English translation — בהעלותך א

Sicha 1<pg>33</pg>

A.

"And this was the work of the Menorah etc. like the appearance which the Lord showed Moses, so he made the Menorah"<sup>1</sup>.

And in Rashi: "So he made the Menorah" — "He who made it,

And an Aggadic Midrash<sup>2</sup>

by means of the Holy One, blessed be He, it was made of itself."

And the Ra"am³,

"that the midrash disagrees with the first explanation, so it did like "and the teller told"⁴,

and the explanation of the one who made it, the one whose way it is to make it, and he is Bezalel⁵,

and the midrash said: so did the Holy One, blessed be He, mentioned above, make it".

And it requires examination:

a)

The explanation of the midrash seemingly has no place in study according to the plain meaning,

for how can it be explained that "thus he made the menorah" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He,

and behold according to this the entire continuation of the verse — "according to the appearance which the Lord showed Moses, thus he made

(the Holy One, blessed be He)

the menorah" — is not understood,

for what does it teach us that the Holy One, blessed be He, made the menorah as He showed Moses<sup>6</sup>?

!

[And as is emphasized also in the language of Rashi,

that he precedes this explanation with "and an aggadic midrash",

even though above in Parshat Terumah on the verse<sup>7</sup>

"the menorah shall be made" Rashi explained<sup>8</sup>

"of itself etc. the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: cast the talent into the fire and it is made of itself",

and he did not write there that this is "an aggadic midrash"<sup>9</sup>

— and only in our verse does he write about this "an aggadic midrash"].

And based on this, why does Rashi need to bring this explanation at all?

And it is forced to say that this is because according to the first explanation, this is written as "a concise verse"¹⁰,

that it was not explained in the verse who is the doer,

for Rashi already established in his commentary¹¹

that "the way of all concise verses regarding the one who is to do [the action] is that they conceal the matter",

and so in our case the verse states vaguely "so he did",

that it refers "to the one who is to do [the action]".

[And although in general it is more comfortable to explain that it is not a shortened verse,

nevertheless in our case, where the interpretation of the Midrash is very far from the plain meaning of the verse,

then ostensibly the matter of "shortened verse" is not a sufficient reason to bring this interpretation].

b)

And on the other hand — if to answer that it is not a "shortened verse",

Rashi should have explained according to the interpretation of the Ibn Ezra and the Ramban,

that "so he did the com-<pg>34</pg>

Rashi says: it refers to Moses¹²,

that "he¹³

exerted himself¹⁴

in its study and made it by command."

And in the manner of Rashi above on the verse¹⁵

"On the day Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle" — "Bezalel and Oholiab and every wise-hearted person made the Tabernacle,

and Scripture attributed it to Moses because he devoted himself to it to see the pattern of each and every thing etc. to instruct the craftsmen and did not err in a single pattern",

and also in our case it is possible to explain that Scripture attributed the making of the Menorah to Moses¹⁶.

2.

And this will be understood by prefacing the difficulty in the entire verse¹⁷

— "And this is the work of the Menorah etc." — what does this entire verse come to teach us?

Behold, the actual command regarding the work of the Menorah was already explained above in Parshat Terumah¹⁸,

and also the detail that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses the appearance of the Menorah

("as the appearance which the Lord showed Moses")

is explained there,

and as Rashi brought here the verse at the end of the section of the Menorah

(in Parshat Terumah¹⁹)

"See and make according to their pattern which you are shown on the mountain",

and if so, what is new in this verse?

And further —

(a)

Here were not repeated all the details of the laws of making the menorah, but only the detail of "hammered out of one piece of gold,"

And how is this detail different from all the details of the menorah that this law was also stated here<sup>20</sup>?

(b)

Also, if you say that there is a novel point in this verse — why was the novel point not explained earlier in its place in Parshat Terumah?

In the command at the beginning of the portion<sup>21</sup>,

"When you raise up the lamps, toward the face of the menorah shall the seven lamps give light,"

Rashi already explained the intent of the words,

that this is "because when Aaron saw the dedication of the princes, his spirit was weakened, etc. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: By your life, yours is greater than theirs, for you kindle and prepare the lamps,"

But the verse "And this was the work of the menorah, etc." — what does it seek here?

