In this week's parsha, Parshas Beha'aloscha, we learn two very simple, but very important ideas in Judaism.
(א) בהעלתך. לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָרָשַׁת הַמְּנוֹרָה לְפָרָשַׁת הַנְּשִׂיאִים? לְפִי שֶׁכְּשָׁרָאָה אַהֲרֹן חֲנֻכַּת הַנְּשִׂיאִים חָלְשָׁה אָז דַּעְתּוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה עִמָּהֶם בַּחֲנֻכָּה לֹא הוּא וְלֹא שִׁבְטוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁלְּךָ גְדוֹלָה מִשֶּׁלָּהֶם, שֶׁאַתָּה מַדְלִיק וּמֵטִיב אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת (עי' תנחומא):
(1) בהעלתך WHEN THOU LIGHTEST [THE LAMPS]
Personally, I find it very interesting to see why different topics are placed next to each other, asking מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני? and understanding the connection between two parshiyos. Rashi tells us that the reason this command is placed next to the parsha of the Nesi'im is because Aharon felt badly after watching the days of processions and korbanos from all of the shevatim and their nesi'im, when he and his shevet, Shevet Levi, were not involved in it. In order to appease him, HaShem tells Aharon not to worry because he and his shevet are destined for something much greater- they will get to light the menorah.
The first lesson I'd like to point out is in this Rashi, which I'd like to read a bit differently than how it first appears. Instead of reading שֶׁלְּךָ גְדוֹלָה מִשֶּׁלָּהֶם as "Your job is greater than theirs," I'd like to read it as "For you, your job is greater than theirs." For Aharon, it was important that he lit the menorah, while for the Nesi'im, they had to bring korbanos and gifts.
Each of us have an individualized path ultimately leading towards the same goal. If I were to make myself clearer by way of a mashal, imagine a group of seniors in high school. In many schools, the seniors are given a choice of electives they can take instead of having a pre-mandated schedule. There might be eight, ten, twelve different class choices, and everyone can take the classes in whichever way it fits into their specific schedule. No two seniors will have the same schedule- yet all of them will graduate, no matter which electives they took. Furthermore, a senior might want to take the same classes and have the same schedule as her friend, but sometimes it just isn't feasible.
In Judaism, all of our "schedules" are different, designed to lead us to accomplish our specific purpose in life. What works for one person may not work for another, and what is good for our friend might not be good for us. As the Baal Shem Tov aptly puts it- "Everybody is unique. Compare not yourself to anyone else, lest you spoil God's curriculum."
(ב) אל מול פני המנורה שהוא הקנה האמצעי וזה כשתפנה שלהבת כל אחד מהששה נרות אל הקנה האמצעי אז: (ג) יאירו שבעת הנרות כל השבעה יאירו וישפיעו אור עליון לישראל שיורו היות אור הימנים ואור השמאלים מכוון ופונה אל אור הקנה האמצעי שהוא עיקר המנורה ושכן ראוי שכונת המימינים העוסקים בחיי עולם והמשמאלים העוסקים בחיי שעה העוזרים למימינים, כאמרם אלמלי עלייא לא מתקיימי אתכליא (חולין צב, א) תהיה להפיק רצון האל יתברך באופן שיושג מכוונו בין כולם וירוממו את שמו יחדו כמו שקבלו עליהם כאשר העיד באמרו ויענו כל העם יחדו ויאמרו כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה כלומר בין כולנו נשלים כונתו:
In a nutshell, the Sforno says that the wicks in the flames on each side of the menorah were pointing towards the center. Only once the flames on the right side of the menorah and the flames on the left side of the menorah were pointing towards the center was the spiritual light of the menorah able to glow.
The idea behind this is that in order to access the immense spiritual potential of the Jewish people, we need both our right side- the people involved in klei kodesh, working in the spiritual world- and the people on our left side- those involved in the physical world- to be leaning towards each other, to be leaning towards the center- HaShem.
Sforno brings a quote from the Gemara in Chullin 92a. There, Raish Lakish says that the word "vine" refers to the Jewish people, and each part of the grapevine can be compared to different groups of people in the nation that all need to work together to give forth fruit. When the Gemara says, "אלמלי עלייא לא מתקיימי אתכליא" it is calling for the grapes, i.e. the right side of the menorah, i.e. the Talmidei Chachamim, to daven for the leaves, i.e. the left side of the menorah, i.e. the regular people, because without both sides, the grapes cannot thrive.
The concept of the fusion of the spiritual and the physical is not a new idea. Since we're young, we learn that we say brachos to elevate eating, say Asher Yatzar to elevate going to the bathroom. However, this is such an important idea that it bears repeating, especially when we can see it with sources like above. One of the goals of this world is to fuse the physical with the spiritual, to elevate the mundane and understand the inherent kedusha everything and everyone has just because they're part of HaShem's world. Our gedolim explain it best- as Rav Yitzchak Meir Alter, the Chiddushei HaRim, says- “The Heavens are God’s and the Earth he gave to man (Psalms 115:16)- He gave the earth to man so that man should make it heavenly.”
The learning from this sheet should be l'ilui nishmas Moshe ben Menachem.