Souls that receive light versus souls that are light

במדרש מה שמן מאיר.

In the Midrash: just as oil gives light.

The Midrash compares Bnei Yisrael to oil, drawing on oil's defining quality of producing light.

כך ביהמ"ק מאיר לעולם.

So too the Bais Hamikdash gives light to the world.

The Bais Hamikdash served as a source of spiritual light radiating to the entire world.

לכן נקראו ישראל זית רענן שהם מאירים לכל.

Therefore Yisrael are called "a fresh olive tree" (Yirmiyahu 11:16), for they give light to all.

Bnei Yisrael, like the olive that yields oil, are meant to illuminate all of creation — hence the prophet calls them a fresh olive tree.

השמן הוא מאיר שעל ידו האור נאחז בפתילה.

The oil gives light in that through it the flame takes hold in the wick.

Oil's role is to enable the flame to catch and remain fixed on the wick — it is the medium that holds the light.

וכמו כן ע"י ביהמ"ק הי' האור נאחז בנפשות בנ"י.

And likewise, through the Bais Hamikdash the light took hold in the souls of Bnei Yisrael.

The Bais Hamikdash functioned like the oil: it allowed the Divine light to "catch" and become fixed within the souls of Bnei Yisrael.

דכ' ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם.

As it is written, "And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell within them" (Shemos 25:8).

The verse famously says "within them" — within the people — teaching that the indwelling Presence rests in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael, not merely in the building.

ובזוה"ק נר מצוה ותורה אור דבעי עובדין דמצות לאתקנא שרגא ובעי אורייתא לאנהרא שרגא.

And in the Zohar HaKadosh on "a mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light" (Mishlei 6:23): one needs the deeds of mitzvos to prepare the lamp, and one needs the Torah to illuminate the lamp.

The Zohar distinguishes two roles: mitzvos prepare the "lamp" (the vessel), and Torah is the "light" that then kindles it. Both are needed.

ומצות מתקנין אברי הגוף להיות כלי לקבל הארת הנשמה וע"י התורה מאיר הנשמה.

And the mitzvos rectify the limbs of the body to be a vessel to receive the illumination of the neshamah, and through the Torah the neshamah shines.

Mitzvos refine the bodily limbs into a fit vessel; Torah then ignites the soul's light within that prepared vessel.

ובשב"ק מאיר הנשמה שזה רמז הדלקת נר בשבת.

And on the holy Shabbos the neshamah shines — this is the hint of kindling the lamp on Shabbos.

On Shabbos the soul radiates fully; lighting Shabbos candles alludes to this shining-forth of the neshamah.

ובימי מעשה לאתקנא שרגא.

And on the weekdays, to prepare the lamp.

The weekdays are the time for the mitzvah-work of preparing the lamp — refining the vessel.

ויום השבת לאנהרא שרגא.

And the Shabbos day, to illuminate the lamp.

Shabbos is when that prepared lamp is finally lit — the time of the soul's illumination.

וכבר כ' במ"א מה שלפעמים נאמר אתה תאיר נרי ולפעמים אתה נרי.

And it is already written elsewhere about how sometimes it says, "You light my lamp" (Tehillim 18:29), and sometimes "You are my lamp" (II Shmuel 22:29).

Scripture uses two formulations — Hashem "lights my lamp" versus Hashem "is my lamp" — which the Sefas Emes will tie to two types of souls.

וכענין שכ' בזוה"ק דיש שמן למאור.

And this is like what the Zohar HaKadosh writes, that there is "oil for the light" (shemen lamaor).

The Zohar distinguishes two phrases from the Torah's command about the menorah oil — one is "oil for the light."

ויש שמן המאור שהוא מדריגה גבוה.

And there is "oil of the light" (shemen hamaor), which is a higher level.

The other phrase, "oil of the light," denotes a loftier category — oil that is itself the very light, not merely fuel for it.

דיש נשמות שהם כלים לקבל האור.

For there are souls that are vessels to receive the light.

