Living Jewish in San Francisco: THE RABBI'S BLOGRabbi's Blog
Rabbi Joel Landau (rabbi@adathisraelsf.org) has been the Rabbi of Adath Israel since May 2013. He was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem and has served previously as a congregational Rabbi in Charleston, South Carolina and Irvine, California. A full biography of Rabbi Landau is available here.
- Details
At the end of this week’s parasha, the Torah teaches us about the Ketoret/Incense. Curiously, offering the Ketorot in the morning and afternoon is linked with the Menorah.
In the morning (30:7):
וְהִקְטִיר עָלָיו אַהֲרֹן קְטֹרֶת סַמִּים בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר בְּהֵיטִיבוֹ אֶת הַנֵּרֹת יַקְטִירֶנָּה
Aaron shall make incense of spices go up in smoke upon it; every morning when he sets the lamps in order, he shall make it go up in smoke.
In the afternoon (Shemos 30:8):
וּבְהַעֲלֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַנֵּרֹת בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם יַקְטִירֶנָּה קְטֹרֶת תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם
And when Aaron kindles the lights in the afternoon, he shall make it go up in smoke, continual incense before the Lord for your generations.
In fact, the Gemera Yoma (14b-15a) discusses the exact procedure of lighting the Menorah and offering the Ketoret. While the exact procedure is subject to a debate in the Gemera, it is clear that the two services were intertwined.
What lesson can we learn from the fact that the Torah weaves together these two services?
The Netziv (R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin 1816-1893) suggests that the Menorah represents the light of Torah while the beautiful fragrance of the Ketoret represents chessed/kindness. The Torah weaves together these two items to underscore the importance of combining a steadfast commitment to Torah learning with a passion for chessed.
While this is certainly a beautiful idea, upon further analysis, it may fall short.
After all, when you light the Menorah and burn Ketoret at the same time- you are doing two activities that negate one another.
One lights a Menorah in order to illuminate a room. Burning the Ketoret produces smoke, it blurs the light of the Menorah, diminishing its visibility.
From this perspective, the light of the Menorah and the smoke of Ketoret represent opposing forces- they work against each other!
And as such, Rabbi Soloveitchik presents an alternative approach.
He suggests that the Menorah’s light represents knowledge, understanding, clarity – both in Torah and in all matters of life. The light of the Menorah symbolizes that which we can grasp.
On the other hand, the clouds of the Ketoret represents that which is hidden, mysterious, and beyond our comprehension- both in the religious sphere- the mystery of G-d- and in the human sphere- the mystery of life and world events.
The Ketoret and the Menorah are fused to teach us that the Jewish experience, and indeed the human experience, is always one of clarity and wisdom coupled with darkness and mystery, how little we truly know.
Today’s world can feel like a rollercoaster. On the one hand, we live in the “best of times,” the medical advances, technological advances etc. are incredible. This is all represented in the light of the Menorah. At the same time, it’s the “worst of times,” there are so many devastating events such as the recent attacks in Israel.
There is so much we don’t understand. So much pain, so much evil. The weave of the Menorah with the Ketoret is a reminder how our lives can sometimes be a contradiction of emotions and experiences. That is the nature of our existence in this world.
EVENTS
