A message of reflection from Rabbi Reni Dickman
This week’s Torah portion begins with a description of the seven branched menorah that was to stand in the mishkan, the traveling tabernacle that accompanied the Israelites on their desert journey. The Torah describes how: “…it was hammered work of gold, hammered from base to petal. According to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses…” (Numbers 8:4). In other words, it took a lot of work to create something that would illuminate the mishkan, which is often understood as a microcosm of the entire world.
Creating instruments of light in a darkened world is a long and detailed process, and it is that much harder when we do not have clear instructions. Let us affirm that each of us is an instrument of light in process, hammering out our next steps, trying to uncover how we might shed light on this world one small step at a time.
Rabbi Reni Dickman is Executive Vice President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and Senior Jewish Educator at JUF. |