Torah's light born from refinement

במדרש זית רענן כו' טוחנין כו' ומביאין אבנים כו' ונותנים שמנן כך ישראל כו'.

In the Midrash: "a fresh olive tree…" — they grind it… and bring stones… and place their oil; so too Yisrael… (Midrash on the olive crushed for oil).

The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash comparing Bnei Yisrael to the olive, which is crushed and ground before it yields its precious oil.

ד"א מה שמן אינו מתערב בשאר משקין כו' ונתנך עליון כו'.

Another explanation: just as oil does not mix with other liquids… "and He will set you supreme…" (Devarim 26:19).

Like oil that rises above and never blends in, Bnei Yisrael remain distinct and elevated above the nations.

נר מצוה העושה מצוה כאלו מדליק נר לפני הקב"ה כו' מהו תורה אור שלא יאמר אדם מה אני מחסר נכסי למצוה כו' מה אור דולקין ממנו ואין אורו חסר כלום כו' ע"ש.

"A mitzvah is a lamp" (Mishlei 6:23) — one who does a mitzvah is as if he kindles a lamp before Hashem… What is "Torah is light"? That a person should not say, "Why should I diminish my wealth for a mitzvah?"… for just as one kindles from a flame and its light lacks nothing — see there.

The Midrash teaches that doing a mitzvah is like lighting a lamp before Hashem, and that Torah, like fire shared without loss, never leaves the giver diminished.

ביאור הענין דידוע שיש בנר אור המאיר ואש השורפת.

The explanation of the matter: it is known that in a flame there is the light that illuminates and the fire that burns.

Every flame has two aspects — a shining light and a consuming, burning fire.

ובזוה"ק נקרא אשא חוורא המאיר על גבי אשא אוכמא השורפת כו'.

And in the Zohar HaKadosh it is called the white fire (asha chivra) that illuminates, resting upon the black fire (asha ukma) that burns.

The Zohar describes a white, illuminating fire that rides atop a black, consuming fire — the higher light depends on the lower burning.

ובאמת עיקר עבודת האדם הוא הבירור.

And in truth the main avodah of a person is the birur (clarification/refinement).

A person's central task in this world is birur — sifting out and elevating the holy sparks from the physical.

שעל זה נשלח בעולם השפל לברר אלה המקומות החשכים.

For this is why he was sent into the lowly world — to refine these dark places.

The whole purpose of being placed in this lowly world is to illuminate and refine its darkness.

וע"י המצות נתקן העשיה.

And through the mitzvos, the realm of action (asiyah) is rectified.

Mitzvos are the tool by which the physical world of doing becomes refined and holy.

אמנם ע"י העבודה זוכין לתורה אור.

However, through this avodah one merits "Torah is light."

The labor of birur leads to a higher reward — the radiant light of Torah.

והוא קדושת השבת הבא אחר עבודת ימי המעשה.

And this is the kedushah of Shabbos that comes after the labor of the weekdays.

That light of Torah parallels Shabbos, the rest and radiance earned through the work of the six weekdays.

וכשהמצות נעשין כראוי בדביקות בשורשן שהיא התורה.

And when the mitzvos are performed properly, with deveikus to their root, which is the Torah —

When mitzvos are done while cleaving to their source in Torah —

שמהתורה בא שורש המצות.

— for from the Torah comes the root of the mitzvos —

The Torah is the wellspring from which all the mitzvos flow.

אז שורה ברכה גם בעבודת הבירור ואינו בא לידי חסרון כלל.

— then blessing rests even upon the avodah of birur, and it never comes to any lack at all.

When mitzvos are rooted in Torah, even the laborious work of refinement is filled with berachah and causes no loss.

ומה שעולה על דעת האדם שמחסר עצמו ע"י המצות שהוא בהתחלה עבודה קשה.

And what occurs to a person — that he diminishes himself through the mitzvos — that is only at the beginning, when it is hard work.

The feeling that mitzvos "cost" us something belongs only to the initial, difficult stage of avodah.

אמנם כשזוכה ע"י המצות לתורה אור יכול להיות הכל בנייחא.

