The secret to ACHIEVING UNITY

The Torah describes the process of making the Menora as מקשה (literally hammered or beaten). The Menorah was made of one solid block of gold weighing a Kikar. It could not be made of pieces welded together. The gold would be beaten into shape with a hammer.

The force of the hammer would mould and direct the malleable gold. The gold which was initially higher would be pushed downwards and that which was lower would be pushed upwards until it took its form.

The Menorah represents the Jewish people. Yes there are seven unique branches, but in essence we are all one. The lowly foot and the uppermost flower-shape decoration, עד ירכה עד פרחה, are all integral and without them, the Menorah is invalid.

All of the Jewish people are responsible for one another -כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה. The word ערבים can also mean mixed; that all of the Jewish people are blended together to create a whole and each of us is influenced spiritually by the actions of one another.

Like the gold being hammered, sometimes the negativity from above - from a more spiritually elevated individual - is pushed down and manifests itself in the lowly sinful person. So too, sometimes the Mitzvos of the lowly person are elevated and influence the more lofty ones.

So, when we see negativity and flaws in someone who appears spiritually “lower” than ourselves, we should see their negativity as really being our own. But we should view ourselves in the inverse. We must take ownership of our negativity, but should view our merits and positive qualities as perhaps coming from those who we saw as being spiritually lower than us.

This way, we focus only the positive in others, leaving the fault-finding for our own Avodah. With this Achdus, we create a Menorah which is all of pure gold, from top to bottom. A Menora which will shine and radiate with the inner light of the pure Jewish soul.