Beha’alotcha (To raise up) Num 8-12
Torah Portion: Beha’alotcha (To Raise Up) B’midbar (Numbers) 8:1-12:16
HafTorah: Zechariah 2:14-4:7
Tonight we talk about Beha’alotcha or “raise up.” This Torah portion covers many subjects from the dedication of the Levis to the sin of Aaron and Miriam, when they spoke against Moses. Fire also seems to play a large part in this Torah section. We see it at the beginning and also as a guide of the people later on.
Tonight I want to take this symbol of fire and see what we can glean from G-d’s word. In fact the very name of the section Beha’alotcha is usually translated as kindle, as here where the Torah speaks of the duty to light the Menorah in the Mishkan and later in the Temple. To help us in our quest for the spiritual lesson let us look at a couple of things. First, the word itself means kindle as it is usually translated, but another meaning is to, “raise up.” In this meaning it would speak to the priest to raise up the flame of the Menorah.