However, when one merits through the mitzvos to "Torah is light," everything can be done with ease (b'naycha).

Once the light of Torah is attained, the avodah becomes restful and effortless rather than draining.

כמ"ש שהת"ח נק' שבת גם בימות החול.

As is said, that a talmid chacham is called "Shabbos" even on weekdays.

A true Torah scholar carries the restful light of Shabbos with him even during the working week.

וברש"י כתית למאור ולא למנחות.

And in Rashi: "crushed for the light" — but not crushed for the menachos (meal-offerings) (Rashi, Shemos 27:20).

Rashi notes the olive oil for the Menorah had to be crushed (kasis), a requirement stated for the light but not for the meal-offerings.

ובמנחות כתיב ג"כ כתית רבע ההין ופי' חכמים דבא לרבות דכתית כשר למנחות דהו"א דפסול למנחות ע"ש ברש"י.

Yet regarding the menachos it is also written "crushed, a quarter of a hin" (Shemos 29:40), and Chazal explained that this comes to include that crushed oil is valid for menachos — for one might have thought it was invalid for menachos — see there in Rashi.

Although crushing is not required for the meal-offerings, a separate pasuk teaches that crushed oil is nonetheless acceptable for them too.

וביאור הענין פרשנו כבר מ"ש במדרש מעלת בנ"י שחובטין אותן כו'.

And the explanation of the matter we have already expounded — what the Midrash says about the greatness of Bnei Yisrael, that they are beaten (like the olive).

He recalls the earlier Midrash: the suffering and "beating" of Bnei Yisrael is precisely what brings out their holy potential, like the olive.

אף דכתית למאור כתיב.

Even though "crushed for the light" is written —

The crushing (kasis) is primarily associated with producing the Menorah's pure light.

מ"מ עיקר האור בא ע"י העבודה בבחי' הבירור.

— nevertheless the main light comes about through the avodah in the aspect of birur.

The radiant light is in fact produced by the laborious work of refinement, symbolized by the crushing.

שהוא ענין המנחות.

Which is the matter of the menachos.

The meal-offerings, ground and prepared, represent this avodah of birur.

עי"ז זוכה להעלות טיפה אחת נקיה וזכה.

Through this he merits to raise up one pure and clear drop.

The crushing labor of refinement yields a single refined, pure drop of oil — a purified inner point.

להעלות נר תמיד פי' שהאור עצמו תלוי בתיקון הגשמיות.

"To kindle a continual lamp" (Shemos 27:20) — the meaning is that the light itself depends on the rectification of the physical.

The Menorah's eternal light is sustained precisely by the refinement of the material world below.

ואחר כך אותו נקודה שזכה להעלותו לה'.

And afterward, that point which he merited to raise up to Hashem —

That pure point, once elevated to Hashem —

מסייעו אח"כ לבחי' הבירורים ג"כ.

— then assists him afterward in the aspect of the birurim as well.

The elevated holy point flows back to empower further work of refinement.

והוא הברכה שבא מש"ק לימי המעשה שאחריו.

And this is the blessing that flows from Shabbos kodesh into the weekdays that follow it.

Just as Shabbos's light energizes the coming week, the elevated point empowers the ongoing birur.

וס"ד דכתית פסול למנחות קמ"ל שאותה נקודה הזכה מסייעת ג"כ להבירורים כנ"ל.

And one might have thought that "crushed" is invalid for menachos — the pasuk teaches us that this pure point assists the birurim as well, as above.

The halachah that crushed oil is valid for menachos too hints that the refined point gained from the "light" also flows back to aid the work of refinement.

והוא כמ"ש לעיל שבהתדבקות המצות בשורשן תורה אור.

And this is as explained above, that when the mitzvos cleave to their root, "Torah is light."

This circle of light empowering refinement is realized when mitzvos are bound to their Torah root.

אינו בא לידי חסרון.

It never comes to any lack.

In that bound state, the avodah is self-replenishing and never leaves one diminished — like fire shared without loss.

ואמת שתמיד צריך להיות אשא אוכמא השורפת.

