The eighth law revealed on this day was the lighting of the
candlestick. After all the princes of the tribes had brought their
gifts to the sanctuary, and God had bidden Moses to let them offer each
his offering, one a day, throughout twelve days, Aaron, profoundly
agitated, thought: "Woe is me! It seems as if, owing to my sin, my
tribe has been excluded by God from participating in the dedication of
the sanctuary." Hereupon God said to Moses: "Go to Aaron and say to
him, 'Do not fear that thou art slighted, and art deemed inferior to
the other princes of the tribes. Thou, on the contrary, shalt enjoy a
greater glory than all of these, for thou art to light the lamps of the
candlestick in the sanctuary.'" When Israel heard God's command that
the lights of the sanctuary be lighted, they said: "O Lord of the
world! Thou biddest us make a light for Thee that are the light of the
world, and with whom light dwelleth." But God replied: "Not because I
need your light do I bid you burn lamps before Me, but only the I might
thereby distinguish you in the eyes of the nations that will say,
'Behold the people of Israel, that hold up a light before Him who
bestoweth light upon the world.' By your own eye-sight can you see how
little need I have of your light. You have the white of the eye and the
black of the eye, and it is by means of this dark part of the eye that
you are enabled to see, and not through the light part of the white of
the eye. How should I, that am all light, have need of your light!" God
furthermore said: "A mortal of flesh and blood lights one light by
means of another that is burning, I have brought forth light out of
darkness: 'In the beginning darkness was upon the face of the deep,'
whereupon I spake, 'Let there be light: and there was light.' Shall I
now be in need of your illumination? Nay, I commanded you to light the
candles in the sanctuary that I might distinguish you and give you
another opportunity of doing a pious deed, the execution of which I
will reward in the future world by letting a great light shine before
you; and, furthermore, if you will let the candles shine before Me in
My sanctuary, I shall protect from all evil your spirit, 'the candle of
the Lord.'" [418]
Simultaneously with the command to light the sanctuary, Moses received
the instruction to celebrate the Sabbath by the lighting of candles,
for God said to him: "Speak unto the children of Israel; if you will
observe My command to light the Sabbath candles, I shall permit you to
live to see Zion illuminated, when you will no longer require the light
of the sun, but My glory will shine before you so that the nations will
follow your light." [419]
Aaron was distinguished not only by being selected to dedicate the
sanctuary through the lighting of the candles, God ordered Moses to
communicate to his brother the following revelation: "The sanctuary
will on another occasion also be dedicated by the lighting of the
candles, and then it will be done by the descendants, the Hasmoneans,
for whom I will perform miracles and to whom I will grant grace. Hence
there is greater glory destined for thee than for all the other princes
of the tribes, for their offerings to the sanctuary shall be employed
only so long as it endures, but the lights of the Hanukkah festival
will shine forever; and, moreover, thy descendants shall bestow the
priestly blessing upon Israel even after the destruction of the
Temple." [420]
The candlestick that Aaron lighted in the sanctuary, was not the common
work of mortal hands, but was wrought by a miracle. When God bade Moses
fashion a candlestick, he found it difficult to execute the command,
not knowing how to set to work to construct it in all its complicated
details. God therefore said to Moses: "I shall show thee a model." He
then took white fire, red fire, and green fire, and black fire, and out
these four kinds of fires He fashioned a candlestick with its bowls,
its knops, and its flowers. Even then Moses was not able to copy the
candlestick, whereupon God drew its design upon his palm, saying to
him: "look at this, and imitate the design I have drawn on thy palm."
But even that did not suffice to teach Moses how to execute the
commission, whereupon God bade him cast a talent of gold into the fire.
Moses did as he was bidden, and the candlestick shaped itself out of
the fire. As on this occasion, so upon other occasions also did God
have to present the things tangibly before Moses in order to make
certain laws intelligible to him. In this way, for example, at the
revelation concerning clean and unclean animals, God showed one
specimen of each to Moses, saying: "This ye shall eat, and this ye
shall not eat." [421]