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Why does Parshas Tetzaveh command Aharon specifically to light the menorah before installing him as Kohen? The menorah represents two flows: serving Hashem (ה׳) inward, and disseminating wisdom outward to Klal Yisrael. Aharon's role is primarily the latter—bringing Torah (תורה) light to others. This outward focus is the essence of Purim (פורים)'s kabbalas haTorah b'ratzon and the mitzvos of mishloach manos and matanos l'evyonim.
Rabbi Zweig analyzes the seemingly illogical structure of Parshas Tetzaveh, which begins with the command for Aharon and his sons to light the menorah before describing their installation as Kohanim through the special garments. Logically, one would expect the Torah (תורה) to first establish them as Kohanim and then assign their duties. This structural anomaly reveals a fundamental Torah principle about the dual nature of the menorah's function. The shiur explains that the menorah served two distinct purposes. The first is the service flowing from the Jewish people toward Hashem (ה׳)—the standard understanding of avodah in the Mishkan. For this function, any properly installed Kohen in his garments could serve. However, the Gemara (גמרא) in Bava Basra reveals a second flow: the menorah (positioned in the south) was the vessel through which Hashem disseminated wisdom to the Jewish people, while the shulchan (in the north) dispensed wealth. This is why one who prays for wisdom should tilt toward the south, and one who seeks wealth should tilt toward the north during Shemoneh Esrei.
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Tetzaveh (Shemos 27:20-21)
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