The Moral Flame

February 23, 2024

In this week’s parashah, we read about “the eternal flame” — the lamp that burned continuously in the Tabernacle. “The light of the eternal flame, according to our Sages, is what we would call today ‘enlightenment’ — moral education,” says Rabbi Ammi Hirsch. “Those who do not think deeply about morality stumble in darkness. Enlightenment requires moral discipline — always, every day, all the time.”