וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה ׀ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃
און דו זאָלסט באַפֿעלן די קידנער פֿון ישׂראל, זײ זאָלן דיר ברענגען רײנע געשלאָגענע בױמל פֿאַר דער לײַכטונג, אױף אָנצינדן אַ ליכט תּמיד.
Kedushat Levi
When we consider this we can also better understand Nachmanides who, when commenting on the making of the priestly garments in Parshat Pekudey, (chapter 39) draws our attention to the fact that whereas in connection with the execution of the orders to make these garments, the Torah repeatedly states at the end of dealing with a particular garment, כאשר צוה ה' את משה, “in accordance of how G’d had instructed Moses.” In Parshat Vayakehel, where the construction of the Tabernacle itself is reported, we do not find a comparable confirmation of “as G’d had commanded Moses,” at the end of each section. This may be an allusion that as far as the Tabernacle was concerned Moses was able to arrive at the precise details of the Tabernacle without having to be instructed by G’d in the details.
The Zohar II 232 calls this uncanny ability of Moses as שכינה מדברת מתוך גרונו של משה, “the Sh’chinah was speaking from the throat of Moses.”
While the Tabernacle represented the Jewish people, Moses, as its leader could “be on the same wavelength” as G’d, concerning it. Seeing that Moses was not a priest, he could not be expected to be on the same “wavelength” as the priests, so that he required to be instructed in the details of how and from what materials the priestly garments were to be made.
Only after Moses had divested himself of all aspects of ego, individualism, was he able to know exactly how the priestly garments were to be made and from which materials. When the Creator spoke to him “mouth to mouth,” Moses was on that level of disembodied holiness.
[The remarkable aspect of the author’s explanation of why Moses’ name was not mentioned in this portion is that it was not a rebuke by G’d for his having given G’d an “ultimatum” that unless He would forgive the sin of the golden calf Moses would want his name to be erased from the Torah, as most other commentators say. For our author, the absence of Moses’ name is a compliment, not a rebuke. Ed.]
The Zohar II 232 calls this uncanny ability of Moses as שכינה מדברת מתוך גרונו של משה, “the Sh’chinah was speaking from the throat of Moses.”
While the Tabernacle represented the Jewish people, Moses, as its leader could “be on the same wavelength” as G’d, concerning it. Seeing that Moses was not a priest, he could not be expected to be on the same “wavelength” as the priests, so that he required to be instructed in the details of how and from what materials the priestly garments were to be made.
Only after Moses had divested himself of all aspects of ego, individualism, was he able to know exactly how the priestly garments were to be made and from which materials. When the Creator spoke to him “mouth to mouth,” Moses was on that level of disembodied holiness.
[The remarkable aspect of the author’s explanation of why Moses’ name was not mentioned in this portion is that it was not a rebuke by G’d for his having given G’d an “ultimatum” that unless He would forgive the sin of the golden calf Moses would want his name to be erased from the Torah, as most other commentators say. For our author, the absence of Moses’ name is a compliment, not a rebuke. Ed.]
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 27,20. “and you shall command the Children of Israel to take to you pure olive oil, etc.;” the expression ויקחו אליך instead of ויביאו אליך, “they shall bring to you,” or ויקחו לי “they shall take for Me,“ as at the beginning of Parshat T’rumah, is unusual, to say the least. The point is that the menorah together with all its details was part of a vision that Moses had been shown by G’d while he had been on the Mountain, just as he had been shown the other components of the Tabernacle there. Being shown all this by G’d had been an expression of G’d’s joy at the degree of awe and love for Him that Moses had achieved, a level of closeness to the Creator not achieved by any subsequent prophet. When Moses was instructed to tell the people to bring the pure oil for lighting the menorah “to you,” instead of “to Me,” [and he was instructed to write this down in the Torah, Ed.] this was to tell the reader to what exceptional spiritual heights Moses had risen. This is why the Torah testified after Moses’ death (Deuteronomy, 34,10) that no prophet who was as close to G’d as Moses ever arose after him in history.
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 27;20 “they shall take to you pure oil of beaten olives for lighting;”we know that the evil urge is trying to seduce human beings by causing them to give in to lust and the desire aroused by what they see that appeals to them. It is his foremost desire to prevent man from carrying out the commandments of his Creator. What is the remedy that can stop the evil urge in his tracks? The remedy is for man to use logic. He should say to himself that if fulfilling his desire to satisfy his lust and cravings with merely physical objects, objects that satisfy only momentarily, how much more worthwhile is it for him to satisfy his ability to come closer to his Creator and to experience enduring satisfaction from the result?
