“The Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to Aharon and say to him, When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand” (Bamidbar 8:1-2).
Parshat Beha’alotcha opens with the command for Aharon to light the Menorah in the Mishkan - a task that was to be done daily in the Temple by his descendants.
The Torah continues by reporting that “Aharon did so; he mounted the lamps at the front of the lampstand, as the Lord had commanded Moses”. Rashi, bothered by this seemingly obvious and hence unnecessary piece of information, notes that it comes to teach that Aharon carried out the command faithfully, exactly as commanded. This is quite a comment. Why wouldn’t Aharon do exactly as commanded?
If there is anyone who should know the danger of changing G-d’s command it is none other than Aharon. His two children, Nadav and Avihu died when bringing "a foreign fire that G-d did not command” (Vayikra 10:1). Understand he did. The Torah is stressing that Aharon learned from this great tragedy and understood that G-d’s commands are to be followed exactly as given.
Yet as wonderful and obvious as such sounds it is not actually true. There are times when one should not follow G-d’s command exactly as given. And it was none other than Moshe Rabbeinu who taught that there are times when we must improvise and slightly amend G-d’s instructions. Moshe may have been, as we read later on in the parsha, "the most humble of all who walked the face of the earth" (Bamidbar 12:3) and may "have spoken to G-d face to face" (Bamidbar 12:8), but he was not afraid to adjust G-d's words.
“It was taught in a Braita: Moses did three things on his own, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, agreed with him. He added one day [to the days of separation before the revelation at Sinai] he separated from his wife and he broke the tablets” (Shabbat 87a).
G-d told the Jewish people to prepare “today and tomorrow (Shemot 19:10)” i.e. for two days before receiving the Torah, did not instruct Moshe to leave his wife[1] and surely never told him to break the tablets. Yet based on his logical reasoning and interpretation of the Torah, Moshe felt empowered to do so.
This is a truly amazing Talmudic passage. It is not only that Moshe acted on his own initiative, he claimed Biblical warrant for doing so. While the Torah does not directly tell us that G-d agreed with his decisions the Talmud notes we can interpret the Torah in such a manner.
G-d did not reveal Himself until after the three days indicating that He agreed to Moshe's adding of a third day to prepare to receive the Torah. After the giving of the Ten Commandments G-d tells Moshe to tell the people, “Return to your tents but you remain here with Me” (Devarim 5:2-27) which the Talmud interprets to mean that Moshe’s separation met with G-d’s approval, hence while all went back to their “tents” to live a normal family life Moshe had to stay with G-d.
Such is surely not the pshat, the plain meaning of the text. Moshe had to stay behind, as the verse continues so that “I will give you the whole Instruction, the laws and the rules, that you shall impart to them, for them to observe in the land that I am giving them to possess.” There is no indication that Moshe could not go back to his tent—just a bit later.
The third innovation mentioned is the breaking of the luchot habrit, the tablets containing the aseret hadibrot. Reish Lakish derives G-d’s acquiescence, even joy, with a play on the words “״אֲשֶׁר שִׁבַּרְתָּ״, Asher Shibarta, that you broke, understanding asher, that as ashrei, blessed, such that G-d was telling Moshe יִישַׁר כֹּחֲךָ שֶׁשִּׁבַּרְתָּ, congratulations for breaking them.
If the notion of Moshe separating from his wife is not evident from the text, it is at least a plausible way to interpret it. However, thanking Moshe for breaking the tablets contradicts the plain meaning of the text. “The Lord said to Moses: “Carve two tablets of stone like the first, and I will inscribe upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you shattered” (Shemot 34:1). As Rashi explains, G-d is telling Moshe, ‘you broke them, you can write them this time. I will not write them again’.
This is the beauty of Torah. The Divine book is written in such a manner that allows, encourages and obligates many levels of interpretation – even at times in ways that go against its plain meaning. Moshe need not have added a third day, separated from his wife nor broken the tablets. But he understood that such was the teaching of the Torah even as G-d did not teach him that. Even, or is it especially, Moshe who learned Torah directly from G-d understood he could add his own interpretations. “Torah is not heaven” (Devarim 30:12) and it is man who must interpret the Torah (see Bava Metzia 59a).
Moreover, occasionally if no interpretation is found, one may have to just ignore the Torah. “There is a time to act for G-d, they have nullified your Torah” (Tehillim 119:126). If Rebbe Yehuda HaNasi had not taken the fateful decision to “nullify” the law by committing the Oral law to writing, you would not be reading these words. The Torah would have been long forgotten. To save the Torah he had to break the Torah.
But “adding” to the Torah must be done very, very carefully. Aharon understood that when it comes to the Mishkan, to the place where G-d’s presence dwells, there is no room for human initiative. One does not go to G-d’s house and make changes. One follows G-d’s instructions exactly as told. Veer one iota and the punishment is harsh and instantaneous.
There is no area of law as regulated as the Temple service. What animals may be brought, when sacrifices might be offered, where to sprinkle the blood, how to ascend the altar, light the candles, bake the bread and on and on it goes. The Temple is G-d’s domain where we exhibit 100% loyalty.
But the Torah must permeate everywhere. And if one never changes one stagnates and withers away. It takes great skill to interpret Torah in such a way that is faithful yet relevant and meaningful. Tragically, lacking a Sanhedrin, our ability to interpret or change the Torah is greatly (though not entirely) curtailed. We are still, however, obligated to apply the Torah in such a way that is faithful yet relevant and meaningful to people’s lives.
There is much that can be changed without going against any aspect of the Torah. Jewish law is known as halacha which means to walk. Halacha must never be static, always moving in ways so that it remains the greatest guide to life. Knowing how to properly do so requires much wisdom and understanding. Sadly, many were incapable of displaying such in the face of modernity, leading the majority of the Jewish people to reject the primacy of halacha.
Aharon was commanded to light the Menorah, to bring light to the world. That light is never to be extinguished. We can ensure the light of Torah shines brightly by demonstrating that a life of Torah is a life of integrity, menschlichkeit, and justice.
[1] According to many commentators it was his leaving his wife that led Miriam and Aharon to speak negatively of Moshe arguing that they too were prophets but did not leave their spouses. This sad story concludes parshat Beha’alotcha.