PARSHAT BEHALOTCHA · Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach

ENLIGHTING THE NATIONS: The Menorah and the Mission of Humankind

There are moments in Torah when one image contains an entire worldview. In Parshat Behalotcha, that image is the Menorah.

The Torah tells Aharon HaKohen:

“When you raise up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light toward the face of the Menorah.”1
— Bamidbar / Numbers 8:2

At first glance, the verse is speaking about the holy service in the Mishkan. Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, is commanded to light the seven lamps of the Menorah.

But Rashi notices something unusual. The Torah does not use the ordinary word for lighting. It says Behalotcha — “when you raise up.” Rashi explains:

“He is required to kindle the lamp until the flame rises by itself.”2

This is more than a law about fire. It is a model for spiritual leadership.

A true teacher does not merely shine his own light. He does not create followers who remain dependent on him. He places his flame close to another soul, patiently and lovingly, until that soul begins to burn with its own inner fire. This phrase — that the flame must rise by itself — is also rooted in the Talmudic discussion
of kindling the lights.3

This is one of the Rebbe’s powerful teachings on Parshat Behalotcha in Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 2. The Menorah is not only a vessel in the Mishkan; it is a symbol of Jewish souls.4 As the verse says:

“The soul of man is the lamp of Hashem.”5
— Mishlei / Proverbs 20:27

Every Jew is a divine lamp. Some flames are visible. Others are hidden beneath confusion, pain, distraction, exile, or spiritual sleep. But the flame is there. The task of Aharon — and of every Jew who follows in his path — is to reveal that flame, lift it, and help it shine until it rises on its own.

There is a beautiful story told by Yehuda Avner, Israeli diplomat and advisor to several Israeli prime ministers, about a private audience he had with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe described his work with the image of lighting souls. Avner asked the Rebbe, “Has the Rebbe lit my candle?” The Rebbe answered, in effect: “No. I have given you the match. Only you can light your own candle.”6

That sentence captures the whole secret of Beha’aloscha.

The Rebbe does not replace the person’s own soul. He awakens it. He gives the match, the warmth, the direction, and the courage. But the person must choose to burn. The true goal of spiritual influence is not control. It is not dependency. It is inner ignition.
This also explains the words of Rashi: “until the flame rises by itself.”2 The teacher must help another person reach the point where his own soul begins to shine from within.

But the light of the Menorah does not stop with Israel.
The Jewish people were not chosen in order to keep light for themselves. They were chosen to become a channel of divine light for the entire world. The prophet Yeshayahu says:

“I, Hashem, have called you in righteousness… and I will make you a covenant of the people, a light unto the nations.”7
— Yeshayahu / Isaiah 42:6

The Radak explains that Israel becomes a light for the nations through Torah — the light that goes forth from Zion. Through Israel, the world receives divine direction, moral clarity, and the possibility of peace.8

This gives Parshat Behalotcha a universal message. If the Menorah represents the souls of Israel, then its light must illuminate the world. And if every human being is created by Hashem, then every human being contains a divine purpose. The Ben Noach is not asked to become Jewish. He is asked to become fully alive as a human being created in the image of G-d — to recognize the One Creator and build a life, family, business, community, and society according to His will.

That is the meaning of the Seven Mitzvos of Bnei Noach.

They are not merely a minimal moral code. They are the Menorah of civilization. They are seven lights through which humanity becomes what Hashem created it to be.

The Seven Noahide Commandments teach the world:

There is one G-d.
His Name must be honored.
Human life is sacred.
The family must be holy.
Property must be respected.
Living creatures must not be treated with cruelty.
Society must establish justice.12

These seven lights protect the world from darkness. Without them, intelligence can become manipulation, power can become tyranny, freedom can become chaos, and even religion can be twisted into violence. With them, the human being becomes a partner in Hashem’s purpose for creation. The Gemara in Sanhedrin 59a teaches an extraordinary statement in the name of Rabbi Meir:

“Even a non-Jew who engages in Torah study is considered like a Kohen Gadol.”9

The Gemara clarifies that this refers to a non-Jew who studies the Torah that belongs to his mission — the Seven Mitzvos of Bnei Noach.9

This is breathtaking.

