This week’s Parsha is Parshas Tetzaveh. In this Parsha it says, “You shall command Bnei Yisroel that they should take for you pure olive oil pressed for illumination.” (27:20). The question on this Pasuk is why would the Torah say “For You” instead of saying “For Me” (for HaShem). Maschechect Menachos 86B (Gemara) says that this Pasuk makes complete sense and that the way the Pasuk is written is that way for a specific reason. The reason being that the Menorah is for YOU not for HaShem! That the light of the menorah is for YOU and NOT for HaShem!
It says in Mishlei that the mitzvot are shining lamps and that the Torah is light. Therefore just like HaShem says that the Menorah should be for our purpose and not His. So too should the Torah be for our purpose and not His. HaShem wants us to use the Mitzvos for our benefit. He wants us to use the mitzvos to get the most we can out of life.
There are two questions I have on this though. The first question I would like to ask is what does it mean that the Torah is for OUR purpose? I think this means that Torah is a present for us. This means that everything that HaShem gives us is a present. Therefore we can never be angry at Him or upset with Him and not follow His Torah because of how we feel towards HaShem. This is true because if we did not follow HaShem, HaShem would not love us less and He would not stop offering His present and asking us to take it but rather WE would not receive His present because we would say “No thank you” to it.
Last year Ma’ayanot brought in Rebbetzin Chana Reichman before Purim to speak about the chag. She said that the epitome of Amalek verses Klal Yisroel is the word Mikrah. She says that this word is of major significance because it can be read as Mikrah, coincidence, or Rak M’HaShem, only from HaShem. If we look at the Mitzvos as something that is a “coincidence” and boring we can be like Amalek but if we recognize that everything is a present from HaShem we will be able to receive that present and treat it as if it is a true gift. The gematria for Amalek is doubt and if we treat the Mitzvos as a coincidence and something that is not holy and something that is not special we will have more doubt and it will be harder for us to accept the Present. But if we recognize that the Mitzvos are a truly special gift. This will not be the case and we will truly serve HaShem to the best of our ability because we will recognize it is all for us.
My last question though is how do we look at Mitzvos in this way? What tools are we supposed to use to relate to Mitzvos as gifts. That I believe the second part of the Pasuk says. I believe that when the Pasuk says “Olive oil pressed for illumination” this also has a greater meaning. In the book Peninim on the Torah by Rabbi A.L Schneibaum, it says that the oil for the menorah was pressed in a light and delicate manner. As previously stated the Menorah is the Torah. This Sefer says that the reason why the oil was pressed delicately is because that is how we have to treat our students and their learning. We can’t just shove it down their throats, make them memorize, or make them abide by the laws that we wish them to abide by but rather we must present the material to them in a level headed manner. We must show them the preciousness of the Torah and with that hopefully they will truly learn the beauty of the Torah. We must show them the Torah is a gift and that the Mitzvos are for us!
Chevi Garfinkel says, HaShem can never love you more or less then he does but your relationship can be strained and your relationship can be weakened. HaShem is never going to take away the gift of His Torah. He is going to present it to us and we are going to decide if we want to accept it. He wants us to accept it more than anything but it is our gift and it is up to us what we want to do with it. We have to decide if we want the gift. We have to decide if we want to be close with our father.
Good Shabbos,
Tamar Berger
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