitzvos. And since fulfilment of mitzvos is impossible without people, since mitzvos cannot be fulfilled in the heavens - as Moshe Rabbeinu indeed argued with the angels, that they cannot fulfil, for example, the commandments not to kill or to commit adultery, since they do not have an evil inclination - it was necessary for Hashem to create humans in order that they will do the mitzvos which are appropriate for them. If so, it is possible that Hashem does not desire Yisrael themselves, but only their deeds, their fulfilling of the mitzvos. But since nobody else can do this, so Hashem also desires them, but His main desire is really only for their deeds.
And so too regarding the making of the Mishkan. In the future it will be a structure of fire, but initially the earth was not yet fitting that it should be so. However, it was imperative that Hashem should have his Divine Presence dwell below, in order that the lower world will arouse the upper world, (some actions in heaven can only begin when a start is made on earth). So we see that also in building of the Mikdash, Hashem required the work of human hands, but also from this there is no proof that Hashem desires the people themselves, only their deeds which cannot be done without them. Therefore, it should have said in the posuk quoted earlier, “You desire the work of the work of Your hands”. But since it says “You desire the work of Your hands”, it implies that His chief desire is in the people themselves, and not in their work.
Therefore, the Midrash brings these four things, to demonstrate that Hashem desires the work of His hands - the people themselves, who are the work of His hands, and not their deeds. Because in those four things that are brought there, Hashem has no requirement at all in their deeds. One of the four things was that He commanded that they should bring pure olive oil for lighting the menorah - but does Hashem need its light?! It was for Yisrael’s benefit, as I will discuss in the next piece, So too, Hashem did not require that the Kohanim carry the Aron Hakodesh, because the Aron actually carried those who carried it, as is brought in the words of Chazal. If so, Hashem Himself could have done these things, and yet he commanded Yisrael to do them. So we see that Hashem’s main desire was not in their deeds, but in them themselves - that Hashem desires them for reasons known to Him. That’s why it says “You desire the work of Your hands” - the people themselves, and the command to bring pure olive oil for lighting of our parsha is one of the four things which prove this. See the Midrash for all the four things.
What was the purpose of lighting the menorah and maintaining a table of showbread in the Mishkan and Mikdash?
(27,20) “And you shall command the children of Yisrael, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually.”
The Yalkut Shimoni says that the normal way people behave in the world, is that if they have bad oil, they use it for lighting, but the good oil they put in the food. But in the Beis Hamikdash they did not conduct themselves this way, but rather, the pure olive oil was used for lighting the menorah, and the second grade of oil was used for the flour offerings. Said Dovid Mamelech in Tehillim 18:29 “For You light my lamp; Hashem, my G-d, lights my darkness”. This Yalkut is very puzzling - what is the connection between this posuk and our parsha?
But there are two possible reasons for the mitzvos of the showbread and the menorah. Either it is because this is the way of kings - like we find that they had guards in the Beis Hamikdash, that even though the Shechinah dwelled there, and Hashem guards us, nevertheless, they made guards for His honour, like one does for a king. Here also, the table with its bread, and lighting the menorah, was to show honour to the Beis Hamikdash, like the way of kings.
Or, the reason for these two mitzvos was for the good of Yisrael, because from the Torah is comes life to Yisrael. Because behold, the soul is compared to a lamp, as it is written in Mishlei 20:27 “The lamp of G-d is a man’s soul”, and it is written in the Midrash, Parshas Shoftim, and in several places, that Hashem said, “My lamp is in your hands, and your lamp is in My hands”. If so, it’s possible that by Yisrael lighting the lamps of the menorah before Him, they draw to themselves the light of life, as it is written Mishlei 16:15 “In the light of the king’s countenance is life”. And so it says later on in the Yalkut, that Hashem said, not for its light do I need, but rather to give light to you. So too, it is possible that from the making of the table and the showbreads comes livelihood to Yisrael, and so food for the body. And I heard said in the name of the Baal Haflaah, that also from the meal offerings come livelihood for all Yisrael.
Now, the practical difference between the two reasons is as follows: If it is because it is the way of kings, then it is not necessary, even in the Beis Hamikdash, to do more than one does for a king, and for a king one uses the inferior oil for lighting, and the superior oil one puts in food, and so this would be what one needs to do also in the Beis Hamikdash. But if the reason is because spiritual and physical life comes from this to Yisrael, then we should do completely the opposite. Because if from the menorah comes life for the soul, that is, spiritual life for involvement in keeping the Torah and mitzvos - like the explanation of the commentaries on the posuk Koheles 9:8 “and let oil not be lacking on your head - and if from the showbreads and the meal offerings comes livelihood to Yisrael, as I have already mentioned, then, since clearly the life of the soul is more precious and important than the life of the body, it is proper to make this the principal thing. Therefore, the more important oil should be for the menorah, and the inferior oil will be for the meal offerings.
