Forever Bright

Toward the end of this week’s Parsha, after the Torah details all of the Moadei Hashana, there is a series of Pessukim that are remarkable not because of their content, but their placement in this Parsha. If we examine the Pessukim through the lens of Chazal and the Meforshim, however, we will see that the Torah had a striking lesson to be taught by placing these Pessukim exactly where they are.

The Torah tells us that Hashem spoke to Moshe about the Shemen Zayis that was required for the Menorah: “Tzav Es Bnei Yisroel V’yikchu Elecha Shemen Zayis Zach Kasis Lameor.” The Torah goes on to discuss the lighting of the Menorah, which took place every day in the Mishkan.

When we learn this PAssuk, there is one simple question that practically jumps at us. These words are almost identical to a Passuk at the beginning of Parshas Titzaveh that also speaks about the Shemen Zayich Zach Kasis LaMeor. Why then does the Torah seem to repeat the exact same Tzivuy here, in middle of Sefer Vayikra?

Rashi explains that in Parshas Titzaveh the Torah spoke about the Shemen Zayis only in the context of the Meleches HaMishkan, because the Menorah requires oil in order to serve its purpose. The actual Tzivuy and Mitzvah of Shemen Zayis Zach, however, was not given until here in Parshas Emor. This is why the word “Titzaveh”, used in Sefer Shemos, is in the future-tense because Hashem was telling Moshe that at some time in the future he would be Mitzaveh Bnei Yisroel about the Shemen Zayis, and that time was now in Parshas Emor.

The Ramban, however, disagrees with Rashi’s explanation, noting that the Tzivuy of Shemen Lameor in Parshas Titzaveh is not even near the Pessukim discussing the Menorah. The Ramban therefore explains that there were two times that this Tzivuy were given. First, at the time of the Meleches HaMishkan, a general call was made for anyone who had Shemen Zayis Zach to donate it to the Mishkan. That call was heeded by the Nisiim, as the Passuk in Parshas Vayakel tells us “V’Hanisiim Heviu…V’Es Shemen Lameor.” After a time, however, that supply of Shemen was exhausted, and a new Tzivuy was therefore given that the Shemen Lameor should be provided by the Tzibbur on a permanent basis. This second Tzivuy, the one L’Doros, is the one given in our Parsha. It is this Passuk which teaches us that the Shemen Zayis Zach should be purchased from funds belonging to the Tzibbur on an ongoing basis.

The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh, before offering his own Pshat, brings the words of both Rashi and the Ramban. He disagrees with both these Meforshim, Rashi out of hand, and the Ramban because there is no clear proof to his approach.

Though Rashi is likely based on the absolute most basic Pshat in the Passuk, as is his Derech, the words of the Ramban seem somewhat more open to explanation. Let us therefore try to understand these Pessukim in a way that will enable us to support his view at the very least.

In order to fully understand the Pshat of the Ramban, two questions must be answered. First, why did the Torah require two separate Tzivuyim for the Shemen Zayis Zach? Why not give one Tzivuy that would cover the immediate need at the time of Hakamas Hamishkan as well as the future? While the fact that the Shemen was to come from private donors at the outset, but from the Tzibbur in the future may be the reason for two separate Tzivyuim, this itself raises a question. Why did the Shemen LaMeor that was used L’Doros specifically have to come M’shel Tzibbur?

Clearly the Torah wishes to convey a message about the Shemen Zayis, and perhaps its deeper meaning. Perhaps if we appreciate this we can answer these questions, thereby gaining insight into the words of the Ramban. The Medrash Rabba on this Passuk asks a question: why did the Torah command us to use Shemen Zayis specifically? Why not use any other type of oil, such as sesame or walnut? The Medrash answers with a Mashal: there was a king who defeated a coup that was staged by all of his own officers except one. The king declared that the officer who did not rise up against him would be promoted and receive special honors and titles. So to, says Hakadosh Baruch Hu, the Zayis, which provided light at the time of Noach, when all other beings had been destroyed, would be the one used to light the Menorah.

This Medrash may well be defined as a Medrash Peliah. What is the connection between the olive found by the Yonah on its excursion outside the Teivah, have to do with the Menorah? In addition, we know that the Yonah found the olive branch and brought it back to Noach, but nowhere does it say anything about light—why does the Medrash draw the parallel between that incident and the Menorah, and why did the Zayis deserve a reward at all? What benefit did it provide?

In order to explain the Medrash, it may be useful to have an understanding of what happened when the Yonah found the olive in the time of Noach.

