You shall instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten
olives for lighting, to keep the lamps burning continuously. Aaron and his
sons shall set them up in the Tent of Meeting. . . [to burn] from evening to
morning before the Holy One. It shall be a due from the Israelites for all
time, throughout the ages.
-Exodus
27:20
This week’s Torah portion, Tetzaveh, offers the model
for the Eternal Light (ner tamid) that burns before the ark in every
synagogue. The original context refers
to the portable sanctuary that the Israelites carried through the desert; later
it was applied to the Temple in Jerusalem.
After the Temple was destroyed, the Eternal Light became an essential
piece of synagogue architecture; the commentator Ibn Ezra proclaims this an
obligation applicable for all future generations. It’s not clear in the Torah whether this flame
was actually maintained 24/7, but that has become the custom in sanctuaries
around the world today (with some thanks to very long-lasting light
bulbs). Most Jews understand it as a reminder
of the constancy of God’s Presence.
In 1978, one of my Jewish heroes, Rabbi Everett Gendler, led
his congregation in Lowell, Massachusetts to install the first solar-powered
Eternal Light. He recognized the unique facility
of this ancient Jewish symbol to speak to the connection between Judaism and environmentalism. For Rabbi Gendler and his community, the ner
tamid became a model and inspiration for sustainable living.
I hope that in the coming months, our “Greening CABI” task
force will explore this idea—and others—as we seek to significantly lower our
congregation’s carbon footprint. What
could be more apt than starting with this classic sign of God’s constancy? To light our sanctuary with the always-renewable
energy of the sun is a sacred path. It’s
just a start, of course, but what a wonderful way to encourage discussion—and action—around
the sources of energy we employ, at shul and at home, too.
Light is, of course, the very first thing that God creates
in the book of Genesis—and for many of us, it marks the beginning of a new
day. Luminosity is, therefore, almost
always associated with holiness. Psalm
97 proclaims: Or zarua latzadik—Light is sown for the righteous!
May we sow the seeds of sacredness and stewardship with the
light and power we choose to illuminate CABI.
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