Shabbat shalom

This weeks parsha starts with the lighting of the menorah, the igniting of something new, and a symbol for many triumphs and holiness through our history.
One understanding and explanation of the menorah comes from the prophet Zecharya. There, the seven branches are connected to the “seven eyes of God”. Lighting the menorah, we can see, is not small task. Allowing the light to illuminate our spaces is an incredibly holy act. When Aaron is told to light it, he is meant to ascend, which is the name of this week’s portion.
There happens to be a lot of degradation this week as well, with complaining, disease and punishment raging through the remainder of this week’s reading. Maybe the parsha is reminding us of something brilliant; when we are at the bottom, as the children of Israel are, we must remember that we are actually “baalotcha”, working on our ascension. It is an opportunity to see things differently, feel things differently, and maybe even meet the eyes of God.