The Gemarah in Eruvin tells us that as the Yonah was returning to the Taiva, with the olive branch in his beak, she said a short Teffilah to Hakadosh Baruch Hu: “Yihyu Mezonosai Meurrin Kzayis U’Mesurin B’Yadcha V’al Yihyu Mesukin K’Dvash V’Tolin B’yad Basar V’Dam: Allow my Mezonos to be bitter like an olive, but provided by You, rather than sweet like honey but dependent on mankind.” The Yonah, upon finding the Zayis, was somehow stirred to make this Teffilah, to declare that it wished not to be dependent on other for its sustenance, but on Hashem alone—even if that dependency was accompanied by discomfort. What was it about the Zayis that caused the Yonah to say this Teffilah, and what was the true meaning of its most unique Tefillah?

The path to understanding perhaps begins with a point that the Alshich makes at the beginning of Parshas Titzaveh. In the midst of lengthy explanation of the Pessukim regarding the Shemen Lameor, which itself is masterful but beyond the scope of our exploration, the Alshich explains something about the nature of olives. Most fruits that grow on trees are seasonal—there is a time of year when they are ripe and ready to be picked, and a time of year in which they are not edible or not even on the actual tree. Olives, however, are different—they are on the tree, moist and ready to be picked, at all times, summer or winter. This is a reality proven from various Pessukim and Divrei Chazal, and teaches us the essence of olives—consistency. Any time in which an olive is referenced, then, we can assume that there is a message about steadiness and the absence of limits.

When the Yonah found a Zayis, presumably the only object growing in the desolation that followed the Mabul, it understood the message of the Zayis: it may sometimes be somewhat bitter, but it is always available. The Yonah realized that only Hashem is truly limitless, and if it was to rely on Him for sustenance, it would never be without, even if sometimes there was a bitter pill to swallow. The Tefillah it uttered as it returned to the Teivah reflected this realization, and was likely passed on to Noach.

As Noach left the Tievah, he likely had a new understanding of the Yichud Hashem. Though he was originally “Miketanei Emunah”, his experiences would certainly have engendered a renewed relationship with the Ribono Shel Olam, one certainly based on an understanding that Hashem is the Kol Yachol and without limits. This realization could only have been bolstered by the appearance of an olive, with all its connotations. In fact the olive is a fitting symbol for the era following the Mabul which was one marked by the promise of consistency, as Hashem told Noach “Kayitz V’Choref, V’Yom V’Layla Lo Yishbosu”.

It was this contribution, the realization that Hashem is without limits and His sovereignty is without pause, that lit the world following the Mabul, and is recognized by the use of Shemen Zayis in the Hadlakas HaMenorah, as the Medrash tells us. The Menorah itself is a symbol of steadiness—it was lit each day and the Ner Ma’aravi remained aflame until the next day. Thus, the Shemen Zayis remained lit on a constant basis—a reality befitting of the olive’s very essence.

Perhaps it was this message that the Torah wished to convey by giving two Tzivuyim about this very Shemen Zayis.

When the original request for Shemen Zayis was given, it was the Nisiim, the leaders of the generation, that heeded the call. They brought the Shemen Lameor along with their other various gifts to the Mishkan, providing the initial supply that was needed. When that initial supply ran out, Bnei Yisroel may have been disheartened—perhaps they felt inadequate and not worthy of donating this most special oil. After all, the original donation had been made by men far greater than they.

The answer was: this is Shemen Zayis Zach, which signifies a lack of boundaries. Just as Hakadosh Baruch Hu is without the Gevulim of time or place, a connection with Him, personified by a reliance on His Hashgacha, is available to all who seek it. Rather than think ourselves unworthy, we should take the same lesson from the Zayis as the Yonah did: we can commit ourselves to an unconditional relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, seeking his Hashgacha even when it is less than sweet. We too are worthy of donating the Shemen Zayis, because we are not limited in our ability to connect to Hashem.

This also explains why the Shemen LaMeor used L’Doros was brought specifically from the Tzibbur and not individual donors. Each member of Klal Yisroel had to know that they too have a part in the consistency and steadiness signified by the Shemen Zayis Zach.

This idea certainly helps us understand the approach of the Ramban: two Tzivuyim were necessary because the message L’Doros, that we can all have a part in the unyielding Hashgachas Hashem represented by the Zayis, was so vital. But maybe this is related to the Pshat of Rashi as well: indeed, the earlier Tzivuy was needed so that there would be Shemen available when the Mishkan was built, but it was this second Tzivuy that was the Ikkar, as the message it sends is so important L’Doros.

We too are recipients of this message, even as we yearn for the day that the Shemen Lameor will be needed once again. We must know that each of us is worthy of a connection with the Borei Olam, and can access his unlimited Shefah—but we must do so in the manner of the Yonah, accepting His Hashgacha whether the fruit is slightly bitter or eminently sweet.