Shomrei Eternal

eternal_lightYou shall command the people of Israel that they should bring pure olive oil, crushed lighting to kindle ner tamid (Exodus 27:20).

Ner means light. Tamid means eternal. That’s what each word means by itself. But what do the words mean when you combine them? How should we end the verse?

Option 1: ner tamid, an eternal light (suggested by Ramban, aka Nachmanides). The end of the verse should thus be read: to kindle the eternal, constant, unending light. The lamp is lit once and, thereafter, it stays eternally lit like the light hanging in our sanctuary in front of the ark.

Option 2: ner, tamid (with a comma), light eternally (suggested by Rashi). The end of the verse should thus be read: to kindle the light continually, unendingly. It is the act of lighting the lamp, rather than the light itself, that is continuous. Hence the lamp must be relit each and every day.

This was the topic of Torah study at my brother’s shul a few week’s ago. The Rabbi presented both interpretations and asked us to think about which one – a light eternally lit or the act of eternally lighting – was more meaningful.

Some people voted for the eternal light – that the eternal light reminds us of God’s unwavering presence. However, just because something is there all the time does not mean that we notice it. In fact, just the opposite may happen – we may not notice something just because it is always there. And so most of the people voted for the second interpretation – that we need to light the light each day and, by so doing, keep reminding ourself about God’s presence.

It occurred to me that a similar question could be asked about Shomrei (or any shul for that matter).

As Ken pointed out in his article “Shomrei: There When We Need It”, it is so easy to take Shomrei for granted and assume that it will always be there when we need it. But will it be? And what do we mean by “Shomrei” anyway?

Shomrei is not just a building – although on a cold day last year when we lost heat at our home, I was glad to have a warm place to hang out. Shomrei is a Big Picturecommunity – a group of people who share a set of core values, a group of people with whom to share good times and bad times, a group of people to pray with and to play with…I could go on and on and on.

I am blessed at the continued presence of Shomrei in my life and for all the opportunities that Shomrei continually offers me.

 

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