Understood in this light, it gives me great pleasure to interpret a teaching in the Gemara (Yoma 33b): בצפון שלחן" שתי הכותל מן משוכה בדרום ומנורה ,ומחצה אמות שתי הכותל מן משוך ונוקמיה ,קימעא חוץ כלפי ומשוך באמצע ועומד ממוצע מזבח ,ומחצה אמות ."אהדדי דחזו בעינן השלחן נוכח המנורה ואת דכתיב כיון ,להדייהו The Shulchan stood in the north (of the Heichal), removed two and a half cubits from the wall. And the Menorah stood in the south (of the Heichal), removed two and a half cubits from the wall. The mizbeiach was centered and standing in the middle (of the Heichal), drawn slightly outward. The Gemara questions the placement of the mizbeiach: Why not place the mizbeiach directly between them (aligned with them)? Why was it drawn outward? The Gemara answers: Because it is written (Shemos 26, 35): “And the Menorah opposite the Shulchan”—we require that they see each other.
In other words, the Menorah and the Shulchan must be situated so that they are visible to one another. Hence, the mizbeiach which stood centered in between them had to be pulled slightly outward so as not to obstruct their view of each other, so to speak. The great Admor, the Mahari of Belz, zy”a, explained the rationale for the requirement that the Shulchan and Menorah see each other based on a ruling of the michaber in the Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 231):
יתברך הבורא לעבודת אלא להנאתו יכוין לא הזה בעולם שיהנה מה בכל" שאפילו ,שמים לשם יהיו מעשיך כל חכמים ואמרו דעהו דרכיך בכל כדכתיב והשיחה והקימה והישיבה וההליכה והשתיה האכילה כגון ,רשות של דברים ."עבודתו הגורם לדבר או בוראך לעבודת כולם יהיו ,גופך צרכי וכל
Whatever a person derives pleasure from in Olam HaZeh, he should not do so for his own pleasure but rather for the service of the blessed Creator, as it is written (Mishlei 3, 6): “In all your endeavors know (emulate) Him.” And our sages said (Avos 2, 12): “Let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven.” Even optional matters, such as eating, drinking, walking, sitting, rising, talking, and all bodily needs, they should all be for the sake of serving your Creator or for something related to His service.
This then is the reason that the Torah emphasizes that the Menorah and the Shulchan had to be aligned with each other. It is teaching us that when a Jew eats and drinks—alluded to by the Shulchan laden with the “lechem hapanim”—it is imperative that his intent be “l’shem shamayim”—to provide him with the strength to study Torah—alluded to by the illumination of the Menorah.
