DECEMBER 26 • 2019 | 27

T

he sages teach us a 
primary function of 
lighting the menorah is 
pirsumei nissa, publicizing the 
great miracle that God per-
formed on our behalf when the 
Temple Menorah lamps lasted 
eight days in the time of the 
Maccabees. 
Therefore, we light the 
menorah in a window, a 
place that is highly visi-
ble to the outside world, 
a feature not found in 
any other mitzvah. We 
should try to light it 
when it starts to get dark 
outside and people are 
heading home. 
Based on the desire 
to publicize the miracle, 
the ideal place for a 
menorah would be right 
outside our front door. 
In Israel, most people 
light their menorahs in 
that spot. In the diaspora, where 
the Jews have historically been 
the victims of oppression, we’
ve 
been forced to move the light-
ing indoors. 
The sages teach us that a 
person should place the meno-
rah on the left side of the door. 
Because the mezuzah is on the 
right, the householder will be 
surrounded by mitzvot when 
entering his home. 
Is there any significance to 
which mitzvot are on what 
side when one walks in or out 
of his home?Interestingly, the 
mezuzah and the menorah 
represent two opposing ideas. 
The mezuzah is representative 
of compromise. Rashi says we 
should place it vertically, and 
Rabeinu Tam says we should 
place it horizontally. In practice, 
we place it diagonally in a com-
promise between the two. 
The menorah represents 

steadfast and unwavering 
commitment to Jewish values. 
It commemorates a mira-
cle that occurred to a small 
group of people that refused 
to be washed over in the tide 
of assimilation. This group 
merited seeing the last open 
miracle that the Jewish people 
witnessed. 
Let’
s get back to the 
placement of these objects 
in our doorway. As we 
walk into our homes, 
the mezuzah is on our 
right, the dominant side, 
reminding us that when a 
Jew comes into his home, 
he must be prepared to 
make compromises in 
order to uphold the sha-
lom bayit, the peace of the 
home. 
However, as one walks 
out of his house, the 
menorah is on the domi-
nant right side to signify to us 
that we cannot compromise 
our Jewish values at all when 
we are out in the big world. We 
cannot allow ourselves to make 
ethical lapses that we normally 
wouldn’
t do at home just to help 
business go more smoothly. 
We cannot allow our morals 
to become a bit more relaxed 
around the office, nor can we go 
hang out with friends in a man-
ner that contrasts to the sanctity 
of our Jewish home. 
We need to take every aspect 
of the moral fiber of the Jewish 
home and bring it with us into 
the world outside, without a 
smidgen of adjustment or mod-
ification. This is the message of 
the placement of the menorah 
and the mezuzah; together they 
make a portal of perfection. 

Rabbi Leiby Burnham is director of out-
reach for the Weiss Family Partners in 
Torah at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.

Parshat 
Mikketz: 
Numbers 
28:9-15; 
Zachariah 
2:14-4:7. 
(Shabbat 
Rosh 
Chodesh)

Rabbi Leiby 
Burnham

27 | DECEMBER 26 • 2019 

Spirit
torah portion

Reminded of Mitzvot

Hugo Wolf’s Complete Mörike Songs 
Martin Katz and Friends

Sarah Schafer, soprano 

Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano

Daniel McGrew, tenor 

Jesse Blumberg, baritone 

Martin Katz, piano

Part 1: Fri 1/10 at 8 pm

Part 2: Sun 1/12 at 4 pm

Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre

Hugo Wolf’s music perfectly matches the verbal rhythm and vocal 



 
Maurice and Linda Binkow Vocal and Chamber Arts Endowment Fund

Doris and Herbert E. Sloan Endowment Fund

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734.764.2538 
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