Weekly Parashah
Tetzaveh 5781
“And you shall command the people of Israel and take from them olive oil, gently beaten for the light, for the lamp to burn always.”(Exodus 27:20).
These words that open up this week’s Parashah continue to inspire me and fill me with awe and trembling. I am struck by the word Command. It comes from the latin, to commit. I love this way of understanding this verse. God is telling Moses to have the people commit to, in this case, making the oil to light the Ner Tamid, the eternal light.
While the usual understanding is some declaration that has to be fulfilled, committing is an action that is done willingly. God is telling that we have to make and keep commitments so we cannot only see the light, we have to participate in the creating of the light as well. The commitment we are offered to make in this verse is the commitment to be part of the solution, not just bemoan the darkness. We get to have the power to make our situations better through lighting the Eternal Light.
How much the more so is this true in our personal lives. The Eternal Light, I believe, is the outer example of our soul’s light. We get to make a commitment to growing our inner lives and our internal light each and every day so it burns eternally. I know this to be true from my own experience. My ancestors are dead and yet their light burns so brightly for me and in me. I never have to be in doubt as to what my ancestors would advise me to do in any and every situation because their light shines and calls to me always, whether I seek it out and follow it or not-it is here. In fact, there are countless times that I have been stuck and here the call and see the light of my ancestors showing me the solution. I just have to commit to constantly opening up my eyes and my soul to their light.
Committing to make this light also means committing to follow the instructions as to how to use the resources we have. In the verse above, we have to gently beat the olives so the oil is pure, not full of pulp. There are so many times in my life where I have taken a sledge hammer to something that needed a soft touch. I am not always known for my soft touch. This is true in my golf game as well as my dealings with self and another(s). While there are times to be harsh with self and others, there are also many times to have a soft touch.
In my spiritual counseling, I experience how often people are trying to take a sledge hammer to their problems and their vision of themselves is foggy and full of pulp. We are unable to see clearly when we are committed to beat ourselves up as opposed to gently beating the negative emotions and impulses out of us. We can’t reach the clarity and light by being dark and living in the either/or. We have to live in the both/and, seeing our negativity and responding to it with gently beating the energy to serve our situation instead of making the situation worse.
As parents, leaders, employers, supervisors, etc. we need to seek commitments from others. We need to train them to listen with their whole selves and in order to do this, they have to know we are committed to them. My writings on The Prophets, have brought home to me God’s commitment to us, even when we screw up. This helps me stay committed to me, even when I miss the mark. It helps me stay committed to another(s) when they screw up. God’s commitment is God’s desire for our return to God and God’s principles. Our commitment to and for ourselves and another(s) needs to be our desire for the return to God’s principles. With this commitment, we will always be lighting the Eternal Light of T’Shuvah, return and new responses for all people, including ourselves. What are the commitments you are willing to make and keep so your Eternal Light and the Eternal Light of God stays lit and bright this year? Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Mark