Some souls function as receptacles, taking in light that comes from elsewhere — these are "oil for the light."

ויש נשמות גבוהות שהם בעצמם האור כמ"ש חלק ה' עמו.

And there are lofty souls that are themselves the light, as it says, "the portion of Hashem is His people" (Devarim 32:9).

Other, higher souls are themselves a source of light — a literal portion of the Divine — these are "oil of the light."

וזהו בחי' משה רבינו כי טוב הוא אין טוב אלא תורה.

And this is the aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu — "for he was good (ki tov hu)" (Shemos 2:2) — and "good" refers only to Torah.

Moshe Rabbeinu epitomizes the soul that is itself light. The verse calling him "good" hints at Torah, for Moshe is the very embodiment of Torah's light.

וז"ש ויקחו אליך שמן זית כו' למאור.

And this is the meaning of "and they shall take to you pure olive oil … for the light" (Shemos 27:20).

The command to bring oil "to you" — to Moshe — for the light expresses Moshe's role as the source of the menorah's illumination.

שהוא שמן המאור עצם האור.

For he is "the oil of the light," the very essence of the light.

Moshe is "oil of the light" itself — the essential light, not merely fuel.

לכן כתיב ואתה תצוה שהתורה מתפשטת לרמ"ח ושס"ה מצות.

Therefore it is written, "And you shall command (v'atah tetzaveh)" (Shemos 27:20) — for the Torah spreads out into the 248 and 365 mitzvos.

"And you shall command" expresses how Moshe's Torah-light extends and branches out into all 613 mitzvos — the 248 positive and 365 negative.

ומרע"ה שר התורה הוא מחבר כל נשמות בנ"י שיקחו אליו שמן למאור.

And Moshe Rabbeinu, the prince of the Torah, connects all the souls of Bnei Yisrael, that they should bring to him "oil for the light."

As the master of Torah, Moshe binds together all Jewish souls and draws them — the "oil for the light," the receiving souls — toward himself, the source of light.

ומש"ה "שמן "המאור.

And from Moshe ("Mosheh") come the words "shemen hamaor" (oil of the light).

The Sefas Emes points to the letters: the name Moshe is alluded to in "shemen hamaor," underscoring that Moshe is the essential light-oil.

ובשבת מתגלה הארת מרע"ה בכל איש ישראל.

And on Shabbos the illumination of Moshe Rabbeinu is revealed in every Jew.

On Shabbos, Moshe's Torah-light becomes manifest within each individual Jew.

כי הנשמות שלמטה הם שמן למאור.

For the souls below are "oil for the light."

Our ordinary souls, here below, are the receiving "oil for the light."

ושורש הנשמה שלמעלה שמן המאור.

And the root of the soul, above, is "oil of the light."

But the soul's higher root, Above, partakes of "oil of the light" — the essential, self-luminous level.

ובשבת קודש יש התגלות נשמה יתירה ועל זה נאמר אתה נרי:

And on the holy Shabbos there is the revelation of the neshamah yeseirah (additional soul), and of this it is said, "You are my lamp."

The extra Shabbos soul reveals the higher root of the soul — the level that is itself light. Of this, Scripture says not merely "You light my lamp" but "You are my lamp": on Shabbos a Jew taps into a soul that is itself Divine light.

Summary: Just as oil enables a flame to take hold in a wick, the Bais Hamikdash enabled the Divine light to "catch" within the souls of Bnei Yisrael, who are called a fresh olive tree. Drawing on the Zohar's "mitzvah is a lamp, Torah is light," mitzvos (the weekday work) prepare the vessel and Torah (revealed on Shabbos) illuminates it. The Sefas Emes then distinguishes "oil for the light" — souls that receive light — from "oil of the light," lofty souls that are themselves light, epitomized by Moshe Rabbeinu, the source through whom Torah branches into all the mitzvos. On Shabbos, via the neshamah yeseirah, even ordinary souls connect to their higher root that is itself light — "You are my lamp."