The Kohen Gadol was the holiest servant in the Beis HaMikdash. He entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. Yet the Gemara says that when a Ben Noach studies the Torah relevant to his commandments, he touches something priestly. He becomes a servant of G-d in the world.

The Meiri, in his commentary on Sanhedrin 59a, explains this with great dignity: when a non-Jew studies Torah in order to know and fulfill the commandments that apply to him, this is not a forbidden taking of what belongs to Israel. It is a praiseworthy and meritorious act, because he is learning in order to serve Hashem properly.10

This transforms the way we speak about Bnei Noach.

A righteous Ben Noach is not a spectator standing outside the story of Torah. He is part of Hashem’s plan for the world. He does not replace Israel, and he does not need to imitate Israel. He stands in his own place, with his own mission, and that mission is holy.

Now we can return to the Menorah.

Aharon had to light the flame until it rose by itself. The Rebbe gave Yehuda Avner the match — but Avner had to light his own candle. So too, a Jew who teaches a Ben Noach should not merely give him information. He should help awaken his conscience, his faith, his courage, and his responsibility — until the Ben Noach himself becomes a source of light.

And then the Ben Noach also becomes a lamplighter.

Once his own flame is burning, he has a responsibility to influence others. He can help other non-Jews discover the Seven Mitzvos. He can bring moral clarity into business, politics, family life, education, public speech, and social responsibility. He can remind the world that morality is not invented by governments, universities, media, or social trends. Morality comes from the Creator.

He can also encourage Jews to be faithful to their own Torah. This is an especially beautiful point. The nations are not meant to erase Israel’s mission. They are meant to recognize it. When a Ben Noach says to a Jew, “Your Torah is the light of the world — live it proudly,” he becomes part of the prophecy of Yeshayahu. He helps the Jewish people become what they were chosen to be.7

This is also rooted in halacha. The Rambam writes that Moshe Rabbeinu was commanded by the Almighty to bring all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments given to the descendants of Noach.11

The Jewish people therefore have a responsibility not only to keep Torah themselves, but also to help humanity live according to the divine moral order.

But the purpose is not domination. It is illumination.

The Jew does not need the Ben Noach to become Jewish. The Ben Noach does not need to become a Jew in order to serve Hashem. Each has a role. Each has dignity. Each has a mission.

The Jew is commanded in the Torah of Israel.
The Ben Noach is commanded in the Seven Mitzvos.12
Together, they reveal that the world has one Creator and one moral foundation.

The Rambam also rules that a non-Jew should study the Torah relevant to his Seven Mitzvos.13 This means that Noahide learning is not merely allowed as information. It is part of the Ben Noach’s path of serving Hashem with knowledge, clarity, and responsibility.

This is why the future redemption is not only a Jewish hope. It is a human hope.

The prophets describe a time when the nations will turn to Hashem with clarity. Yeshayahu says that many
peoples will declare:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Hashem… for Torah shall go forth from Zion, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem.”14
— Yeshayahu / Isaiah 2:3

Tzefaniah describes the same future in different words:

“Then I will transform the nations to a pure language, that they will all call in the Name of Hashem, to serve Him with one shoulder.”15
— Tzefaniah / Zephaniah 3:9

This is the ultimate Menorah: a world lit by divine awareness.

Not one nation conquering the others.
Not one culture erasing the others.
Not forced sameness.
But humanity united in the recognition of the One G-d.

The Jew brings the Torah light.
The Ben Noach receives that light and brings it into civilization.
Together, they prepare the world for Moshiach.

