Let The Flame Rise- BeHaalotecha Shabbat and the Battle For Our Neshama

 Shabbat, the Menorah, and the Awakening of a Nation  Inspired by the Call of the Rishon LeTzion, Rav Shlomo Amar,and Parshat Beha’alotcha     This week’s Torah portion, Beha’alotcha, begins with acommand to Aharon HaKohen to light the Menorah — the eternal flame thatsymbolizes divine wisdom, clarity, and spiritual illumination. And in a waythat only the Torah can, a deeper meaning flickers to life:     בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת – 'When you kindle thelamps...' (Bamidbar 8:2)     Rashi explains: “This teaches that the flame should rise onits own.”     The Menorah was not just a ritual. It was a spiritualignition. The Kohen lit the wick — but the flame had to rise independently.That’s the model of true spiritual awakening: you can inspire someone, but thelight has to catch on its own and illuminate the world.     This week, that flame is rising again — in the streets, onthe front lines, in homes, in bunkers, in the hearts of a people who are wakingup.     From the Darkness of Exile to the Dawn of Redemption  In a powerful letter written for this Shabbat, Rav ShlomoMoshe Amar, Rishon LeTzion and former Chief Rabbi of Israel, declares withclarity:     'The time has come and the voice of redemption is beingheard — a voice of joy, a voice of salvation.'     He describes an awakening among Israeli soldiers — secular,unaffiliated, often raised far from tradition — who are grabbing hold ofTehillim, wrapping Tefillin, and choosing to keep Shabbat on the battlefield.He calls it “a mighty spiritual awakening.”     But this awakening is not only theirs — it must be ours.     The Enemy that Attacks When We Are Weak  Later in this parsha, we are told what happens when thelight of the Menorah is not protected — when achdut (unity) breaks, whencomplaint and confusion enter the camp:     וַיְהִי הָעָם כְּמִתְאֹנְנִים – 'The people were likethose who seek a pretext...' (Bamidbar 11:1)     And soon after, we hear about external threats:     וְכִי־תָבֹאוּ מִלְחָמָה בְאַרְצְכֶם עַל־הַצַּר הַצֹּרֵר אֶתְכֶם  'When you go to war in your land against an enemy whooppresses you…' (Bamidbar 10:9)     The Torah instructs us: blow the trumpets. Sound the alarm.But not just for defense. The pasuk continues:     וְנִזְכַּרְתֶּם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם – “And you shall beremembered before Hashem your God.”     War, in the Torah’s language, is never just physical. It isspiritual warfare, demanding spiritual responses. Sounding the trumpet is acall to Heaven, a cry for divine remembrance. And the Menorah? It is theanswer: the light that drives away the darkness.     Two Shabbatot Can Bring the Geulah  Rav Amar emphasizes a deep teaching from the Gemara:     'If the Jewish people keep two Shabbatot properly, theywill be immediately redeemed.' (Shabbat 118b)     Why Shabbat? Because Shabbat is the Menorah of the week. Itis when we illuminate our homes with kedushah, with Torah, with peace. Itreconnects us with our identity and with each other.     Every candle we light on Erev Shabbat is another lamp on theMenorah — a declaration that our homes are not dark. That Am Yisrael is stillburning with holiness. That we are not giving up.     A Call to Action: Join the Awakening  Rav Amar calls on every family, community, and shul:     “With great emotion and with joy, I call upon all the peopleof Israel to take part in this sacred endeavor — to uplift Shabbat in theirhomes and communities, with honor and love.”     And this Shabbat, let us join that call. Let us light ourMenorahs — our candles, our homes, our children’s neshamot — and let the lightrise on its own.     Let’s speak to our children about the power of Shabbat.Let’s sing together at the table, bless our children with full hearts, speakwords of Torah, and pray for our brothers and sisters on the front lines.     A Final Blessing  May Hashem heal the wounded. May He return the captives. MayHe protect our soldiers and civilians. And may our light — the light of faith,of mitzvot, of Shabbat — rise higher and higher.     בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת — Light it… and let it rise.     May we soon merit to see that great light — the rebuildingof the Beit HaMikdash, the return of the Shechinah, and the arrival of thefinal geulah, speedily in our days.