Beha’alotcha

I love these early days of summer, when the days grow longer, the temperatures rise, and brightness
abounds. There’s an energy of excitement in the air. Schools are ending. Children are frolicking outside
with sprinklers and ice cream. I hear them sing:

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,

please shine down on me.
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
hiding behind the tree.
These little children are asking you
to please come out so we can play with you.
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun.
Please shine down on me.1

It seems that that coy sun needs to be lured out by the kids eager to bask in its glory.

During this transitional time, I think about how much we human beings actively bring light and how
much we receive it; how much we coax illumination out of darkness and how much we are at its mercy.
The Torah contemplates these dynamics during this time as well, as we turn to the work of the Menorah
in this week’s portion.

***

Beha’alotcha begins with a command to Aharon to light the lamps of the Menorah.

֔ ָ ְ‫ֵאמ ֹר׃ ּדַ ֵּב ֙ר ֶאֽל־ַאהֲ ֔ר ֹן ו ְָאמַ ְר ָ ּ֖ת אֵ ָ ֑ליו ּבְהַ עֲ ֹלֽתְ ָ֙ך אֶ ת־הַ ּנ ֵ֔ר ֹת אֶ ל־מּול֙ ּפְ ֵנ֣י הַ ּמ‬
‫נֹורה י ִ ָ֖אירּו ׁשִ ב ַ ְ֥עת הַ ּנ ֵֽרֹות׃‬ ֽ ‫וַי ְדַ ֵ ּ֥בר ה' אֶ ל־מ ֶ ֹׁ֥שה ּל‬
‫נֹורה הֶ עֱ ָ ֖לה נֵר ֶ ֹ֑תיהָ ַּכֽאֲ ֶ ׁ֛שר צ ִָּו֥ה ה' אֶ ת־מ ֶֹׁשֽה׃‬ ֔ ָ ְ‫ו ַַּי֤עַ ׂש ֵּכ ֙ן ַאהֲ ֔ר ֹן אֶ ל־מּול֙ ּפְ ֵנ֣י הַ ּמ‬

YHVH spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you mount the lamps, let
the seven lamps give light at the front of the Menorah.” Aaron did so; he mounted the lamps at
the front of the Menorah, as YHVH had commanded Moses. (Numbers 8: 1-3)

This follows upon the days-long ceremonial inauguration of the altar by the leaders of all tribes but his
(Levi), described at the end of last week’s portion. According to the midrash, Aaron felt left out of the

1
https://supersimple.com/song/mr-golden-sun/

1 | Sefat Emet on the Parshah—Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler

© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2022
sacrifice party. He worried that he had perhaps brought his tribe down and for this reason they were
denied the honor of offering sacrifices. So God sent reassurance:

‫ ּדַ ּבֵר אֶ ל‬:‫ ְלכְָך נֶאֱ מַ ר‬.‫ָאמַ ר לֹו הַ ּקָ דֹוׁש ּבָרּוְך הּוא לְמׁשֶ ה לְֵך אֱ מ ֹר לֹו לְַאהֲ רֹן ַאל ּתִ תְ י ֵָרא ִלגְדֹולָה מִ ּזֹו אַ ּתָ ה מְ תֻ ּקָ ן‬
‫ אֲ בָל הַ ּנֵרֹות לְעֹולָם‬,‫ ּכָל זְמַ ן ׁשֶ ּבֵית הַ ּמִ קְ דָ ׁש קַ ּיָם הֵ ם נֹוהֲ גִים‬,‫ הַ ּקָ ְרּבָנֹות‬.‫ַאהֲ רֹן ו ְָאמַ ְרּתָ אֵ לָיו ּבְהַ עֲ ֹלתְ ָך אֶ ת הַ ּנֵר ֹת‬
‫ (במדבר‬.‫ אֵ ינָן ּבְטֵ לִין לְעֹולָם‬,‫ וְכָל הַ ּב ְָרכֹות ׁשֶ ּנָתַ ּתִ י לְָך ְלב ֵָרְך אֶ ת ָּבנַי‬,‫נֹורה י ָאִ ירּו‬ ָ ְ‫ אֶ ל מּול ּפְ נֵי הַ מ‬:)‫ ב‬,‫(במדבר ח‬
)‫ו‬:‫רבה טו‬

God said to Moses: Tell Aaron not to worry, for he is destined for greatness. For this reason it is
written: “Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you mount the lamps…” Regarding the
sacrifices, so long as the Temple stands they will be practiced [but not after]. But the candles will
be forever. [They will] “give light at the front of the Menorah” (Num. 8:2). (Bamidbar Rabbah
15:6)

Aaron is to be placated by the ultimate superiority of his job over that of his peers. His candle work will
outlast their sacrificial work. Sacrifices will be limited to a certain time and place (the Temple), but the
Menorah will be eternal.

