If a person desires the pleasures of this world, he won’t even desire the pleasures of the World to Come (in Gan Eden), as it is written: “What do I want in heaven besides for You Hashem? And I don’t want anything besides for You on earth.” (Tehillim 73:25)
And as it is written (Michah 5:7): “And the remnant of Yaakov shall be very powerful among the nations,” and in the next verse it says (ibid 5:8): “Your (Hashem’s) ‘hand’ shall be raised above Your oppressors, and all your enemies shall be destroyed.”
Meaning, that “the remnant of Yaakov,” i.e., “those who consider themselves like leftovers,” will destroy and raise their hand above their spiritual oppressors.
This is accomplished through their prayers, when “the praises of Hashem are in their throat and mouth,” this becomes a “double-edged sword in their hand” to cut down the unholy desires of the yetzer hara, and the power for this is from a revelation of the exalted Infinite Light of Hashem in his soul.
When a person is humble, he allows the Infinite Light of Hashem to shine into him. This gives him the power to pray and contemplate on Hashem’s greatness, which will in turn cut down the unholiness of his animal soul’s desires.
Whereas, if someone has ego, then “I (Hashem) and he cannot live together” (Sota 5a). It is not possible for the Infinite Light of Hashem to dwell and be revealed except upon one who is egoless.
This state of being egoless is the idea of Chochmah, which corresponds to the olive oil that is made by crushing the olive:
Olive oil is drawn by the wick, and becomes completely consumed and burned by the flame that is attached to the wick, to the extent that nothing remains of it at all, (whereas the wick still has a bit of ashes remaining after it is consumed by the flame).
Similarly, regarding the idea of Chochmah which is egoless transparency: When a person is on a level of Chochma then he becomes transparent to and literally absorbed in the “light of the lamp” of this Mitzvah, so that the Infinite Light of Hashem can actually shine upon his soul.
Through this egoless transparency, the Infinite Light of Hashem shining into him through this Mitzvah will continually stay with him.
Whereas without the idea of “olive oil,” i.e., the egoless state, the Light of the Lamp (of the Mitzvah) cannot continuously burn with just the “wick” (the soul of the person) alone, rather, it burns quickly and is extinguished in a short time.
Now, the Divine service of Aharon in setting-up the lamps and lighting them up, which is through “rejoicing in Miztvos,” is done “Outside the Paroches (the dividing curtain) which is front of the Aron (Holy Ark).” (Vayikra 24:3)
The concept of the dividing curtain is: It is written (Tehillim 84:12) “Like the sun and its covering are Havayah and Elokim.”
The sun has a protective covering, a “shield,” that prevents it from sending more light and heat than the world can handle. So too, Hashem’s power of revelation in Atzilus, which is connected to His Name Havaya, is so strong that the world can’t handle it. If it would shine without any concealment, we would lose our ego and any sense of separation from Hashem. We would then have no accomplishment in serving Him. This higher level of perceiving Hashem in Atzilus is called “Yichuda Ila’ah-the Higher Level of perceiving His Oneness.”
In order for us to choose to serve Him, He conceals this level from us, and allows us to perceive Him from a lower level. This is called “Yichuda Tita’ah-the Lower Level of Percieving His Oneness.” This lower level, connected to Hashem’s Name Elokim, allows us to feel our own ego and existence separate from Him, as it were. The separation between these two levels is the idea of the “Paroches-dividing curtain” between the Aron (in the Kodesh HaKadashim) and the Menorah (in the Heichal).
The Menorah is in the Heichal, also called the Kodesh-Holy Area, which is the part of the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash that also contains the Shulchan and the Mizbei’ach HaZahav. The Aron is in the Kodesh HaKadashim, the Holy of Holies. Between the Kodesh HaKadashim and the Heichal is curtain called the פרוכת-Dividing Curtain. From the perspective of standing inside the Kodesh HaKadashim, the Menorah is “outside” of the Paroches, and slightly on the right.
Havaya is the concept of the “Yichudah Ila’ah-the Higher-Level Perception of His Oneness,” which is that “there is no existence besides Him,” (Devarim 4:35), and “all is deemed non-existent before Him.” (Zohar I, 11a)
The name Elokim is that which hides and obscures in order to give the illusion that existence has an independent identity.
Yet, despite that illusion, the reality is, “the world is filled with His glory” (Yeshayah 6:3) in a manner of “Yichudah Tita’ah-The Lowel-Level Perception of His Oneness.”
