Behaalotecha: Awakening the Divine Spark
Our Torah portion, Behaalotecha, takes its name from the commandment to light the Menorah. The candles of the Menorah symbolize the souls of Israel. The priest who performed the lighting of the candles in the Temple fulfilled a commandment specifically incumbent upon him, but the deeper spiritual meaning of the commandment is to awaken and ignite the potential inherent in all souls so that they can fulfill their inner mission.
King Solomon's in the Book of Proverbs states: "The candle of G-d is the soul of man." Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chassidism, delves into this metaphor. He finds that the physical Menorah, with its seven branches, represents the human soul. The flame of the Menorah's lights rises upwards, yearning to merge back into its source. Yet, immediately after this upward movement, the flame's natural inclination is also downwards, to continue bringing holiness into the world through fulfilling G-d's commandments.
This trait of the flame perfectly reflects the human soul: it yearns for spiritual transcendence and self-nullifying unity with its Creator, yet simultaneously it's driven by a desire to exist as a separate entity and live a physical life in the physical world. This inherent tension between spiritual yearning and earthly engagement exist in each "G-d's candle," the human soul.
While the commandment to light the Menorah is specifically for the Jewish people, it is spiritually meaningful for Noahides as well. Just as the Temple Menorah had seven branches, there are Seven Noahide Commandments. The number seven represents the flow of holiness and the revelation of G-d's will into the world. The parallel between the Seven Noahide Commandments and the Menorah's seven branches, whose purpose was to spiritually awaken souls, is deeply significant.
The fulfillment of the Seven Noahide Commandments depends on a spiritual awakening among all nations. Indeed, there is a significant resurgence in the observance of these Seven Commandments worldwide. Anyone who is engaged in spreading awareness of the Seven Noahide Laws is, in essence, awakening souls. This spiritual awakening among Noahides is a positive sign of the imminent arrival of the true and complete Redemption.
Sources: Rabbi Yonatan Steif, Mitzvot HaShem, page 462. Numbers 8:2. Proverbs 20:27.
Rabbi Moshe Bernstein is the author of the books:
Light Onto the Torah Portions
Insights on the Torah portions for Noahides.
Stories of Faith for Noahides: Inspiring Stories for Noahides from the Righteous of all Generations