Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 10 Sivan, 5784
Parsha Be-Ha’alotekha – “When You Fire Up”: (Numbers 8:1 – 12:16)
First Portion: Numbers 8:1 – 8:14

Good morning. Fire up the engines! It is Father’s Day! We are now into the book of Numbers a little deeper!  We were lifted up – and now it’s time to light our fires!  The idea of this weeks Parsha is how we can fire each other up. When we struggle – we need one another to keep our fires burning. This is the balance – I need to be able to keep my fire burning on my own (Independence) and be able to have a community around me who can help me keep my flame lit for those times I struggle. It’s both/and – not either or.  The fire burning is a great opportunity to explore this.

Let’s dig in:

1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2Speak to Aaron and say to him: “When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the menorah.”

This is a bit confusing. The lamps ARE the menorah. How would you light the lamps in such a way they would cast light upon themselves?

The wicks. The menorah was the holder of light. It held oil. The wick is what burned and created light.

I am reflecting on this – the point of being light to others is to cast light back onto us. If we keep our lights within, hidden, or Menorah won’t shine. We must be light externally – to others – to remind them they are needed and wanted in this world. They are valid. They are worthy. They are royalty.

The only way we do this is by believing WE are royalty, we are needed and wanted in this world. We are worthy. By shining our light beyond ourselves, it brings light back within. This is a beautiful picture for us of our love!  Let’s keep going:

3Aaron did so; he lit the lamps toward the face of the menorah, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

4This was the form of the menorah: hammered work of gold, from its base to its flower it was hammered work; according to the form that the Lord had shown Moses, so did he construct the menorah.

This is interesting – the menorah was a hammered work of gold.

I am reflecting.  Are we “hammered works of gold?”  I am sensing this is true. Life is hammering us all the time – shaping us. We believe this hammering is because we are “broken” and need to be “fixed.” The truth is – we aren’t broken – we are being shaped. We are soft – like gold. We are strong – like gold. We are magnificent – like gold. We are. Abundance. Prosperity. Wealth.

And.

We forget sometimes.

5The Lord spoke to Moses saying:

6Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them.

7This is what you shall do to them so as to cleanse them: sprinkle them with cleansing water and pass a razor over all their flesh; then they shall wash their garments and cleanse themselves.

Ok. So this is interesting. What were the practices of shaving back in these times? I don’t think they had barbasol. Nor did they have five blades. I can’t imagine the process of shaving your entire body.  Dry shaving? This may not have been a most comfortable process.  The Levites were being prepared for something.  What?

8Then they shall take a young bull with its meal offering of fine flour mingled with oil. And you shall take a second young bull as a sin offering.

9You shall bring the Levites in front of the Tent of Meeting, and you shall gather the entire congregation of the children of Israel.

10You shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites.

The Levites were being prepared to be lifted up before the Lord.

11Then Aaron shall lift up the Levites as a waving before the Lord on behalf of the children of Israel, that they may serve in the Lord’s service.

12The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and make one as a sin offering and one as a burnt offering to the Lord, to atone for the Levites.

13You shall present the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and lift them as a waving before the Lord.

14Thus shall you set apart the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, and the Levites shall become Mine.

People. The Levites were designated as a sort of “pseudo” sacrifice. A wave offering.  That is fascinating.

The Levites were sent to be shining lights. Fires. To reflect BACK onto the Children of Israel – to remind us of our power and light. That isn’t always an easy process. And sometimes we are AFRAID of our power – and our flame BURNING others.

We need to trust our flame. That is the message of today’s portion!

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from the past two years;

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 15 Sivan, 5783

Greetings on our new week!  I had the pleasure of watching the Full Moon rise in Guilford, NY last night.  It is the strawberry moon.

This relates to this week’s Parsha. Be-Ha’alotekha. This literally means “when you fire up.”

Are we “fired up” to study Torah this week?  We just celebrated Shavuot the giving of the Torah.  We went into one of the LONGEST Parshas this past week – Parsha Naso.  Which means “lift.”  As the moon is lifted into the sky, it is fired up.  So should we!!!!

Let’s dig in.