The name Elokim is a “shield” to the name of Havayah. Meaning, just as a there is a shield for the sun since it is impossible to directly stare at the sun for more than a few moments due to its overwhelming brightness, and therefore a person needs to wear dark-colored glasses to look at the sun, so too we need a concealment on the intensity of Hashem’s Light to be able to perceive it our world.
This shield is the idea of “the dividing curtain shall separate for you between the Holy and the Holy of Holies” (Shemos 26:33).
That is where the lamps of the Menorah are set up and where there is the “joy of Mitzvos” – “on the outer side of the curtain” (ibid. 26:35).
These are performed in a manner of Yichudah Tita’ah, which on this level “your heart will run” to the level of Yichudah Ila’ah.
Since the person is outside of the Holy of Holies, outside of Atzilus, he therefore now has a great yearning to ascend to that level.
This joy and yearning in the person’s soul is caused by the actual revelation of the Infinite Light of Hashem in His Mitzvos.
That through this revelation a person will have an intense yearning for Hashem “with all of his might,” with great joy.
This experience of joy and yearning is accomplished through Aharon, who empowers the Jewish People to go up spiritually to Hashem in prayer.
Chapter 5
However, this ability of Aharon to elevate the soul “on the outer side of the curtain,” to bring about a revelation of unlimited love for Hashem, regarding this experience it is stated (Shemos 27:21) “an everlasting law for their generations, מֵאֵת-from the בְּנֵי יִּש ְרָאֵל-Children of Yisrael.”
The deeper meaning of “מֵאֵת-from the” is “מ-from” “את” the letters of the Torah from א through ת.
This means that this power to elevate the soul like the lighting up the Menorah is through the Torah study of the Jewish People.
When a person learns, and puts his heart and soul into the letters that he says with awe and love of Hashem, which these letters are rooted in the highest levels of Holiness, in the level of Chochma Above in Atzilus, then these letters of Chochma empower his spiritual elevation in prayer.
Therefore, the Torah is Light, which illumines the “lamps.”
This refers to the “lamp of the Mitzvah” (Mishlei 6:23), which is a vessel to receive the Light of the Torah, and the Torah is the Light and Life of the Mitzvah.
Together they cause this ability of Aharon to be an “Escort” – to channel the Light and revelation of love of Hashem within the person’s soul, to bring about the light and joy of a Mitzvah.
Whereas regarding one who doesn’t learn Torah, that does not possess this aspect of Chochmah generated from the letters of Torah learning, - our sages say (Avos 2:5): “one who does not learn Torah cannot be a Chasid-pious person.”
The term “Chasid-pious person” mentioned by the sages often refers to those involved in intense prayer and contemplation. Our sages statement shows that one who doesn’t learn Torah cannot fully be involved in prayer and attain love and fear of Hashem.
However, in order to channel the light of Torah into the Jewish People, this is through the aspect of Moshe.
As it is written in the Zohar on the verse (Koheles 1:3): “What profit does a person have in all their toil that they toil under the sun?” The Zorah explains “the toil of Torah study is different, since it is above the ‘sun.’”
The term ‘sun’ is a reference to the level of Ze’eir Anpin, the Attributes of Hashem of Kindness and Severity and their derivatives in the World of Atzilus. ‘Under the sun’ is refering to Malchus, which is lower than Ze’eir Anpin and receives from it. Malchus is involved in creating the world. Any toil in material things is connected to Malchus, which is ‘under the sun.’ However, Torah study is in Hashem’s Wisdom and Understanding, Chochma and Bina of Atzilus, which are ‘above the sun,’ since they are higher than Ze’eir Anpin.
There at that transcendent level is Moshe, who is at the level of Chochmah of Atzilus, regarding him it says he was “heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.” (Shemos 4:10)
The fact the Moshe had a hard time speaking was because he was on a level much higher than Malchus of Atzilus, which is the source of speech in this world, since he was the level of Chochma of Atzilus.
The study of Torah is not in the manner of “rejoicing in a Mitzvah,” in which “your heart will run” in yearning to Hashem “from the outer side of the curtain,” meaning, a yearning to ascend from the created worlds to Atzilus, rather it (Torah learning) is the idea of “returning to reveal the Oneness of Hashem in this world.”
Through learning Torah, there is a manifestation of His True Oneness here below as it is Above, this is accomplished through Torah learning since it literally is the Word of Hashem.
