Most Popular Essays Essays

• Почему Вс-вышний выбрал Моше Рабейну а не Кораха?

  Dec 26, 2019 Admin 0 Comments

  Слышал однажды от одного человека который сказал: что Вс-вышний поступил с Корахом очень сурово, ведь он всего лишь хотел хорошего для народа, и тоже хотел места под солнцем - ...может быть. Но нам надо понять что двигало Корахом, какие у него были амбиции и идеалы, поняв это мы можем трезво и осознанно посмотреть на ситуацию ещё раз. 
  
  Не секрет что Корах хотел позицию Моше Рабейну и всё остальное что он говорил и делал было просто пыль в глаза. Как говорится - он говорил и делал до тех пор пока не вмешался Вс-вышний. Но почему Вс-вышний выбрал именно Моше а не Кораха, ведь у Кораха были тоже благие намерения и он тоже хотел делать добро народу. Давайте копнём поглубже чтоб по настоящему понять в чём дело.
  
  В чём заключалась ошибка Кораха? Что такое лидер? Почему Моше Рабейну был выбран лидером самим Вс-вышним чтоб вывести народ из Египта? И почему в конце Моше Рабейну всё же умирает в пустыне и не попадает в Израиль? Это очень серьёзные вопросы, и пока мы не разберём что такого увидел в Моше Вс-вышний, мы не сможем понять - почему Вс-вышний выбрал именно Моше а не Кораха для этой миссии?
  
  В Главе Хукат, Г-сподь говорит Моше Рабейну чтоб он взял посох и пошёл поговорил с камнем и чтобы камень дал воду для народа. Сразу возникает вопрос, если он всего лишь должен поговорить с камнем, зачем нужно взять с собой посох. Но это ещё не всё. Когда Моше Рабейну поговорил с камнем, как вы уже знаете - камень воды не дал, и тогда люди из толпы начали шушукаться что Моше Рабейну не говорит со Вс-вышним, и может быть сам всё это и выдумывает. И тогда дав волю своим чувствам Моше Рабейну бьёт камень посохом два раза и сказано: и хлынула вода из камня рекой и попил народ, Бамидбар 20:11. Вроде чудо, вода из камня но не тут то было, приходит Вс-вышний и говорит что Моше и Аарон потеряли возможность попасть в Израиль и останутся лежать здесь в пустыне. Такого поворота событий никто не ожидал.
  
  Позже Тора рассказывает нам об инциденте который произошёл между Моше и Корахом. Корах хотел стать лидером народа и не хотел просто идти следом за Моше Рабейну. Но как всегда это бывает не все кто хотят стать лидером или уже за рулём, по настоящему понимают насколько ответственна и серьёзна их работа и как велик с них спрос - вот так не понимая и не осознавая всего этого Корах рвался заменить Моше Рабейну.
  
  Чтоб ответить на выше поставленные вопросы, нам надо понять каких принципов Моше и Корах придерживались. Ведь прежде чем мы готовы отдать за кого-то голос, мы должны знать как этот кандидат намеревается править.
  
  Мудрецы говорят что в Торе, да и в жизни существуют две структуры правления, заметьте я не говорю о строе государства, например как коммунистический строй. 
  
  Одна из структур - эта структура Пирамиды. Как выглядит пирамида? Это огромное каменное сооружение которое широко внизу, и сужаясь многоступенчато идёт далеко вверх, заканчиваясь одним кирпичиком наверху. Корах думал что как лидер, он будет сидеть там на вышке, а под ним будет его семья, ниже рангом его близкое окружение, а потом дальше и дальше люди выполняющие разные функции в обществе, и там где-то далеко внизу остальная часть народа, про которых он вряд ли будет знать. Наверняка вы знаете все те страны где практикуется пирамидная структура правления - где хорошо живётся президенту и его узкому кругу, а там внизу где-то далеко страдает народ, чьи страдания и проблемы в верхах не известны. Также вы слышали про все финансовые пирамиды - как много делают денег люди в верхах но все те кто присоединяются к ней позже теряют свои сбережения и в конце концов все пирамиды рушатся, потому что эта система правления не работает. Поднимая людей на восстание, изменяя правду и придумывая байки, Корах и все ему подобные показывают что им безразличны судьбы тех людей которые пошли за ними. Что и случилось, Корах и все те люди которые присоединились к нему с семьями провалились под землю в ад.
  
