Pure Gold

"You shall make a Menorah of pure gold... its tongs (to remove the used wicks) and its scoops (to remove the ashes) shall be made of pure gold".

I close my eyes and think of purity. I see myself standing at the head of the Shabbat dinner table, a cup of wine in my hand, on the table three candles are burning. I look at the peaceful flames and think of their significance, one for me, one for my wife, one for my little daughter.

The words of the Kidush prayer express the occasion perfectly: "and you have given us your holy Shabbat with love and goodwill".

If I can put my finger on holiness in this world, here it is. It’s a Menorah made of pure gold spreading spiritual light.

And then, it happens to the best of us, I sometimes have one of those days. Everything is going wrong, I'm inpatient, I'm stuck in traffic with a smashing headache. I'm struggling to honor my commitment to G-d, to my family, to my job, and to the people in my life. I look around me, and the brilliant light of a pure Menorah is nowhere to be found.

But the torah teaches an important lesson: you may not be constructing a Menorah, you are, however, creating its tongs and scoops. Which, as an integral part of creating a home for G-d on this world, are just as significant. They too must be made of pure gold.