As it is written (Yeshayahu 59:21): “(Hashem promises to the Jewish People:) My Words (of Torah) which I have placed in your mouth (will never be forgotten by the Jewish People).” This means the words of Torah we speak with our mouths are literally “His Words” that He is saying through us.
Our says say (see Kesubos 61b): “The Mishna is like the Queen,” who has a royal status like the King himself, since the person who says over the Mishna becomes united with “the Word of Hashem- which is the Halacha” (Shabbos 138b), so that when he says what the Halacha is according to the Torah, it is as if he is the one deciding it, since he is united with Hashem at that moment.
This most complete level of Torah study where one unites with Hashem is the lofty level of someone who’s entire pursuit in life is Torah study, like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his colleagues.
(Therefore, they were exempt from prayer, since prayer is the idea of submission to Hashem during bowing in Shemona Esrai, which channels the Infinite Light of Hashem into this world, and these revelations of Hashem are also generated through Torah study).
As Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said (Zohar III, 288a) “I am tied in one knot with Hashem,” which is the idea of complete egoless transparency to the Infinite Light of Hashem on the level of Yichudah Ila’ah.
Therefore, our sages say (Peah 1:1) “Learning Torah is equivalent to all of the Mitzvos.”
In order to reach this manner and level of egoless transparency to Hashem, regarding this it is written: (Shemos 27:20) “and they shall bring to you pure olive oil,” which is the aspect of Chochmah-Wisdom of Holiness.
For our sages say: “Who is a Chochom-wise person? One who sees what will come to be as a result of his actions,” (Tamid 32a), which can also mean that he sees how everything is coming into being from Hashem in a manner of something from nothing.
And as we say (in Shachris, in the blessing of Yotzer Or): “In His Goodness, He renews every day constantly the act of Creation.”
Since, the process of the renewal of creation something from nothing is constantly happening.
The reason for this is: Regarding Hashem Himself it is written: “For I am Hashem, and I have never changed” (Malachi 3:6), and as we say in the Shachris: “You (Hashem) are the same before the world was created as You are after the world was created,” without any change.
However, the renewal of the existence of creation is only from a limited expression of His Light.
Therefore, there must be a constant renewal of this Light, so that the worlds shouldn’t cease to exist.
A short explanation of the reason for constant creation: Hashem is the only true Real Existence. He is beyond the category of change, since He is beyond the limitations of time and all levels of existence that He created. His existence isn’t dependent on anything outside of Himself at all.
However, everything that Hashem created has no ability to exist by itself at all. It only exists because Hashem brings it into existence.
Since the worlds that Hashem creates are limited and changing, the power from Hashem invested in them is also a very limited expression of Himself. The creative energy from Hashem is compared to the light of the sun, or to words of speech. In both analogies, since are limited expressions of their source, and cannot continue to exist without being constantly renewed. Similarly, the creative energy of Hashem must constantly be renewed from its source in Hashem.
The same thing is true of the existence of the worlds from Hashem’s creative energy: The created beings are only a limited expression of Hashem’s creative energy. Just as the light must be constantly renewed from the sun, so too, each creation needs to be constantly renewed from its source in Hashem’s creative energy.
Another way of saying this analogy: Let’s say there are stain glassed windows producing an image on the wall opposite them. This image is only an expression of the light shining in the window. As soon as the sun sets, the image vanishes, since it is only a projection caused by the light of the sun shining in the windows. Similarly, the entire existence of all creations is merely a “projection” from the existence of Hashem’s Light, which is their source of existence. Just as His Light is constantly renewed, so too all the creations’ existence must be constantly renewed.
When a person will reflect upon this idea and take it to heart, this will cause him to humble himself to Hashem, and, as it says in the Zohar (II, 162b): “when there is a spirit of devotion from the person to Hashem, this brings about and draws out from Hashem a spirit of wanting to reveal Himself to the person,” this brings about that the person should truly be able to lose himself in the experience of Hashem’s Infinite Light that is revealed in Torah study.
This is the idea of “You (Moshe) will הֶּו צְּת-command the Children of Yisroel”: “הֶּו צְּת-command” is related to the word “ַׁאָּתוְּו צ-connection” and bonding.
Meaning, that Moshe “connects” and binds the Jewish People with Hashem through His Light that is revealed in Torah study.
However, this connection can only be made through first “bringing olive oil to you (Moshe).”
