Incense and Light Connection Revealed

This week’s Torah portion talks about the service of lighting the Menorah and the burning of the incense. The word for incense, “Ketores”, is related to the word for connection, “Kishur”. The incense represents the Jew’s essential connection to G-d. The Menorah lights represent revelation. The burning of the incense is between the setting up or lighting of the first five lamps and the last two lamps. This juxtaposition of the services of the Menorah and the incense teaches us that our essential connection to G-d (represented by the incense) should be revealed (represented by the lights of the Menorah) and noticeable in everything we do.

(See talk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe King Moshiach Shlita, Tetzaveh 2, 5752 (1992))