Summary of the Maamar

Summary of the Maamar:

1. The verse describes the mitzvah to bring oil of crushed olives to Moshe, to be used for lighting the Menorah. If Aharon is the one who actually lights the Menorah, why are we not commanded to bring the olive to him directly instead of to Moshe?
2. The idea of Aharon is the “escort of the bride,” to accompany us, Hashem’s “bride,” to ascend spiritually and unite with Hashem (the “groom”) through the joyous fulfillment of mitzvos.
3. He helps us rejoice in mitzvos by showing us that a mitzvah is like a lamp that shines Hashem’s Light. This light of the mitzvos is so powerful that it is this “mitzvah light” that illuminates the realm of Gan Eden. All the delight in Hashem’s presence found in Gan Eden is only a mere “radiance” from the Light of the mitzvos themselves, with are the “lamps” and the source of that Light.
4. How does Aharon give us that joy and appreciation of mitzvos? By empowering us to connect to Hashem in prayer. He is one of the “Seven Shepards” that give spiritual power to the Jewish people to connect to Hashem. Specifically, he gives the spiritual power to contemplate on Hashem’s greatness during prayer and thereby awaken a love for Hashem. This love for Hashem will translate into a joy in the fulfillment of mitzvos.
5. Not only does he empower us to put in our own effort in contemplative prayer, but once we put in the effort, he helps us further. He takes our accomplishment in prayer to a new level by infusing it with a deeper dimension of awareness for Hashem and love of Him.
6. However, to have the spiritual “oil” (fuel) to light up our spiritual “menorah” of contemplative prayer, we first need to “crush the olives.” This represents crushing our ego and selfish, animalistic desires. Through this crushing of the ego, we can reach the “oil” of the true wisdom and appreciation of Hashem’s greatness during prayer. This appreciation of Hashem through prayer enables us to rejoice in fulfilling mitzvos, and to feel some of the connection established through the mitzvah.
7. Now, this entire system of awakening a feeling for Hashem in prayer, and coming to rejoice in mitzvos, is “outside of the Paroches,” the curtain separating the Kodesh from the Kodesh Hakadashim, where the Aron and Luchos are located. This is because we are engaging our own ego and feelings in our connection to Hashem in prayer and feeling joy in mitzvos. This level is called “Yichuda Tita’ah,” the lower level of experiencing Hashem’s Oneness, that allows room for us to exist on some level and have an emotional relationship with Hashem.
8. However, the Torah itself, as embodied in the Aron and Luchos, is a higher level, called “Yichuda Ila’a,” experiencing Hashem’s Oneness on a higher level. This is because the Torah is Hashem’s own Will and Wisdom that is completey united with Him and has no separate identity whatsoever. This is the level of Moshe Rabeinu. Through the letters of Torah, give to us by Moshe (Yichuda Ila’a), we receive a higher spiritual power for our own personal service of Hashem on the level of Yichuda Tita’a’ in prayer and joy.
9. This is why we need to bring the oil to Moshe, even though Aharon is the one lighting the Menorah: We need to connect our emotional prayers and joyous service of Hashem, the level of Aharon and the Menorah, with the higher level of selfless transparency to Hashem (bitul) found in Torah, the level of Moshe.
10. Through this connection between these two levels, we create a working system called “ratzo vashuv – running in yearning and returning to this world”: When we learn Torah, we receive power to awaken a love for Hashem in prayer. When we pray with emotion, we awaken a yearning to leave this world and connect to Hashem. When we learn Torah after our prayers, we drawn down Hashem’s Light from the Torah into us as we live in the world. Together, these two levels enable us to transcend our ego and brings Hashem’s True Infinite Light into ourselves and this world.