An Eternal Flame (Parashat Tetzaveh)

"And you shall command the Children of Israel that they shall take for you pure olive oil, pressed for illumination, to kindle a lamp continually."

In the beginning of this week's parasha, we are given the commanment of the Ner Tamid - the menorah which would burn in the Temple.  This menorah was to be lit by the Kohen Gadol and was of tremendous importance.  Indeed, even today shuls maintain some form of a Ner Tamid.  Most have a symbolic light hanging near the Aron Kodesh and some have the minhag to light candles by the amud whenever it is time for tefilla.

The Baal Haturim points out a very interesting vort on the first pasuk which Rav Shmuel Kaminetzky expounds upon.  He says that if you look at the word תצוה - you shall command, the letter ת has a numerical value of 400 similar to the word נשים  - women. This, he says, is an allusion to a woman's obligation to light candles for Shabbat. 

Rav Shmuel Kaminetzky adds that from here we can see that the importance of women lighting candles for Shabbat is just as important - just as holy - as the Kohen Gadol lighting the Menorah.  Wow!!  When a woman lights Shabbat candles, she transforms her home into a mini Bet HaMikdash.

Often I am challenged by my female students with arguments or complaints that (in their opinion) the Torah seems to favor men.  From this pasuk we can see that is most certainly not the case!!  Clearly, women are held in very high regard by the Torah.  Though the roles of men and women are different, they are equally important.

Rabbi David Cohen emphasizes that the time of candle lighting is an ideal time for a woman to pray for her family and herself.  He jokes that if a woman's candles are still burning after she finishes praying, she didn't pray hard enough.  If she had prayed hard enough - the tears she cried would have put out the candles.

With these thoughts in mind, may the women of Klal Yisrael fulfill their roles in Torah, may they light the candles for Shabbat with kavana and tefilla - knowing that they are doing comparable work to that of the Kohen Gadol.  And in this z'chut, may Hashem rebuild the Bet HaMikdash speedily in our days!

Shabbat Shalom!