First, I love this quote: “Firing up the lamps represents finding the switch or button within Every one of us – igniting the fiery love of God which lies dormant in the soul, to become a self-sufficient powerhouse of enthusiasm for Judaism.”

Are we inspired? Are feeling dormant? Where are we really?

Two questions:

Where am I? Am I honestly feeling inspired? Am I struggling?

Who is surrounding me? Do I have lots of people around me who are inspired? Or am I stuck with people who are dormant?

These are the questions I think most relevant to our journeys.  Because if we are fired up, we need to maintain that fire.  If we are not, we have to decide what to do with that.  We have sovereignty.  We have choices.

I know for me, when I struggle, meeting with those and spending time with those who I know are fired up helps me get back on track.

What about you?

And. I reflect on the idea of the “assignments” Hashem has given us.  Our purpose. Our callings. I realize how much we can get focused on the amount of “energy” it takes to complete them.  Instead of the privilege it is to be given those assignments. To be given that trust.

What are your thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 13 Sivan, 5782

Good morning! Today we start a new Parsha; Be-Ha’alotekha. This literally means “when you fire up.”

The Chumash I’m reading has this quote; “Firing up the lamps represents finding the switch or button within Every one of us – igniting the fiery love of God which lies dormant in the soul, to become a self-sufficient powerhouse of enthusiasm for Judaism.”

Let’s dig in!

The portion starts out with God speaking to Moses and telling him to speak to Aaron – “When you fire up the lamps of the candelabrum, the wicks should be angled so that the seven lamps cast their light towards the center lamp of the candelabrum.”

Hopefully the Torah – reading it and engaging with it has fired us all up to get closer to Hashem.

However, Rabbi Schneerson nails this part with the following:

“Man’s soul is a lamp of God” (Proverbs 20:27)- the soul is a part of and is connected with God. But in order to enjoy its great benefits, the correct “switch” must be found, or the proper “button” pushed.

This message is conveyed by the opening of the Torah portion, where God instructs Aaron to “Fire up the lamps.” Firing up the lamps represents finding the “switch” or “button” within every one of us, igniting the fiery love of God which lies dormant in the soul. And Aaron the priest represents the spiritual leaders of every generation who are empowered by God with special talents to find the “switch” in each person to help that person become connected with his or her own internal spiritual powerhouse.

While it was the High Priest who would traditionally light the candelabrum, the act would nevertheless be valid if done by a non-priest (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 24b). From this we learn that the task of igniting the “lamp” within others cannot be left to the leaders alone. Every person (even a “non-priest”) has a responsibility to try to find the “switch” in the soul of his or her fellow. We can never know what will make the connection-perhaps just one word will open up the well or inner fountain of the soul.

How long must we continue to “ignite” another’s soul, once the person appears already to be inspired?

This we can also learn from Aaron’s kindling of the lamps, which had to be “until the flame rises by itself” (Rashi to v. 2). In other words, we should continue to be an inspiration until each individual becomes a self-sufficient “powerhouse” of enthusiasm for himself.

How are we becoming an engine of enthusiasm for ourselves?

Aaron does what he is told. We see how the candelabrum was constructed again. It is one piece of metal- and that seems to be important. Being unified within, with our wicks all turned toward the center, which is where our Neshama lives, is crucial for our engine to drive.

God then tells Moses to focus on the Levites. Help them see gratitude for their part in the puzzle.

As Rabbi Schneerson points out earlier – we are all called to be priests and inspire one another. It might be draining at some points, but immediately we get encouragement! “persuade the Levites by telling them how fortunate they are to have been chosen as God’s attendants from among all the children of Israel.”

When God gives us an assignment – even if it’s challenging, we should be grateful to have been chosen for this assignment.

God then tells Moses the process for which the Levites will be purified and set apart. They are special.

When we are called to be a light for others, it’s a thing of beauty and specialness. It isn’t something to feel is a drain- though that might be reality. It can be a heavy burden; but it is also an extreme privilege!

What are your thoughts? Are you struggling with the assignments you’ve been given to light the fires of those around you? Are you struggling to keep your own fire burning? We cannot light the fires of others if our own fire is being smothered.

What do you need?

If you want to connect privately – feel free to DM me!