In Shemot, perek כ׳״ה, pasuk ל״א, it’s says:
“And you shall make a menorah of pure gold. The menorah shall be made of hammered work; its base and its stem, its goblets, its knobs, and its flowers shall [all] be [one piece] with it.”
Why does Hashem want Moshe to make the menorah out of one piece of gold? Why cant he just assemble it using different pieces like with the other Keilim?
It says in Torat Moshe that the reason for this was for Aaron to understand that his job was to create a sense of unity that parallels the unity in Shamayim
Leah Markowitz
ReplyDeleteRabbi Belsky zt'l notes that the process of creating the menorah parallels Bnei Yisroel's receiving of the torah in three stages. First, matan torah is parallel to Hashem showing Moshe what the menorah should look like. Second, Gavriel the angel demonstrated to Moshe how to make the menorah, which represents the passing of the torah from one generation the next. Lastly, just as the menorah came down from Shamayim as one piece of gold, so too the torah is a gift from Hashem.
I feel that this comparison is a beautiful idea and gives another perspective as to why Moshe would receive such a seemingly strange commandment from Hashem.
According to Chezkuni, moshe was instructed to construct a candlestick of pure gold. the function of this candlestick was to provide light for what was on the table. “This is why the Torah reports in Exodus 40,24 that Moses positioned the menorah opposite the table.” Moshe put it opposite the table because according to a different opinion, the gold along with the light was supposed to illuminate the room. I find this understanding of the reason as to why it was made out of gold to be beautiful. Because even though something like a candle can really light up a room, the gold adds to it and really shines.
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ReplyDeleteUsually nations are comprised of different groups of people, with different experiences and ancestries. However, this is not the case for Binei Yisrael. Binei Yisrael’s souls are comprised of a single spirit, and they are merely separated by physical bodies. The Menorah represents Binei Yisrael, and its formation by one piece of gold represents how Binei Yisrael is one, united nation. I like this idea because it shows the importance of Binei Yisrael’s unity to Hashem, and how Hashem made sure to get that point of unity across through the molding of the Menorah.
Source: https://www.chabad.org/parshah/in-depth/plainBody_cdo/AID/2188
Miriam Hoffmann
ReplyDeleteI got this idea from Ari Enkin a rabbinic director at United with Israel.
We are told in this pasoke that the menorah is made of pure gold. Meaning it should be created out of one piece of gold. This is an important detail, it was not gold plated or made out of a bunch of different pieces and there was no other material used. The menorah is completely gold. This is a metaphor for our lives. We too should be like a menorah, solid gold. We must make ourselves the same material on the inside as we seem to be on the outside. We shouldn’t be two faced, contradictory or hypocritical. We should be like the menorah the same through and through and of course, gold.
I really like this answer. I think it’s important to always remember to be ourselves, show everyone the real you on the inside and I like that this concept can be found in this Torah. Even though it may seem like the Torah is an ancient book that we know the stories to already because we learn them so much, I think this concept shows us that if we look at the details of what the Torah is talking about, we can find really valuable lessons that apply to our life today.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/lessons-of-the-menora/
Eden Schechter
ReplyDeleteRamban: The Torah does not repeat all the details of the Menorah’s construction here. One requirement is mentioned again, that it must be “hammered work” from a single piece of metal (v. 4). The purpose of the repetition is to teach us that this aa la, that the Menorah must be made from a single piece of metal, is eternally binding and was not limited to the first Menorah that was made.
each branch of the menorah represented a different segment of the Jewish people and the different approaches to serving Hashem.
ReplyDeleteFor this reason, It was crucial that the Menorah had to be made out of one piece of gold in order to signify that we are united, despite the different approaches we each have. We learn that even decorative cups, spheres and flowers had to be originaly part of the Menorah and not attached after it was constructed. This teaches us that even though Hashem intended for us to interpret the Torah and find new ideas, he does not want the adornments to be based off of “outside” sources- the same way the menorah can’t be decorated with “outside” pieces gold. Whatever tools we use to understand the Torah should come from the Torah itself.
https://www.chabadwestside.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/2139449/jewish/Terumah.htm
Ariella Rosencrantz
ReplyDeleteThe light of the menorah is supposed to illuminate far beyond just it’s light. It represents the importance of spreading torah and uniting us through one nation who reach out to all.
I like this idea because it shows that something that represents Judaism really represents us reaching other nations.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/a-golden-menorah-in-the-desert/amp/
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin says the Menorah must be gold within and without, because in order to be a kingdom of priests, teachers who reach out to all, we have to first become holy, equally pure both within and without; otherwise we will never succeed in influencing the world.
ReplyDeleteI really like this because it really pertains to the Jewish people present struggle during the building of the beit hamikdash.
- Sylvie