From the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Zt”l
This week's Torah portion, Behaalotcha, begins with G-d's command to Aaron to light the menora in the sanctuary. The Torah does not say "When you light the candles" but rather "When you raise the light." The commentator Rashi explains this unusual choice of words to mean that the one lighting the lamp should hold the flame to the wick until a flame arises of its own accord.
Like our ancestor Aaron, we are also lamplighters. In our everyday lives, in many different spheres, we find ourselves in a position to affect, to inspire and to help those around us. When presented with such opportunities, it is not sufficient to help someone up just to have him fall down again, requiring further help. Like Aaron in this week's portion, we are enjoined not just to light a lamp, but even more so to give it enough strength and enough power to remain lit by itself.
Later in the portion, G-d tells Moses, "I will cause some of the spirit that you possess to emanate, and I will grant it to them." (Num. 11:17)
Was Moses’ Prophecy Diminished?
One might wonder if Moses' prophesy was diminished by G-d apportioning some of Moses' divine inspiration to others. This is similar to when one lights a flame from another flame; the original flame does not lose anything. So too with us - when we seek to help and inspire others, without making calculations based on power (a zero-sum game), we actually increase the amount of light rather than depleting it.
Maimonides, in his classic legal work Mishnei Torah, enumerates different levels of charity. The very highest are those where one helps another to stand on his own two feet, the highest level being to do so anonymously. This is in keeping with the idea that the best way we can help another is not just to help him get up but to keep him standing.
Our Responsibility to Kindle the Potential in Others
The soul is compared to a light. In this area too, we must strive to kindle the lamp "so that a flame arises of its own accord." In dealing with another person, the objective should be to establish the person as an individual in his own right, independent of us. We should encourage others to hone their talents and abilities so that their lamps independently glow and, in turn, kindle the potential in others.
In the days before electric street lights, many locales had gas lamps. The people whose job it was to go out each evening lighting the street lamps were known as "lamplighters." Some of the lamps were in places that were difficult to approach, others had been neglected and were covered over. A conscientious lamp lighter had to make sure to light every lamp in his area.
Similarly, when helping out others, we need to find those who may be difficult to approach or hidden from view in order to assist them in any way possible.
Reprinted from the Behaalotcha 5762/2002 edition of L’Chaim. Adapted from Likutei Sichot volume 2.