And the difficulty is great — several commentators²²

stood on this question,

and specifically in Rashi we do not find, seemingly, even a hint of an answer to this difficulty.

3.

And one can say the explanation in this:

In his commentary on "Beha'alotecha," Rashi explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Aharon: "Yours is greater than theirs, for you light and trim the lamps,"

And this means that not only does Aharon also have a part<pg>35</pg>

In the dedication of the Mishkan,

but moreover,

that his portion is greater than theirs,

for he inaugurated the Menorah

(as explained elsewhere at length<sup>23</sup>,

that this is the intent of Rashi here in what he said: "for you light and trim the lamps,"

that his intent in this is not only that Aharon was given the merit of lighting and trimming the lamps,

but rather that in this Aharon has a part also in the dedication of the Mishkan,

for he inaugurated the Menorah).

And it needs to be understood,

for just as Aaron inaugurated the menorah,

so too the princes inaugurated the altar

(as explained in the verse²⁴,

that the offerings of the princes were "for the inauguration of the altar"),

and if so, in what is Aaron's portion greater than that of the princes?

And even though Aaron himself lit and trimmed the lamps

(as per the precise wording of Rashi "that you light and trim etc.")²⁵,

unlike the princes who only brought their offerings,

while the actual offering was not done by them — yet from this very fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, comforted Aaron specifically with the portion of the menorah,

it is understood,

that the main consolation is not that Aaron performs the work in the Mishkan in actual practice

(which also includes the offering of sacrifices upon the altar),

but rather because he inaugurated specifically the menorah.

And even if you say that the Menorah in the Sanctuary²⁶

— still it is unclear

(like the question of the Ramban²¹)

"Why did He comfort them with the kindling of the lamps and not comfort them with the morning and evening incense etc."

And it can be said that these questions are resolved in the verse itself²⁷

— by adding here "And this is the work of the Menorah etc."²⁸

:

The menorah is unique among all the vessels of the Mishkan²⁹

in that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses the appearance of the menorah,

and as Rashi explains above in Parshat Terumah³⁰

"that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him a menorah of fire"

[for in the Gemara³¹

this is also brought regarding the Ark and the Table,

but in Rashi on the Torah it is brought only³²

regarding the menorah³³].

And although simply the need for this was because "Moses was perplexed about the making of the menorah"³⁴,

nevertheless it is understood

(also in study according to the simple meaning),

that this itself indicates the superiority of the menorah over all the other vessels of the Mishkan,

that there is in its making a special difficulty<pg>36</pg>

because of which it is possible to make it only according to the vision which the Lord showed Moses.

And it may be said,

that the uniqueness of the menorah from all the other vessels is understood according to Rashi above³⁵,

that the western lamp of the menorah "is a testimony to all inhabitants of the world that the Divine Presence rests upon Israel",

and therefore also its making is in a manner of a special "revelation of the Divine Presence",

that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses the appearance of the menorah.

And this is the intent of the verse "And this is the work of the Menorah etc.",

that the portion of Aharon is greater than that of the princes because he inaugurated the Menorah,

that the Menorah is a general and most important vessel,

to the extent that it was made according to the "vision which the Lord showed Moshe".

And with this we can also explain Rashi's commentary on "And this is the work of the Menorah"¹

— "that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him with a finger because he was perplexed about it, therefore it says 'and this'",

for at first glance, what was difficult for Rashi in the wording "And this is the work of the Menorah" that compelled him to explain that the intention is "that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him with a finger"³⁶?

But rather, Rashi's compulsion is not from the wording "and this",

but rather his explanation is in accordance with the general intent of the verse,

that all of it came only to define and explain the unique matter of the Menorah,

that it was

(as the continuation of the verse)

"as the vision which the Lord showed Moshe",

and presumably this is also the precision of the wording "And this is the work of the Menorah"³⁷.

And this itself is the reason that it is stated here only the detail of "it is hammered work",

because the main difficulty in making the menorah

(because of which the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses the pattern of the menorah)

is

(not the multitude of details in the menorah itself,

but rather)

because of the special law regarding the manner of its making that it must be "hammered work",

which is most difficult to make all these minute details in a manner of "hammered work" — that the craftsman takes a "block

of a talent of gold...

and hammers with a hammer and cuts with a chisel to extend its limbs properly",

and as the verse adds "from its base to its flower it is hammered work",

and as Rashi explains "meaning the body of the menorah entirely and all that is attached to it.

To its base,

which is a large limb.

To its flower,

which is a delicate work of it, all is hammered work".

D.

Based on the above, it is understood why Rashi did not explain that "so he made the menorah" refers to Moses,

because according to this explanation it would be found,

that the intention of the verse is to tell the praise of Moses

that he made exactly according to the appearance which the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him

[in the manner that it is stated previously

"and Aaron did so etc.",

and as Rashi explains "to tell the praise of Aaron that he did not deviate"],

but according to the plain meaning of Scripture it is difficult to explain thus,

for what relevance is there here

(in the portion of Beha'alotecha)

the telling of the praise of Moses regarding the manner of making the menorah?

And therefore Rashi explains,

"Thus he made the Menorah — the one who made it",

that is, precisely and intentionally the verse did not specify who the maker was,

because the intent of the verse is not to tell of the praise of the human maker,

but rather to explain the virtue of the Menorah

(without relevance as to who the maker was),

that the making of the Menorah

(by "the one who made it",

that is, "the one who was obligated to make it")

was "according to the appearance that the Lord showed Moses".

Based on this, the reason that the &lt;pg&gt;37&lt;/pg&gt;

Rashi explains in the first interpretation, but also brought the interpretation of the Midrash Aggadah that "by the Holy One, blessed be He, it was made by itself",

because according to this interpretation, the superiority of the Menorah over all the vessels of the Mishkan is further explained,

that not only was it made according to the "vision which the Lord showed Moses",

but furthermore,

that even its actual making was by the Holy One, blessed be He,

and thus,

that Aaron merited to dedicate a vessel that was the work of the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He!

5.

However, Rashi's wording in the second interpretation "by the Holy One, blessed be He, it was made by itself" still requires clarification — for at first glance,

the discussion here is only about who "made the Menorah",

and what difference does it make here to explain the manner of its making

(that it was made by itself).

And on the contrary: in the verse it is explicit "Thus he made the menorah,"

that its simple meaning is that there was here a making,

and not "that it was made by itself"&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;

[unlike above in Parshat Terumah where it is said "the menorah shall be made,"

in the passive form,

and therefore Rashi there explains "by itself"].

And great is the wonder: in the Midrash&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;

the language "Thus&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;

Moses made it is not said here but rather thus it was made, who made it? The Holy One, blessed be He,"

whereas Rashi changed from the language of the Midrash and wrote "by the Holy One, blessed be He, it was made by itself"!

And it seems to me,

that Rashi's intention in this is to emphasize,

that the intention is not

(of the Midrash)

to remove the verse from its plain meaning

(that "so he made the menorah" refers to the making by a human being,

that he made the menorah "according to the appearance which the Lord showed to Moses"),

but only to add to this⁴³,

that the reason that it was not stated explicitly who was the maker is that the menorah was not actually made by the making of man

("the one who made it")

but only with the combination of the act of the Holy One, blessed be He,

and simply

(and according to Rashi's commentary in Parshat Terumah mentioned above)

— Bezalel

(or Moses⁴⁴)

only threw the talent into the fire

[and particularly according to what is said in several commentaries⁴⁵,

that Moses also struck with the hammer, etc.)]

— and afterwards,

"by the Holy One, blessed be He, it was made of itself."

And thus both are true,

that it was the making of a human being,

according to the simple interpretation of "according to the appearance which etc. so he made etc.",

except that in this, that the name of the maker was not specified in the verse, there is a hint

(in addition to what is explicit in the verse),

that the making of the menorah was with the combination of the handiwork of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And this is also the precision of Rashi's wording "was made by itself" — that in this is emphasized that it was an action of a human being,

that with regard to his action

(the throwing of the loaf into the fire)

it is considered that the menorah "was made by itself",

because in this action there is not enough to make a menorah.

And along the lines of Rashi's wording⁴⁶

regarding the erection of the Mishkan by Moses "that no person was able to erect it...

He said to him

(the Holy One, blessed be He)

Occupy yourself with your hand, it appears as if he is erecting it, and it stands upright and rises by itself".

6.

And more deeply

(And according to the inner dimension of the &lt;pg&gt;38&lt;/pg&gt;

matters)

We must explain Rashi's wording "by the Holy One, blessed be He, it was made of itself":

It is known⁴⁷,

that in revelations from above there are two modes: a revelation that comes through the service of man,

and in the language of the Zohar⁴⁸

"by an arousal from below an arousal from above"

(and in the language of our Sages⁴⁹,

a person sanctifies himself a little from below, they sanctify him much from above),

and there is a supernal revelation that is above the category of created beings,

and comes in the manner of a gift from above

("an arousal from above" that no arousal from below reaches there).

And this that the menorah was made by the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself indicates that through the menorah there is drawn a revelation of the Divine Presence in such a level that it is not within the ability of a created being to draw from

(and by [his own] power)

himself.

And as it is simply,

that even though the lighting of the menorah was in a natural manner,

nevertheless the light of the menorah was not only natural light,

but rather miraculous light,

and as above sec. 63

(from Rashi)

that the western lamp burned in a manner that served as "testimony to all who come into the world that the Divine Presence rests upon Israel",

that this depends solely on the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And it may be said,

that this is the inner interpretation of Rashi's wording "Thus he made the menorah — he who made it",

that it does not say "who is the maker"⁵⁰,

for the root of the making of the menorah is from Him, blessed be He,

a level above the holy names,

not hinted at in any letter or thorn⁵¹.

And this is the inner interpretation in the continuation of Rashi's wording "and the Aggadic midrash: by the Holy One, blessed be He, it was made of itself" — that even the making by the Holy One, blessed be He, was in a manner that "it was made of itself",

as is known,

that the revelations from the aspect of the Essence are not in the way of action,

but rather in a manner that they "exist" from Him, blessed be He, as if in a way of by itself⁵².

And this is also the greatness of the innovation in the matter of the Menorah,

that even in this Moses was commanded⁵³

"And you shall make a Menorah of pure gold,"

that there had to be also the making of Moses in this,

and as the Maharal explains⁵⁴

the reason for this,

that "so is every action that the Name effects, all needs an actor below and the Holy One, blessed be He, completes through him..

And therefore Moses had to know every action of the Menorah and he would act according to what he could and the Holy One, blessed be He, would complete through him" — that the innovation in this is,

that even the matters that seemingly are entirely above the action of human beings,

and even that their drawing down from above is not in the manner of action but "by itself,"

behold even they are drawn down in actuality specifically through [human] service.

And it can be said,

that this is one of the explanations in Rashi on "And Aaron did so"⁴⁰

— "to tell the praise of Aaron that he did not deviate,"

for seemingly it is perplexing,

and is this the praise of Aaron that he did not deviate from the command of the Name?

! Rather, since the light of the Menorah was not a natural light made through the lighting of a person,

there was place to think that there is no need to be precise in the manner of its lighting,

since the effected thing is from heaven,

and about this the verse says "to tell the praise of Aaron that he did not deviate."

And this is as was explained,

for also the drawing down&lt;pg&gt;39&lt;/pg&gt;

this light of the menorah came about through the act of kindling of Aharon,

the service of the staff specifically.

And it can be said that likewise will be in the building of the Third Beis HaMikdash,

which is "the building..

of the Holy One, blessed be He"⁵⁵,

that "will be revealed and come from heaven"⁵⁶,

and together with this there will be in it a part of the action of human beings

(for the building of the Beis HaMikdash is one of the 613 mitzvos of the Torah⁵⁷),

and as explained elsewhere at length⁵⁸.

And furthermore, the main point: May it be His will that it will be so for us actually,

in the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach,

and in the language of the Rambam⁵⁹

— "speedily may He be revealed, amen, may it be His will."

(From the talk of Shabbat Parshat Beha'alotcha 5730)