In what sense is the Menorah everlasting? The Sefat Emet writes:

'‫ הענין הוא דהקרבנות היו בחי' חיי שעה וכמו כן תפלה במקום תמידין ונק' בגמ‬.‫במדרש שלך לעולם קיימת‬
‫ אבל המנורה רומז לתורה אור והוא חיי‬.‫שכל זה ענין הזמן והמקום שהוא בבחי' גבול וצמצום‬... ‫חיי שעה‬
‫ בהעלותך את הנרות כי משה‬.‫עולם שהוא מאור הגנוז המאיר מסוף העולם ועד סופו א"כ הוא חיי עולם‬
.‫ ואהרן המדליק את הנרות מחבר תורה אור לנר מצוה שזה הדלקת הנרות‬.‫רבינו ע"ה הוא עצם התורה אור‬
)‫ בהעלותך תרס"ג‬,‫ (שפת אמת‬:‫וכתיב להעלות נר תמיד א"כ הוא בחי' חיי עולם‬

In the midrash [in Bamidbar Rabbah 15:6, we are told that the Menorah] will stand forever. The
idea is that sacrifices were a temporary measure. Prayer took the place of daily sacrifices
[according to Berakhot 26b] and is also called a temporary measure [in Shabbat 10a]... All of
these things are related to time and place that are bounded and constricted. But the Menorah
[that Aharon lit] hints at “the Torah [which] is a light” (Proverbs 6:23) and it is an eternal
measure, for it is from the original hidden light [of creation], the or ha-ganuz, which “illuminates
the world from one end to the other” (Breishit Rabbah 11:2). Therefore it is eternal. [Regarding
the verse: “YHVH spoke to Moses saying, Speak to Aaron and say to him,] ‘When you mount the
lamps’…” (Numbers 8:2): Moses our Teacher, of blessed memory, is the essence of “the light of
Torah” (Torah or). Aharon, who lights the lamp, brings together “the light of Torah” and “the
commandment is a lamp” (ner mitzvah).2 It is written [regarding the Menorah], [“You shall
further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting,] for kindling
lamps regularly (ner tamid)”--for it is forever (Exodus 27:20). (Sefat Emet, Beha’alotcha 1903)

2
See Proverbs 6:23 to understand this reference.
ָ ‫ֹורה ֑אֹור ו ֶ ְ֥ד ֶרְך ֝חַ ִּ֗יים ּתֹוכ ְ֥חֹות‬
‫מּוסֽר׃‬ ָ ‫ִ ּ֤כי ֵנ֣ר ֭מִ ְצו ָה ו ְ֣ת‬
For the commandment is a lamp,
The teaching is a light,
And the way to life is the rebuke that disciplines.

2 | Sefat Emet on the Parshah—Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler

© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2022
The Menorah is everlasting because it itself is a reflection of, or a refraction of, another light that is itself
both primeval and eternal: the “or ha-ganuz” (hidden light). This light got lodged in the Torah and so
long as there is someone to seek it, the legacy of light continues unabated. The physical Menorah will
thus not necessarily last forever; its light will.

To try to make sense of this claim, let us unpack the origins and meaning of the primordial light by way of
the midrash cited by the Rebbe.

