Serving Hashem while beholding His revealed glory

אל מול פני המנורה יאירו כו' ויעש כן כו'.

"Toward the face of the menorah shall the [seven lamps] give light..." and "he did so..." (Bamidbar 8:2-3).

The Sefas Emes opens with the pesukim about Aharon kindling the menorah, which he will probe for their deeper meaning.

להבין הפי' מול פני המנורה.

[We must] understand the meaning of "toward the face of the menorah."

First question: what does it mean that the lamps face 'the face of the menorah'?

גם השבח מאהרן שלא שינה.

Also, [we must understand] the praise of Aharon, "that he did not deviate."

Second question: Rashi praises Aharon for not deviating in how he lit the menorah — but why is simply following instructions worthy of such praise?

גם קשה ז' הנרות הלא רק ששה נרות יאירו אל מול האמצעי.

Also it is difficult: "seven lamps" — surely only six lamps shine toward the center one.

Third question: the verse speaks of seven lamps giving light, yet only the six outer lamps turn toward the central one; the middle lamp does not face itself.

ויראה לפרש עפ"י המדרש המשל שאמר המלך לאוהבו הכן לי סעודה כו' ובא המלך עם כל כבודו והטמין האוהב אשר הכין ושאל המלך היכן ואמר שנתבייש כו' וצוה המלך להטמין הכל ולהשתמש רק בהכנת האוהב כו'.

And it seems [we may] explain by way of the Midrash's parable: a king told his beloved friend, "Prepare a feast for me," and the king came with all his honor; the friend hid what he had prepared, and the king asked, "Where is it?" and he said that he was embarrassed; and the king commanded that all [the royal provisions] be hidden away, and that only the friend's preparation be used.

The Sefas Emes brings a mashal: a king asks his beloved to prepare a meal, then arrives in full royal splendor. Ashamed of his humble offering beside the king's grandeur, the friend hides it. The king insists, hiding his own provisions so that only the friend's preparation is used.

והנראה מזה המשל כי באמת הי' הדרך הנכונה שיכין האוהב אשר לו אף שרואה כלים של המלך אעפ"כ יעשה הוא את שלו.

And what appears from this parable is that in truth the proper way would have been for the friend to prepare what is his — even though he sees the king's vessels, nevertheless he should do his own part.

The ideal, says the mashal, is that the beloved not be intimidated by the king's splendor; he should confidently carry out his own task even while beholding the king's greatness.

רק בעבור שנתבייש האוהב צוה המלך להטמין כל כבודו.

It was only because the friend became embarrassed that the king commanded that all his honor be hidden away.

The king concealed his glory only as a concession to the friend's embarrassment — not because that concealment is itself the desired state.

אבל באמת למה יגרע מכבוד המלך.

But in truth, why should the king's honor be diminished?

Ideally there should be no need to diminish the king's honor at all; the friend should be able to do his part precisely while the king's glory is fully revealed.

וזה י"ל מאמר הכתוב מול פני המנורה פי' מנורה העליונה יאירו שבעת הנרות שלא יצטרך הקב"ה להסתיר אור העליון.

And this is what we may say is the meaning of the verse "toward the face of the menorah" — meaning the supernal menorah — "the seven lamps shall give light," so that Hakadosh Baruch Hu need not conceal the supernal light.

Applying the mashal: the lamps shine 'toward the face' of the upper, heavenly menorah. The ideal is that our light shine even in the presence of the revealed supernal light, so that Hashem does not have to hide His upper light the way the king hid his glory.

כי באמת כל מה שנסתר בעוה"ז כבודו ית' וקדושתו הוא לצורך עבודת האדם כי אם הי' נתגלה היו מתבטלין כל העבודות מבו"ד.

For in truth, all that is concealed in this world of His glory and His holiness, Yisbarach, is for the sake of man's avodah, for if it were revealed, all the avodah of flesh and blood would be nullified.

Hashem hides His glory in this world only so that human avodah remains possible. Were His full glory revealed, a person would be so overwhelmed that all independent service would cease — just as the friend was paralyzed before the king's splendor.

אך הצדיק בעבודת השי"ת יכול לעשות את שלו אף שרואה כבודו ית'.

But the tzaddik, in his service of Hashem Yisbarach, is able to do his own part even though he beholds His glory, Yisbarach.

The tzaddik rises above this limitation: he can carry out his avodah and 'do his own part' even while perceiving Hashem's revealed glory, without being nullified by it.

ולכן מי שמוכן לזה מראין לו כל מה שבעולמות העליונים כי כל ההסתר בעבור חסרון העבודה כנ"ל.

And therefore, one who is ready for this is shown all that is in the upper worlds, for all the concealment is on account of a deficiency in avodah, as above.

Since concealment exists only to protect those who could not otherwise serve, a person who has reached the level of serving despite revelation is granted vision of the upper worlds — he no longer needs the concealment.

