This week’s Torah portion T’tsaveh begins with the commandment to the Israelites to kindle the Tabernacle lights regularly. The Hebrew phrase ‘ner tamid’ refers to a lit lamp. The lamp should not be on perpetually; rather it should be present in the sanctuary all the time. The eternal lights in synagogue sanctuaries are there to remind us of this commandment, to have a lamp always there. In the first and second Temples there was a ner tamid.
There is a saying that “Every Jew must light the ner tamid in their heart”. This is saying that we should always try and be a light to our neighbors, acting morally and honestly. We should be role models act with exemplary behavior. In the Torah it says we should be a “light to the nations”. That is the expectation and we should try and live up to what God expects of us.
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