Thursday, June 11, 2009

PARSHA - Bha'alotcha #1

The Torah portion of Beha'alotcha, opens with the words "When you light the lamps."

Aharon the kohen, the high priest, was commanded to kindle the Menorah in the Sanctuary every day. The Menorah was required to burn at all times, as the Torah states, "To cause a light to burn perpetually."

Just as Aharon lit the Menorah in the Sanctuary, so is every Jew required to illuminate his home and surroundings with the Torah's holy light.

Aharon was a kohen, but so too is every member of the Jewish people, as it is written, "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests." The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai transformed every Jew into a "kohen."

The Menorah stood in the Sanctuary (and later in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem). Similarly, every Jewish home is a "Sanctuary" to G-d. The verse "I shall dwell in their midst" means that G-d dwells within each and every Jew; hence, every Jewish home is an abode for the Divine Presence.

The light that Aharon kindled was "perpetual"; so too must the light in every Jewish home be always shining. The Torah's light of holiness must burn night and day, and pervade all corners of a Jewish residence.

All Jews, and especially Jewish children, have the power to imbue their homes with holiness. This can be accomplished by expressing an awareness of G-d every moment of the day.

As soon as we open our eyes in the morning we say "Modeh Ani ("I give thanks to You"); whenever we eat we recite the proper blessings both before and after. Throughout the day we conduct ourselves according to the Torah's laws, and at night we say the "Shema" ("Hear O Israel") before going to sleep.

The Torah and its mitzvot are likened to light: "A mitzva is a candle, and the Torah is light." Indeed, the Torah and its commandments are the medium through which we are able to illuminate our home, our "Sanctuary".

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