Living with the Parshah
Lighting the Lamps

"Please turn the light on, Sara," Sara's mother called from the bottom of the basement stairs. "And let's look for a duffel bag for you to take to camp."

Sara flicked on the light switch at the top of the stairs and headed down to the basement. Camp wasn't for a while yet, but Sara was so excited about it that she had asked her mother to help her get ready early. It was a special camp. The camp had an amazing program where each girl was paired with a young camper who had never been to camp before. Sara remembered her first time at camp and how scary it was, and she was excited to have the chance to help someone else!

"Thank you for turning on the light, Sara. Now let's see where that duffel bag might be…" Sara's mother opened a big cupboard filled with all kinds of odds and ends.

"Wait! Mom? You just said 'turning on the light,' right?"

"Yes, dear?" Sara's mom paused with one hand on the cupboard door.

"Well, I knew something was bothering me in school today, and now I know what it is! The name of this week's Torah reading! Why would G‑d tell Aaron the Priest to light the Menorah in the Temple using the word beha'alotecha? That means 'to raise up'? Why doesn't it say, 'light the Menorah' instead of 'raise up'?"

Sara's mother smiled. "Imagine if I asked you to 'raise up' the light on your way to the basement!"

"Exactly!"

"There are two ways to light a candle, Sara. One way, you strike the match and hold the fire to the wick for just a moment. You hope that the wick will catch the flame. The other way is to hold the match to the wick until the wick is burning on its own. Which do you think Aaron did?"

"If he was commanded to 'raise up' the flame and not just 'light' it… I think he was supposed to hold the match there until the wick was going up on its own. Until it was 'raised up'!"

"That's right!" Sara's mother started sorting through the closet as she talked. "Now, when you're at camp, you're a lamplighter, just like Aaron. There are two ways to help the girl who is your partner, right?"

Sara thought about the first time she was in camp. At first she didn't want to go anywhere alone and stayed with the counselor everywhere. But, slowly, the counselor helped her feel more confident. "I guess I can help her in a way that she can learn to help herself, right?"

"Right!" said Sara's mom as she pulled a big duffel bag out from the back of the closet. "If you do that, you will be raising up a light."

"And then that girl will be able to help other girls too! Thanks Mom!" Sara took the bag from her mother. This was going to be an amazing summer.