“Command the Yisraelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the illumination of the perpetual light.” - Exodus 27:2
Throughout
history and across cultures, the notion of Light is one of the most
universal and central symbols. Unlike darkness, which is associated with evil, suffering
and the unknown, Light, conveys goodness, hope and spirituality.
The concept
of Light runs like a golden thread in Judaism, its tradition and commandments
and captures an immense role and significance in our Jewish culture. It is
almost impossible to fathom Judaism without the notion of Light and
candles which are used for various functions such as holy days celebrations and
as commemoration and other special occasions.
G-d’s
directive regarding Ner Tamid, above, was given to Moshe as part of the
commandment to construct the Tabernacle, the portable earthly dwelling of G-d
which was used by Am Yisrael throughout their wanderings in the desert until
the conquest of Canaan. The instructions to assemble the Tabernacle such as its
measurements, listing the vessels and their roles, the garb of the priests or the
performance of the rituals, also include detailed guidelines surrounding the precepts
and affiliated role and purpose of Ner Tamid (Leviticus 6:5-6).
Upon the erection
of Solomon’s Temple, all rituals and religious duties, including those surrounding
Ner Tamid, were relocated and placed in it. After the destruction of the
Temple, the tradition of Ner Tamid was shifted to the synagogue where it
is placed in front of Aron haKodesh, Ark of the Holy, where the Torah
scrolls are kept.
The theme
of Light can be spotted in various places along our Tana”ch and symbolizes
different quality. For instance, the term is an important component of the constitutive
and well-known idiomatic phrases concerning our calling as a People. Our destiny
to be a “Light unto the Nations” is proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah (42:6).
The role that G-d has fated for us, as a “Nation of Priests,” according to
Isaiah, was to represent Him to the world by our meritorious lifestyle and by
becoming a beau ideal to humanity.
For King
Solomon, though, Light symbolizes the Spirit of Man as he suggests in Proverbs
20:27: “The human spirit is the lamp of G-d that sheds light on one’s inmost
being.” For others, such as Erica Brown, the light of the Ner Tamid is a
reminder of “the flame that burned but did not consume the burning bush where
Moses received his calling.” (“The perpetual flame: Thoughts on Parashat Tzav”.
The Torah Leadership, March 30, 2023).
The absence
of Light, on the other hand, is used as a form of punishment, in
our Jewish scriptures. In the Babylonian Talmud, Megillah tractate, for
instance, Rabbi Yosi (1st century) quotes one of the curses that Moshe warned
Am Yisrael against, lest they move away from their Covenant with G-d, “At
midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark” (Deuteronomy
28:29). In its literal meaning, this curse denotes that even at noon, when it
is expected to be light, darkness shall prevail.
Rabbi Yossi,
however, recounts the following story which helps us understand this verse differently
and in a more positive, uplifting and optimistic manner. As he was leaving the
prayer house, one evening, shares with us Rabbi Yosi, he met a blind man. The
blind man held a burning torch which spread a bright light.
Rather
surprised, Rabbi Yosi stopped and asked the man for the purpose of holding the
torch. After all, if the man is blind, then day and night should look the same
as far as his blindness was concerned.
The blind
man explained that so long as he was holding the burning torch, people could
see him and save him from getting hurt. The torch, asserted the blind and wise
man, was not to show him the way, but rather to ensure that others noticed him
and came to his rescue. For him the burning flame of the torch provided Faith
and Trust. It was a holy fire.
It is this
kind of “holy fires” that Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, ZT”L is referring to in his
column in The Times, “Somehow faith outlives every attempt to destroy it.
Its symbol is not the fierce fire that burned synagogues and sacred scrolls and
murdered lives. It is the fragile flame we, together with our children and
grandchildren, light in our homes, singing G-d’s story, sustained by our hope.”
(“The Flame of Faith that has Survived all Tyranny,” The Times, December
19, 2008).
May the
Perpetual Light of the Ner Tamid continue to shine over us all and point
us in the right direction where we can bind with our fellow men and women and,
together, continue to bask in the glory of Hope and Wisdom that it spreads for
the benefit of us all.
Happy Purim, dear Am Yisrael
