The Eternal Flame is Still Burning

By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.

In the very first verse of Parashat Tetzave, God commands that a lamp, filled with oil, burn all night in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle or portable sanctuary that our ancestors built in last week’s Torah portion. Aaron is commanded to have the Israelites bring clear, beaten olive oil for the Ner Tamid,  the eternal flame, a lamp that was to be kept burning “continually” or “regularly,” from evening until morning in the Mishkan. This is the origin of the Ner Tamid, the light that every Aron haKodesh, Holy Ark, has above it. This is one of many symbols identifying the modern synagogue as a miniature sanctuary, a mikdash m’at.

Simultaneously, while this external reminder of God’s enduring presence burns, each and every one of us has an internal spark as well, as we are all created B’tzelem Elohim, in God’s Image. God does not only dwell in the holy spaces around us, but within each of us burns a divine light. The eternal flame both within us and around us are the internal and external reminders of holiness. We each have the potential to add light to this world, an oftentimes challenging world that can feel quite dark at times.

This theme of holy eternal light from our weekly parasha coincides with Shabbat Zachor in a non-leap year, like this one, in other words, the majority of the time. It seems only fitting that on this Shabbat before Purim, when we focus on the past enemies, from Amalek to Haman, we are commanded to remember the darkness, to not forget those who have historically attempted to extinguish our light as a people. Rather, the light both within us and around us has always prevailed, even if it has flickered during difficult stages in our lives, both individually and as a community.

Just as our synagogue is a mikdash m’at, a holy space where Jews gather as a community to experience the divine in the company of others, so too are our bodies holy vessels housing the divine spark within each of us. We all have the potential to experience the divine both within us and around us, the eternal flame that ignites us to blot out evil, ultimately increasing the light and holiness in our world.