‫ ָאדָ ם צֹופֶ ה ּומַ ּבִיט ּבֹו מִ ּסֹוף הָ עֹולָם‬,‫ אֹור ׁשֶ ּב ָָרא הַ ּקָ דֹוׁש ּבָרּוְך הּוא ּבְיֹום ִראׁשֹון‬,‫ָאמַ ר ַרּבִי י ְהּודָ ה ּבַר ַרּבִי סִ ימֹון‬
‫ עָ מַ ד‬,‫ ּכֵיו ָן ׁשֶ הִ סְ ּתַ ּכֵל הַ ּקָ דֹוׁש ּבָרּוְך הּוא ּבְַאנְׁשֵ י ּדֹור הַ ּמַ ּבּול ּובְַאנְׁשֵ י ּדֹור הַ פְ ָלגָה ׁשֶ ּמַ עֲ ׂשֵ יהֶ ן מְ קֻ לְקָ לִין‬,‫ו ְעַ ד סֹופֹו‬
‫אֹורם ּוזְרֹועַ ָרמָ ה‬
ָ ‫ וְי ִּמָ נַע מֵ ְרׁשָ עִ ים‬:)‫ טו‬,‫ ׁשֶ ּנֶאֱ מַ ר (איוב לח‬,‫ ּומִ ּנַי ִן ׁשֶ ְּגנָזָּה‬.‫ּו ְגנָזָּה ו ְהִ תְ קִ ינָּה ַלּצַּדִ יקִ ים לֶעָ תִ יד לָבֹוא‬
‫ ו ְא ַֹרח צַּדִ יקִ ים ּכְאֹור נֹגַּה הֹולְֵך ו ָאֹור עַ ד‬:)‫ יח‬,‫ ׁשֶ ּנֶאֱ מַ ר (משלי ד‬,‫ ּומִ ּנַי ִן ׁשֶ הִ תְ קִ ינָּה ַלּצַּדִ יקִ ים לֶעָ תִ יד לָבֹוא‬.‫ּתִ ּׁשָ בֵר‬
)‫ב‬:‫ (בראשית רבה יא‬.‫נְכֹון הַ ּיֹום‬

Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said : The light that the Holy Blessed One created on the first
day, a person could see with it from one end of the universe to the other. Once God saw the
perverse actions of the people of the generation of the flood and the generation of the
dispersion, God got up and hid [this light], and reserved it for the righteous in the future. From
where do we know that God hid it? As it says (Job 38:15), “And [God] withheld from the wicked
their light, and the haughty arm shall be broken.” And from where do we know that [God]
reserved it for the righteous in the future? As it says (Proverbs 4:18), “And the path of the
righteous is like a glowing light, that grows and shines until the arrival of day.” (Breishit Rabbah
11:2)3

According to Genesis, the creation of the world began with the words, “Let there be light!” (Genesis 1:3).
God introduced light then–a light so bright that it illuminated the entire world; a light so palpable that it
carried God’s presence with it. Indeed, this light would be known as “or elohuto yitbarach,” “the light of
the Blessed Holy One.”4 This light was not for everyone, however. When God realized that not all would
be worthy, or maybe that not all would make good use of such luminosity, God decided to conceal it--not
to obliterate it, but to restrict it. In another creative act of tzimtzum (self-contraction), God “got up and
hid it” (amad u’genaza), leaving it only for the righteous to find over time, in different places and in
different amounts.

How might one access even sparks of the mysterious or ha-ganuz? There are pathways in time–through
Shabbat. Pathways in text–through Torah. And pathways in ritual–through candlelighting.5 In his Netivot
Shalom, Rabbi Sholom Noach Berezovsky of Slonim (1911-2000), explores all three at length. His
perspective on the Menorah as a means by which to discover The Light is particularly poignant. It rests
on a detail of it that the Sefat Emet also notes, namely the oil with which it is lit. Exodus 27:20 states:

‫ו ְאַ ּ֞תָ ה ּתְ צ ֶַּו֣ה ׀ אֶ ת־ּב ְֵנ֣י י ִׂשְ ָראֵ֗ ל וְי ִקְ ֨חּו אֵ ֜ ֶליָך ֶ ׁ֣שמֶ ן זַ ֥ י ִת ָזְ֛ך ּכ ִ ָ֖תית לַּמָ ֑אֹור לְהַ עֲ ֹ֥לת ֵנ֖ר ּתָ ִמֽיד׃‬

You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pounded olives for lighting, for
kindling lamps regularly.

3
See BT Chagigah 12a for a parallel source.
4
See, for example, Netivot Shalom, vol. 2, p. 67 for a full treatment of the or ha-ganuz.
5
Ibid.
3 | Sefat Emet on the Parshah—Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2022
The Netivot Shalom writes:

‫כדאיתא בתורת אבות על הפסוק כתית למאור וגו׳ שאדם מישראל צריך לכתת עצמו ולשבור את לבבו לפני‬
‫) כתית למאור ולא‬.‫ ועפ"ז מבאר שם מאמר חז"ל (מנחות פו‬.‫השם יתברך ועל ידי הכתיתה יבוא להאיר‬
‫ ליאוש ונפילת רוח ולהניח‬,‫ ולא למנחות‬,‫ שהכתיתה צריכה להיות באופן שממנה יבוא להאיר‬,‫כתית למנחות‬
.‫מעבודתו ח"ו‬

