The Paradox of Existence
The Talmud tells us (1) that “Moses found
three things difficult (2), until G-d showed them to him
with His finger: Menorah, HaChodesh (the new Moon) and Sherotzim
(creepers)” (3).
Moses’ difficulty with the new moon was discussed a few weeks ago in this
column. The problem Moses had with the “creeps”
(creeping creatures) will be addressed in a future column.
Today we will focus on Moses’ troubles with the Menorah.
Why disturbed Moses about the menorah, that he needed G-d to show it to him
(as a menorah of fire (4))?
Commentaries explain (5) that the challenge of the Menorah
was in the requirement that it had to be built out of one
piece of pure gold (“miksha achas”). Despite
its elaborate and intricate structure, all the Menorah’s
components – its base, stem, decorative cups, spheres and
flowers – had to be hammered out of a single piece of gold;
all an integral part of a single gold Menorah (6). As Rashi
explains: The Menorah was not to be made “of sections,”
nor should “its branches and lamps be separate pieces that
are connected afterward in the style of metal-workers which
they call ‘solder’ in Old French. Rather, it should all
come from a single piece. He (the craftsman) beats it with
a mallet and cuts it with craftsman tools, separating the
branches to either side… The craftsman draws the parts of
the menorah out of the solid block of gold.”
How is it possible, Moses wondered, to build the complex Menorah out of a
single piece of gold? (7). Thus, G-d showed him how to build the Menorah.
But this explanation is lacking. As difficult as a task the construction
of the Menorah may have been, the intelligent Moses could have researched
and consulted craftsmen who knew the art of sculpting gold. Moses surely understood
that there were skilled individuals who could get the job done. Even if he
needed some Divine guidance, why was he troubled to the extent that this is
one of only three instances that G-d Himself had to intervene and point with
His Divine finger to a Menorah made of fire?!
The mystics explain (8) that the Menorah – with its multi-faceted, ornate
design, all carved out of one piece of gold – carries the “deep mystery” of
Divine unity, an indivisible force that encompasses all the intricate details
of existence.
What concerned Moses was a far deeper issue than the physical architecture
of the Menorah; He was perplexed by the internal architecture
of existence itself and its relationship with the Divine.
The entire Mishkan (Sanctuary) was a prototype
of the spiritual infrastructure of the cosmos. “Build
for me a Sanctuary and I will rest among you:” The
Sanctuary channeled the Divine presence into our lives.
All the configurations of the Mishkan and its vessels –
were meant to align with the human psyche, which is a microcosm
of the larger universe, with its Divine source. As such,
Moses understood that like all the Temple’s vessels, the Menorah and its need to be shaped, with all its
details, out of a single piece of gold, manifested a deep
secret: the underlying unity embedded in all of existence.
When he heard that the Menorah, with all its complex design, was to be made
out of one piece of gold, he was plagued with the paradox: How do you carve
details out of an indivisible unit? How is it possible that the indivisible
G-d should extend and be one with the complex diversity of existence? How
can we ever bridge the inherent divide between these two diametrically opposed
realities: The absolute infinite and undefined Divine with our finite and
absolutely defined universe?
The consequences of this dilemma are far-reaching; its implications affecting
every aspect of our lives.
As mortal creatures, dependent on a multitude of factors
to survive, the argument can be made – as it has been
driven time and again into our brains by nay-sayers, scientists
and skeptics – that we are ultimately narcissistic
parasites, feeding off the fat of the land and off of each
other.
Even when we overcome some of our base survival instincts and act with virtue,
we have severe limits as to how far we can reach as finite beings. We can
maneuver here and there, but we always remain locked in a prison of restricted
parameters, limited by a predetermined script – never truly able to transcend
the margins of our fixed existence.
Materialism, by its very nature, is dead and inanimate
– antithetical to spiritual vitality. How then can
we ever expect to break out of our material confines; how
can we even attempt to overcome the struggle between physical
survival and transcendence; how can we hope to fuse spirit
and matter?
Gold is a symbol of the mundane, self-oriented life, the
symbol of selfishness and idolatry. How can gold be turned
into a Menorah of light?
Not a very hopeful scenario…
As a result of this fundamental quandary – the paradox of uniting the Divine
with the mundane – G-d Himself had to “point his finger” (a metaphor for the
defined parameters of existence, like the narrow finger) – and show Moses
a Menorah of fire (fire representing the uncontained nature of the Divine).
G-d imparted to Moses the mystery of Divine Unity: How all the complex details
of existence are an integral part and an extension of one single entity.
And with this, G-d revealed to Moses how the intricate
detailed design of the Menorah contains the profound secret
of life’s ultimate possibilities.
Moses was disturbed because one would think that in this
selfish world, we would be driven by the modality of “survival
of the fittest” to become plain parasites, selfishly
using each other.
The Divine finger, however, points to another possibility: Behold – a Menorah
of fire! You Moses, and all humans like you, can and must build and become
Menorahs that emanate light and exude warmth to all with whom you come in
contact.
