Shalom! The torah portion for this Shabbat, Tetzaveh, begins with the instruction to kindle the menorah, the seven-branched candelabra, in perpetuity. According to the plain sense of the text, this menorah was to be kept illuminated every night, from evening till morning. This commandment is the biblical origin of the Ner Tamid, the Eternal Lamp that is displayed in every synagogue that burns continuously.
The medieval commentator Rashi notes that one of the signs of the greatness of Aaron the High Priest is that he lit this lamp for forty years, and yet always approached his duty with the same enthusiasm he brought to the act the very first time. In other words, forty years after kindling the menorah for the first time, he still maintained the same sense of awe and joy when he lit the seven-branches of the candelabra. It is so easy to become caught up in the routine of our lives, the daily toil, the daily challenges, that sometimes we become deadened to the miracles implicit in our every moment-the miracle of our health, our children, our jobs, our myriad chances to help someone who needs us. May we be like Aaron, who brought to the most routine tasks the same joy and awe every time!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Doug Sagal