  Но есть другая структура. Став лидером, Моше Рабейну показал что править народом не совсем уж лёгкое и простое дело. Придя в Египет он прошёл много трудностей с фараоном, уже в пустыне когда народ сделал золотого тельца, Моше Рабейну упрашивал Вс-вышнего чтоб Он простил им этот грех, когда народ роптал про неудобства в пустыне, Моше Рабейну опять ходатайствовал за народ, он слышал от них много недовольства, но не смотря на всё это - он всегда был готов  пожертвовать собой ради народа. И всё потому что Моше Рабейну придерживался иной идеи правления народом - структурой Меноры.
  
  Как выглядит Менора? Во первых, она сделана из одного, цельного куска золота - чтоб показать что народ Израиля является одним целым. Во вторых, она стоит на одной ноге и от неё отходит шесть ветвей, три вправо и три влево и одна в центре. Центром Меноры являлся сам Моше Рабейну, а ветви Меноры - это раскрытые руки лидера отведённые в стороны - это и является всё общество Израиля, все колена и каждый человек в отдельности. Моше Рабейну нёс весь народ на своих плечах - все ссоры и житейские проблемы народа были на нём и были его проблемой - все сорок лет пока он не передал правление.
  
  И что же думал Моше Рабейну стоя у камня с посохом в руках, тот самый посох который Вс-вышний ему сказал чтоб он захватил с собой? 
  
  Он смотрел на этих людей которых он вёл много лет по пустыне, и вот что он понял. То поколение которое получило наказание быть погребёнными в пустыне после случая с разведчиками, уже давно было не с ним, и все люди которые его окружали были детьми тех людей. И Моше Рабейну впервые почувствовал себя чужим среди своего народа, потому что всех тех кого он вывел давно уже лежат в земле, в пустыне. 
  
  И вот он стоит у камня, и все эти мысли пробегают у него в голове. Зная и понимая ход его мыслей, Вс-вышний говорит ему возьми посох и поговори с камнем. Народ для Моше Рабейну был всё - несмотря на все проблемы которые они ему причинили за все эти годы, Моше Рабейну бьёт камень, этим давая знать всем тем кто остался в пустыне, что он не уходит от них а как истинный лидер, остаётся вместе с ними за пределами Израиля. Мидраш говорит, что когда придёт Мошиях, Моше Рабейну сделает то что он уже начал - приведёт народ пустыни и всех тех кто лежит вне Израиля в Землю Обетованную.

  Идти вперёд через трудности несмотря ни на что, жертвовать всем даже жизнью ради народа - это и отличало Моше Рабейну от Кораха.

  А вот нам стоит над чем задуматься - какая у Нас структура правления - в семье, в общине и в нашем обществе?
  
  Шмуэль Катанов
  
  
  

  Read more

• Why did Yaakov Avinu switched hands while blessing Joseph's sons?

  Jan 15, 2018 Admin 0 Comments

  Every Friday night, we bless our children with the blessings of Menashe and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph. We want our children to be, act, and be blessed like those two boys. But while blessing, Yakov Avinu switched his hands, placing his right hand on Ephraim, the second son, and his left hand on Menashe, the firstborn. The right way should always be the right hand on the firstborn and the left on the second son.
  
  It pained Joseph to see this. So Joseph pointed it out to Yakov Avinu, saying, "This is his oldest son," pointing at Menashe. But Yakov Avinu said: From him will come a great nation, but from the other a greater nation will come, but... There was something that made Yakov Avinu give importance to the second son. What was it?
  
  Let's look into this closely.
  