וזה מאמר הכתוב אל מול פני המנורה יאירו שאף שיראה כל ההארות העליונות לא יתבייש ויעשה את שלו.

And this is the meaning of the verse, "toward the face of the menorah they shall give light" — that even though one beholds all the supernal illuminations, he will not be ashamed, and he will do his own part.

This is the ideal the verse encodes: the lamps face the supernal light and still shine; so too a person, beholding all the heavenly lights, is not shamed into hiding but confidently performs his own avodah.

ויעש כן אהרן אל מול כו' שלא שינה.

"And Aharon did so... toward [the face of the menorah]" — that he did not deviate.

Now the praise of Aharon is understood: he lit the lamps facing the supernal light and 'did not deviate.'

פי' שלא נעשה שינוי והסתר ע"י כנ"ל.

Meaning: that no change or concealment came about through him, as above.

Aharon's greatness was that no concealment of the supernal light was needed on his account — unlike the king who had to hide his glory for the embarrassed friend. Aharon could serve fully in the face of revealed light.

והוא שבח גדול שהוא כמו שיהי' לעתיד שכ' חז"ל ע"פ והתהלכתי בתוככם שלא תהי' מזדעזעין כו'.

And this is great praise, for it is like what will be in the future, as Chazal wrote on the verse "And I will walk among you" (Vayikra 26:12) — that you will not tremble [before Me].

Aharon's level is a foretaste of the future era described by Chazal: a time when people will walk with Hashem without being thrown into trembling and paralysis before His presence.

פי' שלא יצטרך האדם להתרחק ע"י היראה וכמו מלאכי השרת שנא' מהלכים בין העומדים האלה שיכולין לעמוד לשרת בפני הקב"ה אף שהקב"ה גבוה ומתרומם על מה"ש כמו על התחתונים.

Meaning: that a person will not need to withdraw because of the awe — like the ministering angels, of whom it is said "[I will give you] movement among these that stand" (Zechariah 3:7), who are able to stand and serve before Hakadosh Baruch Hu, even though Hakadosh Baruch Hu is high and exalted over the ministering angels just as He is over those below.

The future state is modeled on the malachei hashareis, who serve before Hashem without recoiling, even though He is infinitely exalted above them. Such a person will likewise not have to keep his distance out of fear.

כי לפי רוממות הבורא אין ניכר ההפרש בין מה"ש לתחתונים.

For relative to the exaltedness of the Creator, no difference is discernible between the ministering angels and those below.

Compared to Hashem's infinite loftiness, the gap between the highest angels and lowly humans is negligible — both are equally distant from Him.

רק שזה שלימות המלאך שיכול לעשות מה שנצטוה אף שרואה ומשיג התרוממות הבורא.

Rather, this is the perfection of the angel: that he can do what he is commanded even though he sees and apprehends the exaltedness of the Creator.

The angel's perfection — and the ideal for man — is precisely the ability to carry out one's mission while fully perceiving the Creator's grandeur, rather than being overwhelmed into inaction.

והבן.

And understand.

The Sefas Emes invites the reader to absorb this principle: true perfection is serving Hashem while beholding His greatness, not in spite of concealment.

גם שבעה נרות המנורה הם ז' ימי השבוע.

Also, the seven lamps of the menorah are the seven days of the week.

He now adds a second layer: the menorah's seven lamps correspond to the seven days of the week.

והשבת נר אמצעי.

And Shabbos is the central lamp.

Shabbos is the middle lamp, the one toward which all the others face.

שלשה ימים קמי שבתא ובתר שבתא מתבטלין למול האמצעי ואז יאירו שבעת הנרות.

The three days before Shabbos and [the three] after Shabbos nullify themselves toward the central one, and then the seven lamps give light.

The three weekdays preceding Shabbos and the three following it all turn and nullify themselves (bittul) toward Shabbos at the center; through that bittul all seven days shine as one.

אף שקאי רק על ששה רק הכתוב מחברם שבהיותם מתבטלין להאמצעי נעשה ההארה מכל הז' כאחד:

Even though [the verse's "shall give light"] refers only to the six, still the verse joins them together — for when they nullify themselves to the central one, the illumination of all seven is made as one.

This resolves the third question: only six lamps face the center, yet the verse calls it 'seven lamps' shining, because once the six nullify themselves to the central Shabbos, the light of all seven becomes a single, unified illumination.

Summary: Through the king's-feast parable, the Sefas Emes explains "toward the face of the menorah": ideally a person should perform his avodah even while beholding Hashem's revealed glory, not needing it concealed. Hashem hides His light in this world only so human service remains possible, but the tzaddik — like Aharon, who 'did not deviate' and caused no concealment — serves fully in the face of revealed light, a foretaste of the future when man, like the angels, will not tremble before Hashem. The seven lamps are also the seven days: the six weekdays nullify themselves toward Shabbos at the center, and through that bittul all seven shine as one.