Inspiring Change by Michael Berg

This week's portion begins, "The Creator speaks to Moses saying, "speak to Aaron and say to him, Beha'alot'cha et hanerot, when you elevate, when you light the candles in the candelabra in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, make sure that the candles shine towards the center, what’s called the face of the candelabra.'"

As is explained in many of the writings of the kabbalists, Shabbat Naso is a very significant Shabbat. There is the regular explanation of this week’s portion in the Zohar, but there is also something very unique: the revelation of what is called the Idra Rabba, or the Great Assembly.

There is a very famous section in the Midrash in regards to this portion, and I read it almost every year as I come to this Shabbat. The Midrash says that when the Creator revealed the Light at Sinai, 240,000 angels came down surrounding it. And it says that each one of the angels had a flag.

This week’s portion begins with a discussion of what’s called shmittah, the seventh year when no work of the land is supposed to be done. You can work for six years, but on the seventh, you must stop.

The kabbalists call this month Iyar, spelled Alef, Yud, Yud, Reish. These letters are a coded message that reveals the month’s internal energy. The word Iyar is actually an acronym for Ani Hashem Rofecha, which means, “I, God, am your healer.” During Iyar, therefore, we receive the gift of true and lasting healing.

The Shabbat of Tazria/Metzora is significant because two portions are read together, intertwining many of the lessons and Light that we receive this week.

I’d like to begin by sharing a kabbalistic insight from the Talmud about these portions:

On a literal level, the portion of Shmini talks about the culmination of Light that was revealed through all the work the Israelites and Moses did in constructing the Tabernacle.

This week, we want to understand what a unique gift is available for us in the portion of Tzav.