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Why does the Torah (תורה) command Aharon and his sons to light the menorah before they receive their priestly garments? The Rambam (רמב"ם) rules that a kohen is preferable for lighting the menorah, yet a non-kohen may also perform it. The shiur develops the yesod that lighting the menorah relates not to temple service but to the kohen's role as teacher of wisdom to Israel.
Rabbi Zweig addresses an apparent difficulty in the sequence of Parshas Tetzaveh. The Torah (תורה) first commands that Aharon and his sons light the menorah, and only afterward discusses giving them the priestly garments (bigdei kehunah). This sequence is puzzling: a kohen who is not wearing the proper garments is considered a zar (non-kohen) and cannot perform the temple service. Logic would dictate that the Torah should first establish their status as kohanim through the garments, and only then assign them the duty of lighting the menorah. The Rambam (רמב"ם) provides a key to resolving this difficulty. He rules that lighting the menorah does not technically require a kohen at all; a non-kohen (zar) may perform it. However, the Rambam adds in a teshuva (תשובה) that a kohen is preferable (lechatchila), though if a zar performs it, it is valid bedieved. This ruling itself requires explanation: if a kohen is truly required, then a non-kohen's performance should be invalid. But if a kohen is not required, why is there any preference for a kohen at all?
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Parshas Tetzaveh
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