We stand at the eve of Rosh Chodesh Adar, and the famous saying rings out:

What do we do on Tisha b'Av? It is even forbidden to study Torah, except sad topics (Yirmiyahu, Eikhah, Iyov). For the verse says: « Pikudei Hashem yesharim, mesamchei lev » — Hashem's precepts gladden the heart.

The Greeks sought to destroy Israel's spirit (to stop Torah study); Haman sought to destroy the bodies. Both wars aim at the manifestation of the Holy One in the world. Our answer, on principle: we study even more.

Before entering the parasha, recall where and when it was given to Moshe.

« Moshe went up the mountain, the cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh He called to Moshe from within the cloud. » Moshe then remained forty days and forty nights on Har Sinai.

And immediately after:

The Holy One then told Moshe something extraordinary.

This vessel will be called the Mishkan (מִשְׁכָּן), from the same root as Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה): the place where the Divine Presence will enter and reside.

Among all the vessels, the Menorah draws attention. Every time the Torah speaks of it, the same phrase recurs:

« You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; of one hammered piece (Mikshah) shall the Menorah be made. » Two details puzzle us: « Mikshah » means a single hammered block; and why the passive « תֵּעָשֶׂה » (it shall be made) rather than « תַּעֲשֶׂה » (you shall make)?

The Keruvim are a winged boy and girl set upon the Ark: two faces, wings, feathers — all from a single block of gold! That seems far more complex than a Menorah. And single-block trumpets that must also produce sound are hardly simple either.

To understand, we must grasp what the Mishkan truly is. View it by drone from above: on the ground we see… the body of a reclining man!

Check it, piece by piece: the Kodesh HaKodashim is the head; the Ark and its two Tablets, the two lobes of the brain; the Keruvim, the ears; the Golden Altar (incense), the nose; the Table of the showbread, the mouth; the Menorah, the eyes; the Outer Altar, the stomach; the Kiyor (basin), the water organ; the acacia boards, the skeleton; the coverings (Yeri'ot), the skin.

Consider the three vessels of the Kodesh, which are the three organs of the face: the Golden Altar (incense = the nose), the Table (food = the mouth), and the Menorah (light = the eyes).

The eyes are the only transparent place in the body, the only organ linking outside to inside: they are the windows of the Neshama. To say someone has « good eyes » is to say they have a beautiful soul.

The Menorah therefore represents the Neshama of the Mishkan. Without it, the Mishkan is a body without a soul.

Why? Moshe knew the Mishkan would be stored away, and the 1st then 2nd Temple destroyed. He wanted a guarantee: just as at the Resurrection Hashem will restore souls to bodies, He will restore the Neshama to this « body » that is the Beit HaMikdash. This is the assurance of the Third Temple — for Hashem is a partner. Bimheira b'yameinu, Amen.