When a person applies this kind of reasoning and as a result eschews sin in favour of carrying out what he knows to be G’d’s will, even the evil he had had in mind originally becomes a כסא, “throne, supporting stool,” for the good he does. When G’d created evil [only in its most primitive stage, ברא, Ed.] in the first place, He did so in order to provide His creatures with this additional merit when he decides to carry out G’d’s will although he had been given another option. By creating evil, G’d had, so to speak, placed man at a distance from Him. When man has to cover this distance in order to approach G’d more closely, G’d derives far more satisfaction from man’s efforts to serve Him than He would if such “service” would be “natural.” Any תענוג, pleasurable experience, regardless if it is experienced in our spheres of the universe or in the celestial spheres, retains its flavour only when it is not a continuously, repetitive experience. When it is experienced at relatively infrequent intervals it is especially welcome as such. When G’d observes how man in the attempt to come closer to His essence, has to break through repeated obstacles, this is what pleases G’d.
It is the tzaddik’s challenge to sublimate all those thoughts that could so easily have led him astray instead of confirming him in his pursuit of קרבות ה', close affinity to Hashem.
It is altogether not surprising that in this quest, even the tzaddik from time to time is assaulted by what we would term “unworthy thoughts;” this happens in order to afford him an opportunity to refine and sublimate such thoughts when he stands in prayer before the Almighty. Another challenge facing the tzaddik is to try and elevate others, so that they too will come closer to their Creator. If he were to be concerned exclusively with purifying his own soul and personality, he would have left unused a channel that could provide G’d with pleasure, a serious deficiency [as we know from Avot 5,12 where people who give charity without endeavouring to involve others in the same mitzvah are not complimented for their charitable activities. Ed.] If and when the tzaddik engages in helping others to establish closer ties with their Creator, G’d’s pleasure of his service will keep increasing even though he has been serving G’d constantly, without interruption. When applied to the symbolism expressed by lighting the menorah and keeping it burning, the commandment of ואתה תצוה וגו', contains the challenge addressed to every true servant of the Lord to elevate both himself and his peers.
In kabbalistic parlance every thought formulated, reflects the letters it contains if it were committed to paper or parchment. Alien thoughts, i.e. unworthy thoughts, are considered as “broken letters.” The word כתית, crushed, symbolizes such thoughts, and the function of the servant of G’d, primarily the priest representing the collective soul of the Jewish people, is to elevate, i.e. להעלות, to sublimate such unworthy thoughts so that they all point in the direction of the נר תמיד, “the eternal flame,” expressing the desire for communion with the Creator. That expression reflects the satisfaction, pleasure derived by the Creator from efforts by His people who crave His closeness.
When a person applies this kind of reasoning and as a result eschews sin in favour of carrying out what he knows to be G’d’s will, even the evil he had had in mind originally becomes a כסא, “throne, supporting stool,” for the good he does. When G’d created evil [only in its most primitive stage, ברא, Ed.] in the first place, He did so in order to provide His creatures with this additional merit when he decides to carry out G’d’s will although he had been given another option. By creating evil, G’d had, so to speak, placed man at a distance from Him. When man has to cover this distance in order to approach G’d more closely, G’d derives far more satisfaction from man’s efforts to serve Him than He would if such “service” would be “natural.” Any תענוג, pleasurable experience, regardless if it is experienced in our spheres of the universe or in the celestial spheres, retains its flavour only when it is not a continuously, repetitive experience. When it is experienced at relatively infrequent intervals it is especially welcome as such. When G’d observes how man in the attempt to come closer to His essence, has to break through repeated obstacles, this is what pleases G’d.
It is the tzaddik’s challenge to sublimate all those thoughts that could so easily have led him astray instead of confirming him in his pursuit of קרבות ה', close affinity to Hashem.
It is altogether not surprising that in this quest, even the tzaddik from time to time is assaulted by what we would term “unworthy thoughts;” this happens in order to afford him an opportunity to refine and sublimate such thoughts when he stands in prayer before the Almighty. Another challenge facing the tzaddik is to try and elevate others, so that they too will come closer to their Creator. If he were to be concerned exclusively with purifying his own soul and personality, he would have left unused a channel that could provide G’d with pleasure, a serious deficiency [as we know from Avot 5,12 where people who give charity without endeavouring to involve others in the same mitzvah are not complimented for their charitable activities. Ed.] If and when the tzaddik engages in helping others to establish closer ties with their Creator, G’d’s pleasure of his service will keep increasing even though he has been serving G’d constantly, without interruption. When applied to the symbolism expressed by lighting the menorah and keeping it burning, the commandment of ואתה תצוה וגו', contains the challenge addressed to every true servant of the Lord to elevate both himself and his peers.
In kabbalistic parlance every thought formulated, reflects the letters it contains if it were committed to paper or parchment. Alien thoughts, i.e. unworthy thoughts, are considered as “broken letters.” The word כתית, crushed, symbolizes such thoughts, and the function of the servant of G’d, primarily the priest representing the collective soul of the Jewish people, is to elevate, i.e. להעלות, to sublimate such unworthy thoughts so that they all point in the direction of the נר תמיד, “the eternal flame,” expressing the desire for communion with the Creator. That expression reflects the satisfaction, pleasure derived by the Creator from efforts by His people who crave His closeness.