Parshas Behaaloscha begins with the mitzva of the kindling of the menorah. Hashem told Moshe to instruct Aharon, the kohen gadol, בהעלותך את הנרות אל מול פני המנורה יאירו שבעת הנרות.
The work Shulchan Ha’Shabbos Im Rabbi Nachman suggests an explanation of this pasuk based on Rav Nachman of Breslav’s comments in the first chapter of Likutei Moharan regarding the critical importance of Torah learning.
Rav Nachman writes there that our tefillos are accepted through the merit of our Torah study. He cites the pasuk in Sefer Mishlei (28:9): “He who turns his ear away from listening to Torah, even his prayer is an abomination.” If a person “turns his ear away from Torah,” showing lack of interest in learning, walking out when the rabbi gets up to speak, or looking at his phone during a shiur instead of eagerly seizing another opportunity to learn, not only does he forfeit the precious mitzva of Torah learning, but his prayer is a תועבה, an “abomination.” The explanation, I believe, is that we have no right to speak to Hashem, to communicate to Him our needs and wishes, if we show no interest in hearing what He has to say to us.
I often advise singles that an important factor to consider when dating is whether one’s date spends the evening talking about themself or shows interest in the other person, inquiring about their life, aspirations, and ideas. In order to build a relationship, one must not only talk but must also listen with interest and attentiveness.
This is true of our relationship with Hashem, as well. We cannot build a relationship with Him only by speaking to Him, by sharing with Him our concerns, needs, and wishes, telling Him what we want. We must also listen to what He has to say to us, which is done through learning Torah. When we learn, we, in essence, hear Hashem speaking to us, explaining to us what He wants and expects of us. Only if we show interest in what He has to say to us can we then come before Him to express our needs. Otherwise, our prayers are a תועבה.
Due to the particular importance of Torah learning, Rav Nachman writes, the yetzer hara makes it very difficult for us to learn. Even people who eagerly perform other mitzvos often find it hard to devote time to study. This is a challenge that we must struggle to overcome because, as mentioned, Torah is critical for Jewish living.
The Shulchan Ha’Shabbos Im Rabbi Nachman suggests explaining the pasuk at the beginning of our parsha on this basis. The Torah turns to the “kohen gadol,” to the spiritual guides and teachers, and tells them, בהעלותך את הנרות, if they want to uplift the “candles,” the souls of the people, which are likened to candles (נשמת אדם – Mishlei 20:27), then אל מול פני המנורה יאירו, they should direct the people’s hearts toward Torah. Our souls cannot be ignited and uplifted without Torah learning. Studying Torah is a prerequisite for having our tefillos answered and an indispensable component of the effort to “kindle” our souls and ignite spiritual passion within ourselves.
