Faithful to Our Inner Selves
וְכָל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ לֹא חִגֵּר, וְלֹא סוּמָא, וְלֹא פִסֵּחַ, וְעוֹשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ כְּאַחַד מֵהֶם, אֵינוֹ מֵת מִן הַזִּקְנָה עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כְּאֶחָד מֵהֶם,
‘‘And anyone who is not lame or blind but pretends to be as one of these, he will not die of old age before he actually becomes one of these.’’
This Mishnah from Masechet Peah, warns us not to pretend to be disabled or disadvantaged for gain, lest we will genuinely become so.
In his book Simchat Yisrael, Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa (1765-1827) brings up a funny question which is asked by a certain Rabbi following the Mishna above: “So what does it mean for someone who pretends to be a Rabbi?”
Before we attempt to answer this question, let’s look at our Torah portion this week - Tetzaveh. The portion begins with the following verse:
וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה ׀ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃
“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.”
The last Hebrew words here, Ner Tamid, could simply be translated into “eternal flame” - the lamp that kept burning. This eternal flame is a central Jewish practice which has numerous symbolic meanings. Suffice it to say that today, in 2026, you will still find in every temple in the world a permanent light in the structure to symbolize this eternal flame. It is the flame of the divine dwelling, or the Shechina, and it is the light of our people which we keep lit even in times of utmost darkness.
Some Hasidic interpretations chose to view the eternal flame as an inner light, as a symbol for our souls.
I love the analogy of the Ner Tamid, the eternal flame, to our souls. It has the very uplifting message that no matter how dark it sometimes feels, the light within us never goes off. It could be hidden, hard to see, but it’s always there. But how can we find that light, in times when it is hidden from us?
It is written in Proverbs:
נֵ֣ר יְ֭הֹוָה נִשְׁמַ֣ת אָדָ֑ם חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ כׇּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן׃
“The human spirit is the lamp of God
that sheds light on one’s inner being.”
Rashi explains that the soul is God’s candle, used when it is time to search for everything within us that we are trying to hide. We may be able to hide from ourselves, but not from God. The word “chofesh” in this verse comes from the root “to search” and therefore many commentators follow Rashi.
But chofesh also means freedom. How can our eternal flame set us free?
Here is a beautiful quote by Rav Kook:
“The difference between a slave and a free man is not just a difference of class. In this case one is enslaved to another, and the other is not enslaved. We can find an educated slave whose spirit is full of freedom, and conversely, a free man whose spirit is the spirit of a slave. Characteristic freedom is that uplifting spirit by which a person, as well as the people as a whole, is lifted up, to be faithful to his inner self, to the mental quality of the image of God within him, and with such a quality he is able to feel his life as a life of purpose that is worth living.”
To be set free, according to Rav Kook, is “to be faithful to our inner selves.” Our inner self, according to him, was created in the image of God, and thus it contains all the knowledge of wholeness. Because of it, we find ourselves always striving to reach that state of wholeness. Throughout our lives we often fail to find it. Living an unauthentic life is what keeps us enslaved. But every once in a while, we do find the right direction and, by getting closer to who we really are, it sets us free.
Our portion this week, Tetzaveh, continues to detail the garments and clothes of the high priest. It is always fitting that this portion is read in proximity to Purim, a holiday where we also display clothes.
Most of us wear costumes on Purim. We also live our lives wearing different costumes. These costumes help us display our identities to the outside world. When those costumes aren’t authentic we are trapped in them, but when they are, they make us shine.
Purim is an opportunity to try on a costume which may feel silly at first, but by trying it on, we might find ourselves feeling something while we are in it, something which we may have always had. Maybe if we give ourselves an opportunity to pretend to be better, we might actually end up turning in the right direction, the direction of our inner selves, an opportunity to expose a little more of our eternal flames.
“So what does it mean for someone who pretends to be a Rabbi?”
To answer in a Mishnaic fashion:
‘‘…anyone who is not a rabbi but pretends to be one, will not die of old age before he actually becomes one.’’
Watch the video in Hebrew:
