B"H
Friday, Adar1 10, 5782 / February 11, 2022
This week's Parsha Tetzaveh begins, "And you shall command the Children of Israel, that they take to you pure olive oil, pressed for the light to cause the lamp to burn continually."
The Parsha speaks about the oil used to light the Menorah in the Holy Temple. The oil had to be pure olive oil, without the slightest of sediment. Our sages tell us that only the first drop of oil from each olive was used for lighting the Menorah.
The tribe of Asher was blessed with an abundance of oil. Much of the oil used in the Holy Temple came from the tribe of Asher.
With the words, "To burn continually," the Torah commands that the Menorah be lit every day. The Menorah had seven lights and was kindled each day.
The Menorah and its lights represent the Torah, as it is stated, "Torah is light". Torah illuminates the darkness of the world and guides a person in the right path, giving purpose and value to life.
Olive oil represents wisdom. The Talmud says that when one sees olive oil in a dream they should expect wisdom.
Just as the Menorah in the Holy Temple had to be lit each day, so must every Jew light up his/her day with the light and wisdom of Torah. "Alittle bit of light," say our sages, "drives away much darkness."
Studying Torah daily is also emphasized by the seven lights of the Menorah, which correspond to the seven days of the week.
Rabbi Meir of Premishlan would tell his disciples, "Never follow blindly in the path of others,even if the others are in the majority. You must always know where the path leads, before taking that path."
Rabbi Meir would illustrate this with the following story: "Once I stopped at an inn. The weather outside was miserable. The snow came down hard and fast, the wind blew fiercely and the roads were impassable. Many wagon drivers also stopped off at the inn, waiting for the weather to improve."
"Then one of the drivers, who obviously had a bit too much to drink, decided to hitch up his horse and drive on. After he drove off, a second driver decided to follow in the first drivers tracks. Then one by one they all followed each other. A while later, everyone found themselves with the first driver, stuck in a ditch off the road!" So remember," Rabbi Meir would say, "Before you decide to follow others, make sure that you know where they are heading!"
The Torah, like the Menorah, illuminates our path in life, protecting us from the pitfalls of life's treacherous roads. A daily dose of Torah is a life saver.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 4:57 / Shabbat ends: 6:03