Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

“This is the making of the Menorah [Temple Lamp], hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the Menorah.”

We should understand the matter of hammered work in ethics. RASHI interpreted, “It was one talent [piece] of gold. He would strike with a hammer and cut with an axe to fashion its pieces appropriately, and it was not done piece by piece by connecting.”

In other words, it was one whole, and many parts were made of it. Here lies the main difference between the way of Judaism, which maintains that the foundation should be faith, while that of the nations of the world is by knowing. That is, they think that by researching Him they will attain Him. Hence, they walk on the path of detail-by-detail, meaning intellectual understandings that they learn about Him.

Each time, they think that they understand Him better. That is, they take organ by organ and turn them into a Menorah, meaning that by learning more about Him each time, they will finally have the quality of a Menorah.

But the way of Judaism is the opposite. The way is that they take the talent of gold, called “will to receive,” from the word Ze-Hav [give this/lit. gold], and strike with a hammer, meaning they go with the qualities of mind and heart, and this is called “hammered work,” since they go by the way of faith. At that time, he has many questions, since the matter of faith begins specifically where the intellect does not agree. Naturally, it is hard for him to accept the faith above reason.

The verse also adds, “from its base to its flowers.” “Its base” means while he is still at the time of concealment, from the words “As a thigh is concealed.” “To its flowers” means that he begins to blossom and wants to take the blossoming as a foundation for his work. This, too, is forbidden. Rather, it must be hammered work from beginning to end, “according to the pattern which the Lord had shown.” This is the meaning of the work of the Menorah in which Moses was perplexed.

The order is that in order to obtain Hochma [wisdom], we follow an order of degrees, meaning from a small mind to a bigger mind until we are rewarded with the real mind. Also, he gives an opposite order, meaning that the basis is faith above reason.

Precisely by this, we are rewarded with the knowledge of Kedusha [holiness], meaning that we begin by accepting the work as “hammered work,” and there is no cutting of limbs in the work of the Menorah, meaning not any work, but only faith.

Precisely through the beatings, called “striking with a hammer,” we come to obtain details, for there is a difference between one Mitzva [commandment] and the next.

It follows that if in the beginning it was one talent of gold without any discernments, afterward it became many details that have one connection. Conversely, the way of the nations of the world is the opposite, as it is written (in the “Introduction of The Zohar, 161) that a philosopher asked Rabbi Shimon, etc.