  When Yakov Avinu saw these two boys, he was happy to see the achdut—friendship and brotherly love—that they had, even though they were raised amongst the gentiles in Mitzraim—far from the influence of Jacob's household. He saw something that earlier generations lacked. Kain and Hevel had problems between themselves, where Kain ended up killing his brother. So with Yishmael and Yitzchak, Hashem intervenes and asks Avraham to listen to Sarah, and he drives Yishmael out of his home. In the case of Yakov and Eisav, they had problems as well; Yakov had to run from home because he was afraid for his own life. Even amongst his own children, there was animosity towards Joseph. And now by placing his right hand on Ephraim, it is like ‘Déjà vu’ all over again. When Yakov gave a ketonet passim —a striped coat —to Joseph and singled him out from all his children, the result was 22 years of separation from his son Joseph. And now, by putting his right hand on Ephraim, he is introducing exactly the same thing into the relationship of these two young boys.
  
  But Yakov Avinu saw it differently. The love that he saw they had towards each other was more than any others had before. And by placing his right hand on the second son, he knew that his oldest brother would not be jealous of his younger brother and would only be happy for him.
  
  But there may be another reason.
  
  Gideon (see Judges) will come from the tribe of Menashe, and Yehoshua bin Noun will come from the tribe of Ephraim. Both are great men, but Yakov Avinu saw that the tests they would face in life would be at different levels for each.
  
  The tests in life are what separate us, and our reactions to them will determine whether we make the right or wrong choices. While going through a test and under pressure, we may hurt others and burn the bridges or build castles and discover powers within to overcome whatever is thrown our way.
  
  When the tribes approached Moshe Rabbenu to send spies to Eretz Yisrael, Yehoshua bin Noun was among the candidates chosen to spy out the land. Knowing the intentions of the others, Moshe Rabbeinu was afraid that this would influence Yehoshua bin Noun and that he might take the wrong side and commit a grave sin of slandering the land. So Moshe prayed for Yehoshua so he would not make that mistake, and he even changed his name to increase the odds.
  
  When Yakov Avinu was giving the blessing to Joseph's sons and saw the consequences of that slander, he felt that Yehoshua needed a blessing from his right hand —an extra push in the right direction, a zechut, or merit from Yakov Avinu himself through Ephraim.
  
  The death of that whole generation, wars, pogroms, and destruction of both Temples and all of the suffering that Am Yisrael has endured to date came because of that day, the slander, a false report that spies gave to the nation when they came back, and the nation’s reaction to it.
  
  Thus, by blessing Ephraim with the right hand, Yakov Avinu helped Yehoshua bin Noun to pass the test of the spies with flying colors. Yehoshua bin Noun returned, brought the right report, became the leader after the passing of Moshe Rabeinu, and took the Am Yisrael to the land of Israel.
  
  May the blessings of our fathers and our rabbis give us the right push in the right direction when the time comes, so we all shall build and not destroy, make the right choices, and pass our personal tests with flying colors, amen!!
  
  Shabbat Shalom,
  Shmuel Katanov

  Read more

• The Symbol of Loyalty

  Jun 5, 2023 Admin 0 Comments

  In Parashat Nasso 5:11-31, Hashem tells about a woman who is suspected of adultery by her husband. I assume you know the details... So the husband takes her to the Bet Hamikdash to see a Cohen for the test. A Cohen gives her a drink of bitter waters; if she is guilty, she dies there, but if she is not, she is blessed with a child.
  
  We have another incident of the bitter waters in a different parsha. In Parashat Beshalach 15:23-25, right after the Am Yisrael goes through the Yam Suf, the nation becomes thirsty, but couldn't drink the waters of the Marah, since they were bitter. So they asked Moshe, who, in turn, asked Hashem. And Hashem showed him a piece of wood, which he threw into the water, and it became sweet. And.. the nation drank. 
  
  There's something about this piece of wood. So, let's look at it closely.
  
  Have you ever wondered why Aron HaKodesh or the Holy Ark looks this way? - click here
  
  In Parashat Terumah, we are told about the details of the Holy Ark. A wooden box covered with gold from the inside out. On the box cover, there are two golden figures of angels—Keruvim—facing each other, their wings spread forward. Inside the box are two sets of Luchot - the 10 Commandments. And on the side of the box, two golden loops on each side, through which wooden poles covered with gold were inserted. The ends of each pole are wider than the openings of the loops, so the poles cannot be inserted through the loops. The Zohar says a miracle occurs, and the poles pass through the loops miraculously. 
  
  It is a very holy and mystical structure, where every part of it represents something.
  
  The tablets containing the 10 Commandments inside the box represent a Ketuba, a marriage contract. When a man and a woman get married, they receive a Ketuba; the 10 Commandments are a Ketuba between the nation of Israel and Hashem, since on Shavuot, when we receive the Torah, Hashem marries the nation of Israel. 
  
  Each wedding ceremony or chupa has 2 witnesses, and the two Keruvim—the golden angels atop the Holy Ark — also serve as witnesses. Every time Cohen HaGadol enters Kadosh Kedoshim on Yom Kippur, based on certain signs of the Keruvim, he determines whether Hashem is happy with the way the nation is leading its way of life.

  The wooden poles on the sides of the Holy Ark are covered in gold, symbolizing man and woman, or, to be exact, a husband and wife. Why are the poles covered in gold, you ask? Simple... What is Tzeniut or Modesty? When a couple follows the laws of modesty in front of Hashem, they are covered in gold. But, by uncovering themselves or dressing immodestly, they are displaying their wooden-like bodies, since wood and the human body are physical products of Earth, which makes them appear lowly in G-d's eyes.
  
  So, there you have it - two wooden poles, covered in gold, miraculously inserted into the rings, as the Zohar says. The Torah adds: And the poles shall never be removed... But suppose the wife removes her golden wrapping, abandons her position on the Holy Ark, and is suspected of having relations with someone other than her husband. In that case, the Torah requires her to undergo a test with bitter water. If she is guilty, she dies; if she is not guilty, she is blessed with a child, and Hashem wraps her back in gold and restores her to her former position.

  
  And this makes the Holy Ark a symbol of Loyalty between Husband and Wife or between the Nation of Israel and Hashem. 
  
  The Midrash says that Leviyim carried the Holy Ark by holding the poles on either side. Further, it adds that it is not the Leviyim who carried the Ark, but it is the Holy Ark that carried the Leviyim in the desert. 
  
  So it is, with the husband and the wife. When the couple gets married or later in life, they dedicate their lives, their whole existence, to Kabbalat Ol Malkhut Shamayim – Accepting the Kingship of Heaven, by following G-d's laws and leading a family based on Torah values. And just as the Ark that carries the Leviyim, in the same way, it is not the couple that carries the burden of the Kingship of Heaven, but the Kingship of Heaven carries the couple through their journey of life, by overflowing them with holiness, abundance, and constant miracles. 
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  (The Bitter Waters of the Sotah)

  Read more

• Why Do Good People Suffer?

  Aug 26, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  There plenty of clues in the Torah, and in this essay, we'll examine one of them. 
  
  In Parashat Ekev - וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃ - And if you obey these rules and observe them, your G-d will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers. 
  
  The most interesting word here is Ekev, and besides the normal translation as a heel, there's an awesome secret hidden in it that I would like to discuss. So, with your permission, let's delve into it!
  
  וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן - Vehaya Ekev Tishmeoun - When you will listen - there's lots of great promises made by Hashem. To unlock this sentence, we need to refer to another place. 
  
  In Parashat Toldot, we are told the story of Yitzchak and Rivkah. The Midrash tells us that when Rivkah Imeinu was pregnant and passed by the synagogue, the child would be active, and if she passed by the place where the idol was worshipped, the child would be active again, as if it wanted to come out. She was worried—why her child would be so puzzled—drawn after holy and unholy. So, she went to inquire. 
  
  וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה׳ לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י (גיים) [גוֹיִם֙] בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃ 
  and Hashem answered her,
  “Two nations are in your womb,
  Two separate peoples shall issue from your body;
  One people shall be mightier than the other,
  And the older shall serve the younger.” 
  
  And so it was. When her time to give birth came, there were twins in her womb. 
  
  וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו׃ - The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau. 
  וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב׃ - Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob... 
  
  Here, we learn that Hashem referred to Yaakov as the one holding onto Eisav's heel. 
  
  So, another way to read this pasuk we have started with would be not Vehaya Ekev Tishmeoun - When You Will Listen, but maybe should be read as Vehaya Yaakov Tishmeoun - "When Yaakov Will Listen to these rules and observe them carefully..."
  
  So, let's look at this scenario from this angle for a second. 
  
  Remember in Parashat Vayishlach 32:25-29, Yaakov Avinu went to get some jugs and was alone, and suddenly an angel jumped on him, and they fought. It was a long fight until the break of dawn. When the angel saw that he had not prevailed against him, he asked to be let go. Then the angel said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But Yaakov answered, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." Said the angel, "What is your name?" He replied, "Yaakov."
  
  וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃ - Said the angel, "Your name shall no longer be Yaakov, but Yisrael, for you have fought with beings divine and human, and have won." 
  
  Yisrael means Yashar El - straight to Hashem; all the prayers go straight to Hashem, no longer with a delay or through an intermediary, as the one who is attached or very close to G-d. Before the fight with an Angel, Yaakov Avinu was just a prophet and a righteous married man, with four wives and 13 children. But after he won the battle with an angel and passed the hardships with people, at that moment he had become a giant - a father of the tribes, and a forefather of the nation.
  
  How can this be applied to our everyday lives?
  
  When the child is born, that child stands at the level of Ekev or the Heel until the age of Bar Mitzvah. But once he has reached his 13th birthday and girls the age of 12 the child enters the level of Yaakov. At this stage the neshama or soul changes, since now it has Yetzer Hara and Yetzer HaTov or Good and Bad Inclinations or Good or Bad Angels inside, and until the age of 120, there's a constant battle that goes on inside the person - whether one should do good or evil. And since this inclination or Yetzer is part of his Divine Soul, this person, like Yaakov Avinu, battles with his exclusive and internal Divine Angels. Hashem puts him through many tests and situations until he passes his tests, subdues his Yetzer Hara to total control, chooses to do good and not evil, atones for past misdeeds, and continues so for the rest of his life. This is when this person graduates from the level of Yaakov to the level of Yisrael and becomes even more closer to Hashem. 
  
  Did you hear of Olam Habah or The Future World, the one that will start some time after Mashiach comes, which will be one long and the most enjoyable time ever?! Any ideas on how to get the entry ticket to it? There's a pasuk that gives it away. Kol Yisrael Yesh Lakhem Khelek LeOlam Habah - All Yisrael have a share in the World To Come - All Yisrael, which, by the way, doesn't mean Every Jew, but means only those Yaakovs that have graduated from the level of Yaakov to the level of Yisrael. They have battled men - by halacha, and battled Divine - their Yetzer Hara, subdued it to the point where it was under their total control, repented and embraced Torah and mitzvot for life and for real, and thus graduated from the level of Yaakov to the level of Yisrael, and only then got their ticket to the World To Come. 
  
  And since we've come this far, let me ask you this: Do you know why good people suffer and bad ones seem to have it smooth and easy?
  
  Those who go through life without paying attention to the laws of the Torah always stay at the level of Yaakov. At this level, they get all their goodness here on this Earth but lose their entry ticket to the World to Come. 
  
  But the ones who seem to suffer more than the others are under the strict supervision of G-d Almighty. Since He loves them and wants them to earn their passage into the Future World, and He wants them to be there next to Him. He tests them and creates unpleasant situations for them through other people who ought to be punished for their misdeeds, puts them through trials and tribulations, so they learn to fight their Evil Inclination, and eventually, get it under their total control, and submit themselves to Hashem, to His laws, and Torah way of life. 
  
  But I bet you hear this often: This is how I am; I have always been like that!! Most probably, I am a reincarnation of some person who battled it then, and I can't change this about myself now. 
  
  So... little about reincarnations or the gilgulim. 
  
  Some very high souls have few things to fix about themselves. For them, the transition from Yaakov level to Yisrael is easy and almost unnoticeable to others due to their environment, their targeted efforts, fewer lacks, and their insatiable and burning desire to reach those heights.
  
  But for the rest of us who have it tough and have plenty to change about ourselves… what should we do?
  
  Many say Hashem loves you - they are not lying to you. He does, since He has given you those hardships. Because each hurdle makes the next one easier to overcome, even though it hurts more than the last time, each hardship is a stepping stone that gets the Evil Inclination under control - slowly muting its volume and minimizing its importance. Slowly but surely, step by step, year after year, blow after blow, until we finally stand on our feet with Yetzer Hara under our full control. And at that moment, the Divine becomes our life and calling. At this point, we graduate from the level of Yaakov to the level of Yisrael, and we become very close to Hashem in this world, as His extension down here on the planet Earth, with a guaranteed ticket to the Future World. 
  
  So, my friend, how about you? Are you ready to battle your Internal Angel?!! 
  
  Vehaya Yaakov Tishmeoun - When Yaakov Will Listen to these rules and observe them carefully... Your name shall no longer be Yaakov, but Yisrael, for you have fought with beings divine and human, and have won.
  
  A light tap on the microphone.
  
  Testing, testing. Is this thing on? May I have your attention, please? Will the real Yisrael please stand up? I repeat. Will the real Yisrael please stand up?
  
  We're not gonna have a problem here!!
  
  Shmuel Katanov

  Read more

• The Sound Of The Clock or The Golden Menorah

  Jun 26, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  Have you ever tried to hear the sound of a clock?
  
  In Parashat Terumah 25:31-40, "Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu to build a Menorah from a pure gold, hammered out shall the Menorah be made." The Hallacha says that if parts of it were made separately and then attached later on to make it look like one piece, this would make the Menorah not kosher and not fit for the service. Midrash Tanchuma tells us even more interesting details. Moshe could not visualize how the Menorah should look, so Hashem showed a Menorah of fire. Even then, he could not understand how to make it, so Hashem told him to throw the ingot, a huge solid chunk of gold, into the fire, and voila! A completed golden Menorah emerged from the fire, as explained by Rashi. 
  
  So, why must the Menorah be made from one solid piece of gold? And why does it need to be hammered out to give it the shape and look of the Menorah? Let's try to answer these questions. 
  
  In Parashat Ki Tisa 32:1-5, when people approached Aharon HaCohen after killing Chur and asked him to make them an intermediary between them and Hashem. Aharon’s response was - Bring me the gold. He thought that till they go and get the gold from the ladies, who will not be very thrilled about the idea of parting with their jewelry, Moshe Rabbeinu would come. Just like he suspected - the women refused to give their jewelry, but he didn’t expect men to give their own instead. So, in no time, they have gathered the necessary amount of gold for their project. Aharon HaCohen threw that gold into the fire, and from that fire, the golden calf emerged.
  
  This is where I would like to analyze these two events closely. 
  
  Do you realize what happened? These two scenarios are very similar but with different outcomes and responses. When Moshe Rabbeinu was presented with a task he did not fully grasp, his response was, "I don’t know, or I am not sure and I have to ask Hashem," as it was in the making of the Menorah we have discussed above, also judging the cases like with wood-gatherer or blasphemer in Parashat Shelach and Emor. But Aharon HaCohen's response was, "Bring me the gold."
  
