The Torah testifies (8:3), פני מול אל אהרן כן ויעש נרתיה העלה המנורה, "Aharon did so... He lit the lamps." Rashi explains, שלא אהרן של שבחו להגיד שינה, "The pasuk is telling Aharon’s praise that he didn’t change."
Why is this praise? Of course, Aharon didn't change, and he did as Hashem commanded.
One translation of שינה is to repeat. So, שינה שלא אהרן של שבחו להגיד, can mean, "To tell The pasuk is telling Aharon’s praise that he didn’t repeat." Aharon HaKohen lit the menorah daily for forty years in the desert, but it was never dull for him. It never became a routine for him. Each time he lit the menorah, it was like the first time in his mind and heart.
How did he do that, and what techniques can we adopt so that we can also perform all the mitzvos as though they were new?
One approach is imagination. Rebbe Mendel Vitebsker zt'l would envision each Shabbos as if it were the first and the last Shabbos of his life. With this thought in mind, he utilized every Shabbos to its fullest extent.
And in a way, it is true. Each Shabbos is brand new. The holy sefarim explain that each tefillah, each mitzvah, and each day is a brand-new entity, and each accomplishes new things in heaven.
Tzaddikim recognize Hashem's greatness, more and more each day, and that results in their avodas Hashem being different every day. Each day, their fear and love of Hashem, their clarity in emunah, reach higher levels, and therefore, automatically, they will serve Hashem in a brand-new way each day.
We can also explain that each day Aharon had new intentions when he lit the menorah. We will give examples so the idea will be understood (although we don't know Aharon's lofty and profound intentions). One day, he may have intended that the menorah should shine the light of the Torah throughout the world. Another day, he might have thought that the menorah should shine the light of teshuvah into the world, and so on. It was never the same, as Rashi writes של שבחו להגיד שינה שלא אהרן, he never repeated the same deed twice. Each day was different.
10. There are other thoughts that one can think to help him make the mitzvos "new" to him. Tzaddikim of Karlin teach that when one davens, one should think that he was brought down from heaven for the opportunity to daven this one tefillah. With this in mind, he will undoubtedly daven properly.
11. Reb Sadyah Gaon zt'l was once a guest in someone's home. The host wasn’t aware he was hosting one of the greatest people in his generation. He thought his guest was a regular person. When he learned he was hosting the gadol hador, he asked forgiveness for not honoring him properly. Reb Sadyah Gaon responded that he had honored him properly and that there was no reason to apologize. The man replied, "Had I known who you were, I would have honored you much more!"
Reb Sadyah Gaon zt'l took from this episode an important lesson in avodas Hashem. Each day, he understood Hashem’s greatness on a deeper level, and therefore, he did teshuvah every day. Although he honored Hashem yesterday, now that he comprehended Hashem's greatness even more, he realized that yesterday’s avodah was insufficient. He would do teshuvah for his past lack of respect.
12. At the end of parashas Naso, the Torah lists the korbanos the nesi'im brought for the chanukas hamizbeach. Each nasi brought the same korban and the Torah repeats the same korbanos twelve times. It would seem that the Torah could have written once the set of korbanos brought for chanukas hamizbeach and add that the other eleven nesi'im brought the same korban. Why does the Torah repeat the set of the korbanos for each nasi?
The Ramban (Bamidbar 7:2-5) answers (in his second explanation): “Each of the nesi’im thought to bring sacrifices for the chanukas hamizbeach and they all thought to bring the same amount, however, they differed in their reasons. Nachshon (the nasi of shevet Yehudah) thought to bring this amount for one reason, and similarly, each...”
