In this week's Torah portion we learn about the Menorah that stood in the Temple in Jerusalem. No, this is not the Chanukah Menorah, which is lit to commemorate the Chanukah miracle, but a seven-branched candelabra that was lit daily in the Temple's inner chamber.
The room where this Menorah was lit had windows. In ancient times, windows were crafted in a way that the external part was narrow and the internal part wide, so that the sunlight would be projected inward.
The Temple's windows were just the opposite: the inside was narrow and the outside was wide, as if the light was being projected from within the Temple outward.
The lesson was simple. The holiness and light of the Temple was with one goal and purpose: to be a shining light to the world and people outside the Temple. To helpothers live a better, more meaningful life.
This week Sara and I will Gād willing be getting married . We've never had a more joyous time in our lives. The joy that is experienced is something that cannot be described.
The way the Torah describes marriage can give one pause. It is described as the first step in building a family. Hey, what about us? Why doesn't the Torah describe marriage as a way to truly enjoy one another, a commitment to each other, to get to know each other and our respective families, spend time together... Just to build a family, that's it?
Herein lies such a beautiful lesson. Of course marriage is about enjoying each other, commitment to one another, appreciating one another and so much more. But it's so much more than that. Life lived to its truest potential is a life of giving. Living and giving is the most enjoyable way to live life. So much so that the giver gains possibly even more than those on the receiving end.
So at the very time when we celebrate our marriage to each other and are so thrilled with each other, the Torah describes the event as a first step in starting a family, bringing new souls into the world and giving them the best life possible.
Rabbi Avrohom