With this, the actual posuk itself, which says “pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually”, is now clear. Because Chazal taught, “crushed for lighting”, but not crushed for the meal offerings - that the oil used for the menorah must be only from olives which were crushed, but not ground in a mill, so that they will not contain sediment. But after the first, pure oil has been extracted, they are placed into a mill and ground and can be used in the meal offerings. From this it is evident that intent of the Torah “to kindle the lamps continually”, means to kindle the light of the soul continually. As Dovid Hamelech wrote, “For You light my lamp; Hashem, my G-d, lights my darkness”, meaning, that the truth is that the intent of the menorah is to light my lamp, and in order that we not err and think differently, “Hashem, my G-d, lights my darkness”, to make me arrive at the truth.
And with this is also made clear the words of the Midrash here, which says that our posuk “pure olive oil” is explained by Yirmeyohu 11:16 “A leafy olive-tree, fair with goodly fruit, has Hashem called your name”. This is a puzzle - what does the Midrash want with this posuk that it brings. And it did not bring it in Parshas Terumah, because there it was possible to explain like the way of kings, but since it says here “crushed for lighting”, but not crushed for the meal offerings, this teaches that the intent is to give light to Yisrael. Therefore, from this it is evident that “A leafy olive-tree, fair with goodly fruit, has Hashem called your name”. Understand this, because I have written briefly. (I could explain this fully, but the reader has enough information to work it out. Email me if you get stuck).
So now we understand the intent of the Yalkut - the way of the world is that if a person has bad oil, he lights with it his lamp etc. But here we do the opposite. Therefore, Dovid said, “for You light my lamp”, that Hashem intends with the lighting of the menorah, to light my lamp - “the lamp of G-d is a man’s soul”. Therefore, since this is more precious than food for the body, the superior oil is appropriate for the menorah more than the meal offerings. And it comes to prove that it is not the intent of the menorah and the table to do like the way of kings, because if so, he would not have changed from the way of kings to put the inferior oil in the menorah, and the best oil in the meal offerings. This proves that Hashem intends only for our good, for our spiritual and physical life.
Why was Moshe commanded to bring Aharon and his sons near to the priesthood?
(28,1) “And you shall bring near to yourself Aharon, your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Yisrael to be priests to Me…”
It seems to me that we can explain this posuk according to the gemora Bava Basra, that says that the one who causes to do (a good deed) is greater than the one who does. But behold, it says in the Midrash, Parshas Terumah, “And you shall do” - this teaches that Hashem pays reward to the one who causes like the one who does. On this the Yefas Toar asks, that the gemora says that the one who causes is greater than the one who does, and he answers that where one person who is causes many to do, then he is greater. But here, where Moshe commanded only Betzalel alone, so the one who causes is equal to the one who does, and not more than him.
Now, the Ramban explained, “And you shall command the children of Yisrael” - you yourself shall command, and not through an emissary. And the reason why Hashem commanded him thus, was because Moshe felt bad that he had been distanced from the priesthood, and also that he had not contributed to the work of the Mishkan at all. And even though by his commanding to Betzalel it was if he was making the Mishkan himself, nevertheless, since he was only equal to the doer, Moshe would have preferred to actually do it himself. Therefore, Hashem said to him that he will be the one who causes, and he will be better than the one who does, even more than Aharon. Because he himself will command the children of Yisrael, not through an emissary. If he would use an emissary, then, relative to Moshe, the emissary would be the doer, and Moshe would be commanding an individual, and therefore be only equal to the doer. But if Moshe commands all of the children of Yisrael, he would be an individual commanding the many, and so he would be greater than those who are doing.
So too with the priesthood. If Moshe would be a priest, he would no more than any priest. But now that Aharon and his sons will be priests, and Moshe will be the one who brings them near to the priesthood, then he will be the one who is causing the many to do, and therefore greater than any priest. This is what our posuk is saying, “And you shall bring near to yourself Aharon, your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Yisrael, to be priests to Me”, and thus you will causing the many to do, and so be greater than any one of them.
Why do the Jewish priests and kings have to come from the offspring of Yisrael?
(28,1) “And you shall bring near to yourself Aharon, your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Yisrael to be priests to Me…”
The Midrash says that our posuk is explained by Zechariah 10:4 “Out of them shall come the cornerstone; out of them , the stake, etc”. Come and see - the earlier nations, when they wanted to appoint a king over themselves, they would bring a king from anywhere and appoint him. But Yisrael is not so, but rather from them are their leaders, from them are their kings, from them are their priests, etc.
It seems to me that the reason why the priests must come specifically from Yisrael, is because, as is well known, all the 600,000 of Yisrael are like one soul, and they are intertwined one with the other. Therefore, if a holy spirit rests upon one of them, then through him it can dwell also upon the rest of Yisrael, because they are related one to the other, and they are considered like one body. For this reason, the chosen ones must be from the offspring of Yisrael, and thus, through Moshe is bestowed a spirit of purity also upon Aharon and his sons, and from Aharon it is bestowed also upon the rest of Klal Yisrael. This is not so with converts. Even though they convert, their soul does not become part of the collective soul of Yisrael, but rather remains apart from them. And so, even though a spirit of holiness rests upon him, he is not able to pass it along and bestow it also upon the rest of Yisrael.