“When you kindle the lamps...” (Beha’alotcha 8:2)
The menorah of the Temple was placed on the southern side, and regarding this, our Sages said: “One who wishes to become wise should turn southward,” and the sign for this is that, “the menorah was in the south.”
We see the menorah is connected to wisdom — the wisdom of the Torah, which is the highest form of wisdom: “This is your wisdom and your understanding (even) in the eyes of the nations.”
But if the menorah symbolizes the Torah, it would seem more appropriate for Moses to light it rather than Aaron. After all, Moses received the Torah at Sinai, and the Torah is even referred to by his name, as it says: “Remember the Torah of My servant Moses.” So why, then, was the command to light the menorah given specifically to Aaron and not to Moses?
The Main Thing is the Flame
The explanation lies in a deeper understanding of the comparison between the lamp (ner) and the Torah. A lamp consists of two parts — the physical lamp itself (the vessel, the wick, and the oil), and the illuminating flame. Only the combination of the two, and especially the use of the lamp to produce light, makes it a complete lamp — a lamp that shines and spreads light.
The Torah also contains these two aspects. The ‘lamp’ of the Torah is the study itself, the understanding of its wisdom. But the main thing is the ‘flame’ — the Torah should illuminate the soul.
It can happen that a person studies Torah and understands it well, yet it does not shine within their soul. As the Baal Shem Tov said: there are Torah scholars who are ‘lamps’, but they are not ‘illuminating lamps’ — they need to be lit.
The Power of Prayer
This is the meaning of the command, “When you kindle the lamps”: it is not enough that the lamp merely exists; it must be lit and must shine.
It is not sufficient to study Torah in and of itself — one must ensure the Torah is a Torah of light, a Torah that illuminates — that it enlightens the soul of the person studying it and also illuminates his surroundings, just as the lamps of the Temple’s menorah illuminated the world.
In order for the Torah to truly be a Torah of light, prayer is necessary. A person must contemplate the greatness of the Creator and the lowliness of man. Even if he is a scholar and well-versed, he must recognize his own humility and rejoice in the privilege granted to him — to pray to G-d and draw near to Him. In this way, he opens his heart so that the light of the Torah can shine within him.
A Spark from Aaron’s Soul
That is why specifically Aaron was commanded to light the menorah, and not Moses. In the Zohar, Aaron is called “the escort of the Queen” (shushvina d’matronita). The King is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Queen is the People of Israel. Aaron’s role was to elevate the Jewish people and bring them to connect with G-d.
Indeed, Moses received the Torah at Sinai and transmitted it to the Jewish people, but for the light of the Torah to shine within the soul of a person — that requires Aaron’s role. In other words, a Jew must engage in the work of prayer, through which he opens his soul to become a vessel for the light of the Torah.
This is the spiritual task of kindling the lamps — a task required of every individual — and we accomplish this through the spark of Aaron’s soul that exists within each and every one of us.
(from the teachings of the Rebbe, Torat Menachem, Volume 40, p. 108)
