By Tuvia Goldstein
In contrast to last week’s opening line of ויקחו לי תרומה, our פרשה begins with ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך. Instead of taking materials on behalf of ה', as was the case last week, משה is instructed to collect oil for himself. If the oil is for the מנורה, why is it referred to as oil for משה?
The משך חכמה explains that the oil is intended לך ולצרכך, similar to the language of לך לך. It is meant to personally assist משה. How so? Based on the comments of the אבן עזרא on בהעלותך (במדבר ח:א), he reinterprets a מכילתא. The מכילתא teaches that כל דברות שנדבר הקב"ה עם משה לא היה אלא ביום, from the פסוק of “ביום דבר ה' אל משה”. However, the אבן עזרא teaches that when the מנורה was lit, הקב"ה spoke to משה at night. Accordingly, הקב"ה’s communications with משה were less tied to the daylight hours specifically and more tied to the presence of light. That is why הקב"ה phrases the need for oil for the מנורה in terms of משה’s benefit. Via the lit מנורה, he receives the ultimate benefit - more opportunities to interact with the דבר ה'.
I think there are two incredibly practical takeaway messages. The first is an obvious extension to our modern abundance of light and the opportunities for תורה it affords. Personally, my night seder is my weakest seder and this idea only highlights the importance of strengthening that seder. We have an opportunity to step away from work and other responsibilities to learn. We have the opportunity to interact with the דבר ה' in the depths of the night.
In broader terms, I think this idea also highlights the modern comforts that we enjoy and often don’t notice. “You dream of opening a fridge … taking an egg, a vegetable, water.” This line(translated), uttered by Eli Sharabi in a heartrending interview he gave describing his time as a hostage, has been ringing in my ears all week. While trying to avoid a sense of “survivor’s guilt”, the most important element for me has been to appreciate how much we have. We have so much and we don’t even think about how much we have. How often do I open the fridge without giving it a second thought? How often do I not appreciate my easy access to food, shelter, water, and comfort? I think this idea highlights how important it is that we appreciate the incredible, yet often unnoticed, gifts that הקב"ה has given us in our modern age.
To avoid making this too long, I will leave a few unfinished ideas that I think tie in nicely and deserve further consideration:
• The ספר החינוך records a לאו to tear the מעיל, which is meant to teach us that clothing deserves to be valued and we should dress in a מכובד way.
• The מקרה approach of עמלק and how this appreciation for even the small things fights that mentality
• Finally, how this recognition of the small gifts relates to the נסים נסתרים of פורים.
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