Haftarat Be-ha'alotecha: Light It Up!

Our Torah portion and our Haftarah focus on very different subjects. The weekly reading talks about the final items constructed in the Tabernacle, then offers stories

of the Israelites marching through the desert, and sprinkles in some sibling rivalry between Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. The Haftarah was composed under Persian rule, when the prophet Zechariah tried to convince the people to rebuild the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. He offered a vision of a glorious future, with the Israelite people resettled in their homeland. So what links these two texts together? Well, they both talk about a particular ritual object. The Torah describes its practical, ceremonial use, while the Haftarah employs it as a symbol of future, messianic salvation. Any guesses on which item they both discuss?? I'll give you a hint: It has seven arms and supports the oil industry...

We are indeed talking about the Menorah; the famous candelabra that has been a symbol of Judaism for A LOT longer than the Star of David. And though it's a well-known and oft-depicted part of the Temple rite, it's actually not so clear what it was FOR in the ancient sacrificial cult. I mean, if you think about it,

you need objects to hold or employ sacrifices, incense, pure water, and even blood... but what does the Menorah do? If the flame on the altar provided illumination, and most of the rituals took place outdoors, why did they need a fancy-shmancy candelabra??? When paired with our Haftarah, more information comes to light (pun intended...). An angel approaches Zechariah and shows him a seven-armed lampstand, which symbolizes God's Presence and God's future promises of redemption. Our Haftarah ends at chapter 4, verse 7, but just three verses later, the angel tells Zechariah: "these seven are the eyes of the LORD, that run to and fro through the whole earth." The Menorah represented God's vigilance; able to see all, uncover and illuminate that which was hidden, and shine a light on injustice to allow truth and righteousness to prevail. In the Temple, the Menorah was a symbol of God!

I've been thinking a lot about this concept recently. Not so much the Menorah itself, but the importance of emulating God, and bringing to light that which needs to be seen, confronted, and exposed. Most of us agree with this concept in theory...

but when things get real, uncomfortable, raw, and vulnerable, the darkness of ignorance starts to seem pretty appealing... Just in the last few weeks, and even days, we've seen examples of racism unearthed, and vile, despicable sentiments aired in public. We even have openly anti-Semitic candidates running for public office, brazenly touting their affiliations with white supremacist groups. One reaction we might be inclined to feel - and which I've heard expressed - is, "They used to at least be ashamed of these views; how horrible that they're now flaunting their racism so openly!" But here's where I want to push back, and where I want to elevate our Menorah-mindset. We need to bring all of this to light. We need to hear it vented, so we can face these incendiary opinions head-on.

Ask yourself this: Were we really better off when these views were silent? When it was murmured in backrooms, seethingly felt with indescribable vitriol... but hey, at least they smiled at us in public, right? No way. If the xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism is out there, we are better off understanding it, confronting it, and exposing it for the hatefulness that it is.

It must be highLIGHTed, because it WILL thrive in the darkness. Looking back, for a moment, at our two texts this week, perhaps the Menorah functions as both - the tool AND the symbol. We must wield openness, transparency, and honesty as implements in a battle against hate and ignorance. It can be our proactive vehicle, where we confront and call out racism whenever we see it. At the same time, our Menorah is a symbol. It reminds us to shed light and insight, and challenges us to be better, to DO better. The lampstand reminds us of God's Presence, and also the importance of our own presence. Like our ancestors, we sometimes fall short and commit offenses. We mess up. But when we can push ourselves to truly SEE wrongdoing, in us and in others, and bring all of it to light, then REAL, lasting change is genuinely possible.


Images in this blogpost:
1. CC image courtesy of Personal Creations on Flickr
2. CC image courtesy of Ariely on Wikimedia Commons
3. CC image courtesy of DSC-RX100M4 on pxhere
4. CC image courtesy of Marco Sanchez on Flickr