Torah and the Concealed Light – Turning “Light” into “So”
In the beginning of our parsha, Hashem relays instructions through Moshe for how Aharon is to light the Menorah. The following verse then says, “ויעש כן אהרן — Aharon did so.”[1] This verse is somewhat perplexing, for it seems to be stating the obvious. Having been told by Moshe how he is to light the Menorah, would we have imagined that Aharon would then do otherwise, requiring the verse to reassure us that, in fact, he lit the Menorah as he was told?[2]
The Malbim explains that there is a deeply significant message being communicated by this verse.[3] The Sages inform us that the light with which we see is not the original light that Hashem created. There was a prior, supernal light, which Hashem then “concealed,” leaving us with the light that we have now. This idea is actually alluded to in the Torah’s account of Creation. With regard to all the things that Hashem said should come into being, the Torah describes their doing so with the words “ויהי כן — and it was so.” The exception is with the creation of light, concerning which the verse says:
ויאמר אלקים יהי אור ויהי אור.
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.[4]
We note that the verse does not conclude as it does with other matters, “ויהי כן — and it was so,” but rather, “ויהי אור — and there was light.” The reason for this is when it came to the creation of light it was not “so,” for the light that was originally spoken of was not the light that was ultimately created. Rather, that original light was concealed, with another light taking its place. Therefore, the verse states: “God said, “Let there be light [of one form], and [then] there was light [of a different form]!”
If we wish to attain some understanding of what this “Concealed Light” is, we first need to find out where it is concealed — if we can. Perhaps once we know where to find it, we can get a glimpse of what it looks like. The answer here is provided by the midrash, which states that Hashem concealed this light within the Torah. No doubt, this idea can be understood on many levels, but on a basic level it means the following:
Different forms of light do not create new things for us to see; they provide a new means through which to view that which is already there. There are many ways in which we can view life, establishing certain goals as paramount, seeing certain values as inviolable, ascribing significance to some things while denying it to others, seeing some pursuits as worthwhile and others as worthless. The Original Light was a means through which to survey the world through the perspective of Absolute Truth, with knowledge of how to define value, importance, and success.
When the midrash says that the original light was then concealed in the Torah, it means that when one learns Torah, he accesses the light through which to view the world as it should be viewed. He may discover that some things which people tend to view as of extreme importance, such as wealth and social prestige, are not actually that important at all. Conversely, he may discover that there are certain things which are of utmost importance that are commonly overlooked, such as humility, control of one’s base inclinations, and a connection with the Creator. In the most profound and meaningful of ways, he comes to see the world in a different light.
Given that we are enjoined to learn Torah, which is permeated with this light, we are forced to conclude that although Hashem concealed it in the Torah, He wants it to be uncovered! Moreover, not only is this light meant to be uncovered within the Torah, it is further meant to become the light in which we view the world! Looked at in this way, the goal of learning Torah could ultimately be defined as that of transferring the Original Light from being concealed in the Torah to its being manifest in our lives. In so doing, we reverse the sequence which operated at the time of Creation, replacing the subsequent, lesser, form of light with the original one!
The vessel in the Temple that represents the light of Torah is the Menorah. Indeed, the service of lighting the Menorah each day had the spiritual effect of bringing Torah insight and illumination into the world. As we have seen, through this process, the original light is given an opportunity to re-enter the world, thereby finally fulfilling the original command of “Let there be light.”
This, says the Malbim, is the meaning of the words “ויעש כן אהרן — Aharon did so.” As we noted, at the time of Creation, light was not accompanied by the words “ויהי כן — and it was so,” since the original light was concealed. Through kindling the Menorah, thereby revealing and releasing that original light into the world, Aharon provided the “כן — so” which had been missing since the time of Creation!
This exchange of “light” for “so,” which began with Aharon lighting the Menorah, remains a profound mission statement for all Torah learning from that time onward.
[1] 8:2.
[2] See Rashi to Bamidbar loc. cit.
[3] Commentary to Bamidbar loc. cit. (Torah Ohr section).