I, G-d, give you My power to not suffice with being mere
takers; you are to be givers. (9) Do not be satisified with
being creatures; become creators that go out and transform
the universe. Turn its raw materials into Divine fuel. Take
the dark universe and make it a place of light. More: Make
it a source of light – a Menorah.
Just as the Divine “finger” pointed from the Egyptian abyss at the new moon
to show Moses the secret
of birthing, that same finger now showed Moses
the secret of illuminating and changing transforming the
world around us.
The new moon gives us hope to survive; the Menorah gives us power to thrive
and illuminate the universe
Yes indeed, we mortals of flesh and blood, consumed by
a world of material gold, can transform ourselves and our
gold into forces of change. We fragile creatures that are
so dependent on outside sustenance (air, food, drink, sleep,
shelter, protection) living in an insecure world, can become
instead of parasites – walking, living Menorahs –
that illuminate our surroundings with holy light.
* * *
This also explains the prominent role the Menorah and its flames play in
Jewish life. Besides the Menorah in the Temple, which is showcased in the Torah more than all the other parts
of the Sanctuary, we also have the Chanukah Menorah, the
Shabbos candles and on the other extreme – the flames
we light in memory of departed souls.
Indeed, light is a central theme in Torah, and today has
become a vital component of understanding the nature of
existence. In the last century physics has come to discover
the critical role that light (energy) plays in the universe;
it defines the essential nature of existence – something
that the Torah has been teaching for millennia. Light, with
its paradoxes, straddles the boundaries between wave and
particle, and between existence and beyond-existence. Light,
the fundamental metaphor used in Kabbalah for Divine energy,
is the ultimate bridge that unifies existence, and links
it to the Divine, as discussed in earlier articles (see:
The
Physics of Chanukah, Light,
Intimate
Light).
But the journey of light – the Menorah’s secret of unity – began 3319 years
ago, when the Divine finger showed Moses how to build an intricately designed
Menorah out of a single piece of gold, and Moses was told to “carefully observe
the pattern that you will be shown on the mountain and make [the menorah]
in that manner (Exodus 25:40).
Ever since, we have the power of the Menorah to sanctify
our lives. Throughout history, till this very day, the Menorah
gave the human race the power to transcend their boundaries.
Today too we can glean much from the Menorah.
All this power – in a five-foot-tall seven-branched golden
candelabra, kindled every evening in the Sanctuary, which
cast its sacred radiance to the outside world.
A Menorah that teaches us that our diversity need no be
annihilated in the face of the Divine; it can and must be
integrated as an inseparable part of the indivisible whole
of the Divine.
That we can experience in our limited lives the highest levels of transcendence,
reaching to places that are beyond any defined parameters of existence.
That our material lives, even our money and gold – symbols of self and often
greed – can become fuel to emanate spiritual light.
That instead of being takers we become givers.
That we become living Menorahs illuminating our surroundings.
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(1) Menachot 29a. See also Mechilta Bo 12:2. Sifrei 8:4.
(2) A second opinion in the Talmud adds another item that Moses found difficult
– the laws of Shechita (ritual slaughter). The Midrash adds Anointing Oil
(Shemos Rabba 15:28). The Ramban and Bechaya (Numbers 8:2) cite a Midrash
that includes Korbon (the High Priest offering – Leviticus 6:3) – thus the
four items that Moses found difficult create the acronym for the word “mikshe:”
Menorah, Korbon, Sherotzim, HaChodesh.
Moses was shown other items as well (though the expression
that “he was troubled” is not used): The Holy
Ark and the Shulchan (table) – together with the Menorah
of fire (Menochot ibid). Shekel (Yerushalmi Shekolim 1:4)
– see Tosfot Menachot ibid. Chulin 42a. Commentaries
elaborate on the distinction between the things Moses was
shown and those he was “troubled” by (Gur Aryeh;
Divrei Dovid – Terumah 25:40). But see the Midrash
(Tanchuma Terumah 9. Nosso 11. Bamidbar Rabba 12:3. Pesikta
Rabsi ch 16): Three things caused Moses to tremble: The
Mishkan, the Korbonot and the Shekel.
(3) Acronym of the name Moshe, Mem, Shin, Heh – Menorah, Shekel,
HaChodesh (Zohar II Terumah 157b). The Zohar replaces
Sherotzim with Shekel.
(4) Rashi Exodus 29:40.
(5) Maharsha Menachot ibid.
(6) Exodus 25:31; 36.
(7) “Mikshe” is also related to the word “koshe” – difficult
(Sifrei; Tanchuma Yoshon Numbers; Ramban ibid). See Ohr
HaTorah Behaalotcho p. 354.
(8) See Zohar II 157b. Ramban, Rekanti, Shaloh –
Terumah ibid. Gur Aryeh Shemini 11:2.
(9) See Ohr HaTorah Behaalotcho p. 356.
* * *
Question of the Week: What unique
experience have you had with lighting candles? What feelings
has light evoked in your life? Please share your story or
a story about someone else.
Submit
your response.
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a question for future weeks.