As it is brought in Torat Avot [a chasidic compendium] on the verse “[You shall further instruct
the Israelites to bring you clear oil of] pounded (katit) olives for lighting… (Ex. 27:20): An
Israelite person must pound themselves and break their hearts before the Blessed One. On
account of the pounding they will come to illumination. In light of this, we can explain the saying
of the Sages (in Menachot 86a): “Refined pounded [olive oil] for illumination” (Leviticus 24:2),
[indicates that the high-quality, refined, pounded oil is required for the Menorah,] but there is no
need for refined pounded [olive oil] for meal offerings (menachot).” This means that the
“pounding” must be in a way that brings about illumination and not lowering (nachut), despair,
depression, or distraction from worship, God forbid. (Netivot Shalom, vol. 2, p. 68)

There are at least two modalities through which one can experience a glimmer of the Divine Light. The
first, not cited above, is through joy. Sometimes a person can be “lifted into a world that is all light and
can feel the light of the divine in all of their body, soul, and spirit” (Ibid.). But the second is far more
grave. It is through a certain kind of beating. Like olives pounded to release their pure oil, sometimes we
find our refinement through brokenness. When we feel most emptied out, most trampled upon, most
depleted, sometimes we get a hint of clarity, maybe a bit of illumination. The Rebbe is clear that this is
not an argument for self-flagellation, nor a perverse celebration of pain. Definitionally, if this process of
“ketita” (pounding) cuts a person down, then it is not the kind that clarifies. But if it begins a process of
build-up through an intimation of the Divine that holds when all else fails, then it is indeed “katit
la’maor”--a pounding that will yield light. And this hard-won insight will last “le’ha’alot ner tamid.” It is
will raise up light forevermore.

These are times of ketita, times where we might find ourselves feeling thrashed–by the senseless
violence, unending disease, inhumane war, toxic politics, or so much else that dominates our headlines
and our lives. Daily we must ask ourselves, will this be a “katit la’maor,” a smashing for the sake of
illumination, or will it be a “katit l’menachot/nachut,” a beating toward despair? The Netivot Shalom and
the Sefat Emet both dare us to find a way to rise up (“le’ha’alot ner tamid”), to see in the dim light tiny
sparks of the or ha-ganuz, clawing their way toward recognition. Perhaps in the humanity of those who
have been lost. Perhaps in the gumption of those who fight back. Perhaps in the stunning resilience of a
world that continues to shine even as it burns. Perhaps in the humble acts of courage we perform every
day that we live into the light.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun.

Please shine down on me.

4 | Sefat Emet on the Parshah—Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler

© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2022
Bifnim/For Reflection

1. The notion of Or HaGanuz, or the Hidden Light, rests on the idea that the primordial Divine light
is too overpowering for us to experience–though we may get glimpses of it from time to time
and, in fact, strive to access it. How do you relate to this idea? When in your own life have you
experienced the light of the Divine? Have you found it overpowering? Was it pleasant or
unpleasant or something else?
2. The Netivot Shalom suggests that there are (at least) two pathways to accessing the light of the
Divine: One is through joy, and one is through ketitah, which we have translated here as cutting
or pounding down–not in a way that traumatizes us, God forbid, but in a way that opens up
possibilities. When, if ever, have you experienced access to the light of the Divine through either
of these pathways? What, if anything, distinguishes them in your experience?

This week’s practice is written by author and teacher Diane Bloomfield, from her book, Torah Yoga:
Experiencing Jewish Wisdom Through Classic Postures:

Centering Meditation

Sit on a firm folded blanket with your buttocks on the blanket and your feet on the floor. Cross your legs,
and release the tops of your thighs toward the floor. Pull the flesh of your buttocks over to the sides and
diagonally back. Press your sitz bones into the blanket. On an inhalation, extend your spine up through
the crown of your head. Rest your hands on your knees (Photo 1.1).

Soften and close your eyelids. Soften your eyes. Close your mouth gently and relax your lips. For the next
few moments, gather your attention to your breath. Feel the sensation of your breath coming in and out
of your nostrils.

Gradually allow your breath to slow down and deepen. Draw your breath down into the lower outer
corner of your ribs. Broaden your rib cage with each inhalation. Now soften your belly. Let yourself
receive your own breath.

Make an intention that this time is entirely for you. Draw your gently focused attention to yourself,
yourself in this moment.

With your attention beginning to turn inward, include your whole body in your field of awareness.
Observe any sensations you are feeling right now. Do not judge what you feel.

5 | Sefat Emet on the Parshah—Rabbi Dr. Erin Leib Smokler

© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2022