And it is true that there must always be the black fire that burns.

The lower, consuming fire — the labor of burning away physical desires — must always remain present.

לכן כפי מה שמברר אדם מעשיו ושורף ומכלה תאוות הגשמיות.

Therefore, according to how much a person refines his deeds and burns away and consumes the physical desires —

The more one burns away his material cravings through avodah —

אז זוכה לאשא חוורא כנ"ל.

— then he merits the white fire, as above.

— the more he merits the illuminating white fire of Torah.

ובאמת סדר הבריאה הי' להיות האומות משועבדין תחת בנ"י.

And in truth, the order of creation was that the nations should be subjugated under Bnei Yisrael.

The intended design of the world is that the nations serve and be subordinate to Bnei Yisrael.

כמ"ש ואכלת את העמים.

As it is written: "and you shall consume the nations" (Devarim 7:16).

The pasuk expresses Yisrael's role of "consuming" — refining and overcoming — the nations.

ועל בנ"י שורה אשא חוורא כמ"ש בזוה"ק.

And upon Bnei Yisrael rests the white fire, as is said in the Zohar HaKadosh.

The illuminating white fire is the portion of Bnei Yisrael.

וזה מצד שהאומות דבקים בגשמיות שהוא הנשרפת.

And this is because the nations are attached to the physical, which is the part that is burned.

The nations are bound to crude materiality — the "black fire" that must be consumed.

ולכן כפי מה שבני ישראל מבררין הגשמיות ומתרחקין ממנו אז מתקיים כנ"ל.

Therefore, to the degree that Bnei Yisrael refine the physical and distance themselves from it, then it is fulfilled, as above.

The more Bnei Yisrael purify and detach from materiality, the more the intended order — Yisrael elevated, the white fire resting upon them — is realized.

וזה שהוכיח ירמי' את בנ"י והי' בימי ירידה של בנ"י.

And this is what Yirmiyahu rebuked Bnei Yisrael with, and it was during a time of descent for Bnei Yisrael.

Yirmiyahu's words (using the olive imagery) were spoken in an era of spiritual decline.

ואז הי' להם רק המעלה של הבירור.

And then they had only the level of birur.

In that low period, all they could attain was the lower avodah of refinement — the crushing and burning.

והוא מנחות כנ"ל.

And this is the menachos, as above.

That stage corresponds to the meal-offerings — the labor of birur without yet the full radiance.

אבל כאן בימי עליה נאמר ויקחו אליך להיות נעשים כל המצות בהתחברותן לשורש התורה אור שהוא בחי' מרע"ה הדעת של בני ישראל וזהו ואתה תצוה חיבור התורה להמצות כנ"ל:

But here, in days of ascent, it is said "and they shall take to you" (Shemos 27:20) — that all the mitzvos should be performed in their joining to the root, "Torah is light," which is the aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu, the da'as (knowledge) of Bnei Yisrael; and this is "And you shall command" (v'atah tetzaveh) — the joining of the Torah to the mitzvos, as above.

In a time of ascent, the parsha's "take to you" and "and you shall command" point to Moshe Rabbeinu, the da'as of Klal Yisrael, who binds the mitzvos to their root in Torah — so that the avodah is filled with the radiant light and never comes to lack.

Summary: A flame holds two fires — the consuming "black fire" (asha ukma) of burning away physical desire, and the illuminating "white fire" (asha chivra) of Torah's light that rests upon it. A person's main avodah is birur, refining the dark physical world through mitzvos, which feels like a "loss" only at first; but when mitzvos cleave to their root in Torah, blessing fills even the labor of refinement and it never causes any lack — like fire kindled from fire. The crushed olive "for the light" teaches that the radiant light is itself produced by the crushing labor of birur, and the single pure point thereby raised to Hashem flows back to empower further refinement (like Shabbos energizing the week). In days of descent (Yirmiyahu) Bnei Yisrael had only birur; in days of ascent, Moshe Rabbeinu — the da'as of Yisrael — binds the mitzvos to the light of Torah ("v'atah tetzaveh").