Weekly Portion – תְּצַוֶּה – Tetzaveh – You Shall Command – Exodus 27:20-30:10; Ezekiel 43:10-27
When we look at this week’s portion, our attention is drawn to an apparently insignificant technical commandment concerning pure, beaten olive oil for producing a continual light. Yet it is precisely here that one of the deepest truths of the biblical text reveals itself: true spiritual light does not arise in moments of brilliance, but in quiet, daily faithfulness. The “Ner Tamid”—translated: Eternal Light—is not fireworks, but a gentle, tireless glow, born from effort, purity, and the art of bearing responsibility even when no one is watching.
At the beginning of the weekly portion, a commandment appears that at first glance seems purely technical: “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure, beaten olive oil for the lampstand, to kindle an eternal light (Ner Tamid – eternal candle – נר תמיד).” This commandment does not merely demand that light be kindled; it speaks above all of the continuity of the act, so that the light may...
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