Rashi explains that the word “and this” means that Hashem showed Moshe with His “finger” the exact pattern of the Menorah, as Moshe was puzzled regarding the Menorah’s pattern. Perhaps this can be further explained in the following manner: Two men are each given the necessary materials with which to build a house, although neither has the knowledge or the talent to perform this task successfully. These two individuals explore different routes in order to confront this challenge. One goes to a carpenter to learn the necessary skills for building a house. Afterwards, he takes the materials and builds the house. The other individual attempts to build the house on a trial and error basis. Through this home study course, he eventually learns how to build a house, but the materials with which he had begun will have been depleted in the course of his education.
This parable can apply to man’s course in life. The time is short, and the work and responsibility are awesome. There is no time to test out the pathways of life to ascertain which is the most effecaceous lifestyle to maintain. The reason that Hasehm has graciously given us the Torah, which is a heavenly mirror of the Divine wisdom, is to light up these pathways of life for us. In his lifetime, man cannot afford the luxury of a trial and error education. The light of the Menorah symbolizes the light of Torah, as it says in Mishlei (6:23), rut vru,u vumn rb hf. Moshe entreated Hasehm to show him the complete and correct pattern of the Menorah, which symbolizes the proper pattern for a true Torah lifestyle.
