Bamidbar 8:1-4 במדבר ח׳:א׳-ד׳

בהעלתך. לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָרָשַׁת הַמְּנוֹרָה לְפָרָשַׁת הַנְּשִׂיאִים? לְפִי שֶׁכְּשָׁרָאָה אַהֲרֹן חֲנֻכַּת הַנְּשִׂיאִים חָלְשָׁה אָז דַּעְתּוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה עִמָּהֶם בַּחֲנֻכָּה לֹא הוּא וְלֹא שִׁבְטוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁלְּךָ גְדוֹלָה מִשֶּׁלָּהֶם, שֶׁאַתָּה מַדְלִיק וּמֵטִיב אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת (עי' תנחומא):

When you light. Why is the parshah of the Menorah adjacent to the parshah of the leaders? Because when Aharon saw the leaders’ dedication (offerings) he was humiliated, since he did not join them in the dedication, neither he nor his tribe. The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to him, “By your life, yours is greater than theirs! For you will light and cleanse the lamps.”

בהעלתך. עַל שֵׁם שֶׁהַלַּהַב עוֹלֶה, כָּתוּב בְּהַדְלָקָתָן לְשׁוֹן עֲלִיָּה, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהַדְלִיק עַד שֶׁתְּהֵא שַׁלְהֶבֶת עוֹלָה מֵאֵלֶיהָ (שבת כ"א), וְעוֹד דָּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ מִכָּאן שֶׁמַּעֲלָה הָיְתָה לִפְנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה, שֶׁעָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן עוֹמֵד וּמֵטִיב (ספרי):

When you light (lit. cause to rise). Because the flame rises, igniting is described in terms of “rising.” He is required to ignite [the lamp] until the flame rises by itself. In addition, the Rabbis derive from here that there was a platform before the Menorah, upon which the kohein stood when he lit [the lamps].

אל מול פני המנורה. אֶל מוּל נֵר הָאֶמְצָעִי, שֶׁאֵינוֹ בַקָּנִים אֶלָּא בְּגוּף שֶׁל מְנוֹרָה (עי' מנחות צ"ח):

Toward the face of the Menorah. Toward the middle lamp which was not on one of the branches, but on the Menorah itself.

יאירו שבעת הנרות. שִׁשָּׁה שֶׁעַל שֵׁשֶׁת הַקָּנִים, שְׁלֹשָׁה הַמִּזְרָחִיִּים פּוֹנִים לְמוּל הָאֶמְצָעִי — הַפְּתִילוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶן — וְכֵן שְׁלֹשָׁה הַמַּעֲרָבִיִּים רָאשֵׁי הַפְּתִילוֹת לְמוּל הָאֶמְצָעִי, וְלָמָּה? כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ, לְאוֹרָהּ הוּא צָרִיךְ (עי' תנחומא):

Shall the seven lamps cast [their] light. The six [lamps] that were on the six branches [and one on its stem]. The three eastern ones turned toward the middle [by] their wicks. Similarly, the three western ones — the heads of their wicks [were] towards the middle. Why? So that it whould not be said that He (God) needs the light.

ויעש כן אהרן. לְהַגִּיד שִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן שֶׁלֹּא שִׁנָּה (ספרי):

Aharon did so. To indicate his [Aharon’s] virtue — he did not digress.

וזה מעשה המנרה. שֶׁהֶרְאָהוּ הַקָּבָּ"ה בְּאֶצְבַּע, לְפִי שֶׁנִּתְקַשָּׁה בָהּ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר "וְזֶה":

This is how the Menorah was made. The Holy One, Blessed is He, showed him (Moshe) by pointing [as one would point] with the finger, since he had difficulty with it. This is why it says וְזֶה (“This”).

מקשה. בטדי"ץ בְּלַעַז, לְשׁוֹן "דָּא לְדָא נָקְשָׁן" (דניאל ה'), עֶשֶׁת שֶׁל כִּכַּר זָהָב הָיְתָה, וּמַקִּישׁ בְּקֻרְנָס, וְחוֹתֵךְ בְּכַשִּׁיל, לְפַשֵּׁט אֵבָרֶיהָ כְּתִקְנָן, וְלֹא נַעֲשֵׂית אֵבָרִים אֵבָרִים עַ"יְ חִבּוּר (עי' ספרא):

Beaten. Batedic (hammered) in Old French, meaning the same as דָּא לְדָא נָקְשָׁן, (“they struck one another”). There was a lump of gold, [weighing] a kikar, [which] he beat with a hammer and cut with shears to extend its (the Menorah’s) limbs properly; but it was not made limb by limb and [then] connected.

עד ירכה. יְרֵכָהּ הִיא הַשִּׁדָּה שֶׁעַל הָרַגְלַיִם, חָלוּל, כְּדֶרֶךְ מְנוֹרוֹת כֶּסֶף שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַשָּׂרִים:

From its base until its flowers. Its base was the hollow box over the legs, hollowed like the silver candelabras before princes.

עד ירכה עד פרחה. כְּלוֹמַר גּוּפָהּ שֶׁל מְנוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ וְכָל הַתָּלוּי בָּהּ:

From its base until its flowers. As if to say, ”The Menorah proper, in its entirety, and all its dependent parts.”

עד ירכה. שֶׁהוּא אֵבָר גָּדוֹל:

From its base. Which was a large limb.

עד פרחה. שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשֶׂה דַק שֶׁבָּהּ, הַכֹּל מִקְשָׁה; וְדֶרֶךְ "עַד" לְשַׁמֵּשׁ בְּלָשׁוֹן זֶה, כְּמוֹ "מִגָּדִישׁ וְעַד קָמָה וְעַד כֶּרֶם זָיִת" (שופטים ט"ו):

Until its flowers. Its most delicate work — it was all one piece. עַד (“until”), is customarily used in this sense, like “From the harvested crop, until the standing grain, and until the olive grove.”

כמראה אשר הראה וגו'. כַּתַּבְנִית אֲשֶׁר הֶרְאָהוּ בָהָר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ"ה) — וּרְאֵה וַעֲשֵׂה בְתַבְנִיתָם וְגוֹ' (ספרי):

According to the vision which [Adonoy] showed . . . According to the form which He showed him on the mountain (Sinai), as it is said: “Observe and make them according to the form. . .etc.”

כן עשה את המנרה. מִי שֶׁעֲשָׂאָהּ; וּמִ"אַ, עַל יְדֵי הַקָּבָּ"ה נַעֲשֵׂית מֵאֵלֶיהָ (תנחומא):

So he made the Menorah. The one who made it. But Midrash Aggadah [states] by the Holy One, Blessed is He, it was made spontaneously.