A Vort From the Rebbe Parshas Tzav , Rabbi Leibel Schapiro - 5786

A verse from the Rebbe in this week's parsha, parsha tzav. In the beginning of parsha tzav, it talks about the mizbeach. And the possuk says, "Aish tamid tukad al hamizbeach." A constant fire should burn on the mizbeach. And Rashi comments that the word tamid, which means constant, which is written by the fire of the mizbeach, is written someplace else, too. Concerning the lighting of the menorah. By the menorah it says, "Laha'alot ner tamid." When you light the menorah it should be a fire of tamid, which is a constant fire. So it says tamid by the fire of the mizbeach, it says the word tamid by the menorah. That teaches us, as the Rashi says, that "Aish she'ne'emar ba'tamid, he she'ne'emar b'tokha u'v'samaneiha." The fire that's written by the mizbeach, the word tamid, is the one that's being used to light the menorah, which also says tamid. Which means, "Af heim al hamizbeach achitzah tukad." That she also, which means it also, which means the menorah also should be the fire on the menorah should be taken from the mizbeach achitzon, from the outside mizbeach. And the Rebbe explains this din, that you have to light the menorah from the fire that's on the mizbeach achitzon, the outside mizbeach. There is a spirit a spiritual lesson that we take from here. The menorah, which has the fire lighting in the menorah, hints learning Torah. Torah is connected to light. Possuk says, "Ki ner mitzvah v'Torah ohr." Mitzvah is like a candle, but Torah is like fire, like light. So when it says "Ner tamid," it represents the union of Torah. In Torah there is a mitzvah to learn Torah constantly. Whenever you have a chance, you have to learn Torah. And because the menorah's light represents Torah, so that's why by the menorah it also says the word ner tamid, because Torah is tamid. And this idea that you have to light the menorah with the fire of the outside mizbeach teaches us something special. First of all, it teaches us that somebody who actually does his obligation to learn Torah constantly, he does it fully, properly. Which we would call even "Torah osei umnosei," means his whole occupation is Torah. So a person like that might think that it's enough if he fills his whole world with Torah, and there's nothing else that he needs to do. After all, he's completely involved in Torah. Comes the lesson from this halacha that lighting the menorah, which means Torah, has to be from the fire that's on the mizbeach achitzon. And there's two lessons that we take from here. Number one, we light the menorah from the fire of the mizbeach achitzon, the outside mizbeach, not from the mizbeach hapnimi. There was another mizbeach, a small one that stood inside the building, in the heichal, which was very close to the menorah. We didn't take it from the mizbeach hapnimi, the fire was taken from the mizbeach achitzon. Why from the outside mizbeach? This teaches us that in order that your learning Torah should be in the proper way, it should be ner tamid, constant candle, which means it should always be it should be properly, you have to also get involved in things of the outside. Mizbeach achitzon means the outside mizbeach. What does it mean you have to get involved in outside mizbeach? First of all, it's not enough learning Torah, you got to do mitzvahs. Mitzvahs is considered outside of the person compared to the mizbeach to the to Torah. Torah is something which is in the person's mind, while mitzvahs you do on the outside of the person. So first of all, it means that when you light the menorah, which means the fire of the menorah, the learning Torah has to be connected to the fire of the outside, which means you have to get involved in outside things, which is doing mitzvahs. And besides that, it also means that you have to get involved with people outside of you, other people, and also outside of you means in a lower level than you are. You have to get involved in other people, helping other people. So this that you have to light the menorah from the fire of the mizbeach achitzon tells you that you have to light the menorah, you have to learn, but it has to come with the fire of the outside. You have to realize that you have to do things with outside, you have to do mitzvahs, which is the outside of the person, and you also have to help outside people. And the second thing is, this mizbeach achitzon was used mainly that that's where you sprinkled the blood of the korbanos, and that's where you burned the fats of the korbanos. Now we know blood always represents excitement, hispa'alus. Fats represents pleasure. Something he says, "Ah, this fat, this is tasty." This is The fats represents pleasure. And that's what the mizbeach was used for, to sprinkle the blood on the mizbeach and to be makriv, to sacrifice the fats on the mizbeach, the pleasure. So from here we learn that in order that the Torah should be properly, which is the menorah, has to come from the fire of the mizbeach, which is the place where you sprinkle the blood, and the place where you burn the fats. It's a place that represents that your excitement and your pleasure is to Hashem. It's on the mizbeach to Hashem. So this teaches us that in order to learn Torah properly, you have to give up everything else. You can't be involved in pleasures of the worldly pleasures, and you be excited about other things. It has to be all from the mizbeach, which means to Hashem. And actually, this is what the Rambam writes, "Mi she'nosei libo la'keter Torah u'k'ro'eiha." Someone wants to do the mitzvah of learning Torah properly, "v'lihyot muchtar b'keter Torah." You want to be crowned with the crown of Torah, "lo ya'aseh adato l'dvarim acherim." Don't put your mind to other things, "v'lo yo'mar libo she'yikneh Torah im ish u'v'kavod kacha." Don't think that you're going to acquire Torah together with being involved in riches and in honor. No. You have to be maysit at ta'avis v'ta'anugai hazman m'libo. Hazman m'libo. You have to take away your desires and your pleasures of the time, of the physical pleasures from your heart. And that's the spiritual lesson that we take from the fact that the fire on the menorah has to be connected to the fire of the mizbeach.