Winston Churchill said "It is not enough to float; we must swim against the stream". This phrase is so appropriate in reflecting on the status of the Jewish People's lives in the Diaspora and even, more so, for our brethren in Israel. These are times when great effort is needed to ward off the extensive anti-semitism that is being promulgated in our society and especially in the colleges throughout our country.
I am beginning to realize that our Jewish survival is greatly dependant on our Akshanut, on our stubbornness, and on our resilience and on our resistance to the many onslaughts that are being viciously thrown against us by the many anti - semites and anti Israel antagonists.
We are swimming against the tide and we need to swim well to beat our opponents.
How, you may ask, can we achieve this important goal of Jewish survival? Our answer can be found in this week's Parsha.
The opening verse states, בהעלותך את הנרות אל מול פני המנורה יאירו שבעת הנרות, Aharon was instructed to kindle the Menorah and the seven lamps shall give light in front of it.
It is extremely interesting to note that the Hebrew word בהעלותך, to light, is used rather than the more common word להדליק. “Why?” asks Chazal. The answer given, “The word בהעלותך has greater significance, for this word connotes, שצריך להדליק עד שתהא השלהבת עולה מאליה, that after the Menorah is lit, it must continue to burn on its own.
What a magnificent lesson in Yahadut. First and most important, we must keep the light of faith strong and relevant for all to be imbued with its spirit and for it to continuously inspire us to reach the ultimate goals of a Torah oriented way of life. In addition, it must inspire the Jewish people in a way that will cause the flame of Yahadut to elevate them by kindling the light and the love of Torah in their hearts.
The greatness of Moshe was his teaching the word of G-D to the people in such a way that when he will no longer be there to teach, they they will continue in his Derech and extend his knowledge into the next generation. These illuminating lights of Moshe were lights of continuity and lights of inspiration, guaranteeing that the Jews will survive and prosper under the rubric of Toras Moshe.
This is our mission in life, for all to realize irrespective of who we are, or what our educational background may be, we can and we will be endowed with the Divine Spirit to keep that glowing light of Yahadut alive, inspiring others to be strong in their faith and beliefs, and no one nor any force can deter us from our mission to be a גוי קדוש וממלכת כוהנים, and ‘To be a Light Unto the Nations of the World.’
The question that needs to be answered, "Are we up to the task and are we ready to shoulder the responsibility to continuously Light our Menorah of Jewish Life and never to extinguish our flame of Judaism?"
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