This is the message of Beha’aloscha for Humankind:

Do not remain an unlit candle.
Do not be satisfied with inspiration from the outside.
Let the flame rise by itself.
Learn the Seven Mitzvos.
Live them with dignity.
Teach them with humility.
Encourage Jews to live proudly with Torah.
Build homes, businesses, communities, and societies where Hashem’s light can be seen.

The Rebbe can give the match.
Torah can show the way.
The Jewish people can bring the light to the nations.

But every person must light his own candle.

A Ben Noach who does this is not merely a “righteous person”. He is a lamp of Hashem. He is part of the great Menorah of creation. And when his flame rises by itself, he becomes capable of lighting many more.

That is how the world becomes illuminated. Every Jewish soul aflame with Torah. Every Ben Noach alive with his divine mission. Every nation purified from falsehood, cruelty, and confusion. Every corner of creation illuminated by the knowledge of Hashem.

And then the promise will be fulfilled:

“The world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.”
— Yeshayahu / Isaiah 11:9 16

May the lighting of every soul, and the awakening of every nation, bring us closer to the complete and final
Redemption through Moshiach — speedily in our days.

Shabat Shalom.

By Rabbi Avriel Rabenou

Sources and notes

1 Bamidbar / Numbers 8:2 — “When you raise up the lamps…” This is the opening command of Parshat Behalotcha regarding the lighting of the Menorah.
2 Rashi on Numbers 8:2 — Rashi explains the word Behalotcha to mean that the Kohen must kindle the lamp “until the flame rises by itself.”
3 Shabbos 21a — the Talmudic source for the halachic phrase that the flame must be kindled until it rises by itself.
4 Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 2, Parshat Behalotcha — the Rebbe explains the spiritual meaning of the Menorah and the idea of lighting Jewish souls until they shine independently.
5 Mishlei / Proverbs 20:27 — “Ner Hashem nishmas adam”, “The soul of man is the lamp of Hashem.”
6 Yehuda Avner story, “The String and the Flame” / “To Ignite the Soul” — Yehuda Avner
relates his private audience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, where the Rebbe explained the idea of lighting souls. When Avner asked whether the Rebbe had lit his candle, the Rebbe answered that he had given him the match, but only Avner could light his own candle. The story is published by Jewish Educational Media / Chabad.org and is based on Avner’s recollection.
7 Yeshayahu / Isaiah 42:6 — Israel is called “a covenant of the people, a light unto the nations.”
8 Radak on Isaiah 42:6 — Radak explains that Israel enlightens the nations through Torah, the light that goes forth from Zion.
9 Sanedrín 59a — Rabbi Meir teaches that a non-Jew who studies Torah is considered like a Kohen Gadol. The Gemara clarifies that this refers to Torah relevant to the Seven Mitzvos of Bnei Noach.
10 Meiri on Sanhedrin 59a, ad loc. — The Meiri explains that a non-Jew who studies Torah in order to know and fulfill the commandments that apply to him is praiseworthy and receives reward.
11 Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim uMilchamos 8:10 — Rambam writes that Moshe Rabbeinu was commanded by Hashem to bring the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments given to the descendants of Noach.
12 Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim uMilchamos 9:1 — Rambam lists the Seven Noahide Commandments: idolatry, blasphemy, murder, forbidden relations, theft, courts of justice,
and the prohibition of eating flesh taken from a living animal.
13 Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim uMilchamos 10:9 — Rambam rules that a non-Jew should study the Torah relevant to his Seven Mitzvos.
14 Yeshayahu / Isaiah 2:3 — the nations will say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Hashem… for Torah shall go forth from Zion, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem.”
15 Tzefaniah / Zephaniah 3:9 — the future transformation of the nations: “Then I will transform the nations to a pure language, that they will all call in the Name of Hashem, to serve Him with one
shoulder.”
16 Yeshayahu / Isaiah 11:9; Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim uMilchamos 12:5 — the Messianic era is described as a time when the world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem “as
the waters cover the sea.”

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