The various forms of the Menorah were to be hammered out from one large ingot of gold. The Midrash teaches that Moshe had great difficulty visualizing the exact appearance of the Menorah. In response, Hashem showed him a Menorah made of fire. Moshe was still concerned regarding his ability to make the Menorah to Hashem’s specifications. Hashem told Moshe to cast the ingot into a fire, and a completed Menorah emerged. The Menorah, therefore, was actually created without human intervention. The Maharal suggests that Moshe fashioned the Menorah, but when he cast it into the fire as part of the usual process of crafting it, the Menorah was miraculously created.
Regarding the word “see”, in reference to Moshe’s vision of the Menorah, the Baal Ha’Turim cites the Mesorah which quotes two other instances in which the word “see” is used. One of them is the pasuk, “and you will see sons to your sons, peace upon Yisrael,” which alludes to the blessing of realizing Torah nachas from one’s children. Horav Ze’ev Weinberg, Shlita, suggests a thoughtful application of the relationship between the vtru of the Menorah and that of raising children. Chazal teach us that such crucial things as banai, chayai, u’mezonai, children, life and a livelihood, are effected by Hashem through Divine assistance. We have seen throughout time that some of the greatest Torah scholars have come from “simple” homes. Their parents did not descend from noble ancestry. Their fathers were not roshei yeshivah, but through siyata d’Shmaya, Hashem Divinely confers special favor upon certain individuals.
Horav Weinberg contends that there is another common ingredient regarding instances in which parents experience amazing nachas from their children. This ingredient is called vision. These people had a vision, an image of what they wanted their children to look like when they grew up. They set specific goals based upon lofty values, and they hoped and prayed that they would be worthy of Torah nachas. The rest was up to Hashem.
This concept applies to the Menorah. Moshe Rabbeinu had a vision of the finished Menorah. He understood how it should look. He knew, however, that only through Divine intervention would the Menorah take form. He threw the ingot into the flames and waited for Hashem to create the masterpiece. Likewise, when parents raise children, they must aspire and strive for greatness. They must set definite goals and do whatever is in their power to realize these goals. They must “see” — visualize their children as G-d-fearing scholars. Additionally, they must provide them with an education that will continue to imbue them with the resources with which they can pursue these goals. Finally, they must pray constantly to be worthy of siyata d’Shmaya that their children grow up to realize their parents’ aspirations.