  I strongly believe that Hashem put Aharon HaCohen in this situation so that Aharon would turn to Heaven and ask Hashem for assistance, and this is where something amazing would have happened. Aharon HaCohen would have risen in the level of prophecy, Hashem would have answered him and made him much closer to Himself, to the point where he would have been not far away in prophecy from Moshe’s level. 
  
  Even in Parashat Balak, when the delegation came to Bilaam HaRasha to invite him to "bless the Jewish Nation," his first response was - I need to ask Hashem.
  
  But since Aharon HaCohen made the call and did not get Hashem involved, his closeness was postponed and has taken a different road. 
  
  By the way, how big was Moshe Rabbenu's level, or how close was he to Hashem? When Miriam and Aharon were discussing Moshe’s behavior towards his wife Tziporah, Hashem told them that they were nowhere near Moshe since he was - the trusted one in His house, and his level of prophecy was far above anyone. (Parashat Behaalotcha 12:4-9)
  
  Now, Hashem needs to bring Aharon HaCohen closer to Himself, but how can He do that? Aharon could have had that level by requesting help from Hashem, but since he did not turn to Hashem when he was in the situation of a golden calf, going forward, he had to put in the required work and years of effort to attain it.
  
  So, in Parashat Behaalotcha 8:1, Hashem commands Aharon HaCohen to light the Menorah and makes it a part of the daily service in the Bet Hamikdash, thus bringing him closer to Hashem.
  
  How do we know that Aharon HaCohen succeeded in this task and came closer to Hashem and those lofty levels?
  
  Centuries later, King David wrote in the Book of Tehillim, in Psalm 99: "Moshe, Ve Aharon be Kohanav, u Shmuel be Kore Shemo, Korim El Hashem Ve Hu Yaanem - Moshe and Aharon are among his priests, and Shmuel among those who invoke His name, they would call to Hashem and He would respond to them." King David confirmed in prophecy that Aharon HaCohen was able to accomplish that closeness with Hashem, and rose in the level of prophecy. 
  
  My dear reader, let me ask you a question. When you are in a situation where you can do good or evil, do you call out to Hashem? Do you ask Him for His opinion on how to respond to the situation you may be in? Do you bring the Torah knowledge or life experiences to your memory, the values you have been brought up with or learned in life, to ensure you make the best possible decision? 
  
  Hashem puts us in situations just to see the type of decisions we will make, and then we have to live and deal with those decisions and their consequences - be it man to man or man to G-d.
  
  Each of us hammers out his own Golden/Spiritual Menorah by the decisions we make down here on Earth. Every move we make, every decision we make, and every statement we make - slams and hammers out a dent on our own Menorah for Hashem to view in the spiritual realm, which is the only place where it is all truth, where one can't mask those dents, or lie about them. 
  
  Some have nice and symmetric menorahs - Kudos to them since lots of work went into them, and it's not an easy task. The rest of us may have very dented, twisted proportions and ugly-looking shapes. But these are our menorahs, and we keep on hammering away on them daily, hopefully bringing our menorahs to the right symmetry, and making them look nicer than they previously were. 
  
  Shhh..quiet down a bit and listen. Do you hear the sound of the clock—tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock? How does your menorah look? Do you think you'll have enough time to fix it?
  
  Our decisions of the past and in the future make dents that matter. Whether good or bad, it is our dents and responsibility - made by us and for us to fix. Decisions...an unending flow of more decisions pounding on us daily...it’s time to own up to those decisions. Maybe after 120, when we have had our chance to work on our menorahs, we won't be ashamed to view them, and we will be the Cohanim Gedolim of our Menorahs. We will light it daily in front of Hashem and come closer and closer to Hashem - just like Aharon HaCohen did. 
  
  So, now, do you hear the sound of the clock? It is always ticking away...nonstop, without skipping a beat, and not waiting for anyone. There's no way to stop it but to use it to our advantage. There's so much to fix and so little time to do it. How does your menorah look? Maybe the time has come to make the right dents?!!
  
  Shmuel Katanov

  Read more