Parshas Tetzaveh


This is in the merit of my grandmother, Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.

Question:

"You, [Moses], must command the Israelites to bring you clear illuminating oil, made from hand crushed olives, to bring up the candle continuously" (Exodus 27:20).

Compare with Leviticus 24:2. Why are these two verses placed where they are placed?


A Thinking Judaism

A common complain leveled at religious practitioners is that we are brainwashed. (Much to my dismay, speakers at the convention of the "tolerant" Orthodox group Edah has advanced this polemic against fellow Torah observant Jews!!! See http://www.campusj.com/index.php?section=news&album_id=21&year=2005&month=02 and scroll down to Mon Feb 21, 2005. While refuting their views is a simple matter, it is entirely beyond the scope of this devar Torah.)
It follows that we are all unable to think logically and blindly accept what our leaders tell us.

It is my goal to prove these claims incorrect with respect to Judaism.

In this week's Torah portion it states regarding the kindling of the Menorah, "You, [Moses], must command the Israelites to bring you clear illuminating oil, made from hand crushed olives, to bring up [la'alot] the candle continuously" (Exodus 27:20).

What is this language of la'alot [raise up]? The proper word would be li'madlik [to kindle].

Rashi, bothered by this question, comments that the one kindling the fire must light the Menorah until the flame goes up on its own.

Probably based statements such as "Torah is light" (Proverbs 6:23) and "My words are like fire" (Jeremiah 23:29), our great teacher, Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, metaphorically interprets the verse in our parsha to refer to the goal of Jewish education. He writes "The task of a Torah teacher is to make himself superfluous! Not to keep the 'laity' in lasting dependence on the teachers or priests."

Rav Hirsch gives a similar interpretation to the Men of the Great Assembly's statement "stand up many students" (Avos 1:1). The Mishnah should have stated teach many students. What is the exact meaning of "stand up many students"? Rav Hirsch in his commentary on Avos (found in his siddur) says that teachers must instruct students to be able to stand on their own.

Judaism's loath for brainwashing is also displayed in the quotation from Rav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg ztz"l, late Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel, found in the introduction to my Mashgiach, Rav Dov Moshe Lipman's book Discover (soon being released under Felheim Publishing). Rav Yaakov Weinberg tells some students to flee from any brainwashing, to run as far away as they can! (See it yourself. I can't do justice.)

I believe we have sufficiently refuted this ignorant claim that we are brainwashed. However, it automatically raises another question.

It says in Pirkei Avos that students should "dirty themselves in the dust of their teachers' feet and drink thirstly in their words" (Avos 1:4). This seems like brainwashing to me! Does this not contract that which we just said?

I believe the answer is rather simple. In so far as our souls are G-d's candles (a paraphrase of Proverbs 20:27), we can say our teachers souls burn brightly with the fire of Torah. This is not the case with us but we want it to be. Thus, we get close to our teachers so they can fan the fire in our souls until it shines forth pristine light.

In conclusion:
1. Judaism utterly despises brainwashing.
2. Students must learn as much as possible from their teachers.


Have a good Shabbas,
Mordechai

P.S.
Also, we see that Edah is not nearly as tolerant as it claims to be.