It is not that I need them,2God says: It is not that I need the light of the candelabra. but rather, it is so that you illuminate for Me just as I illuminated for you. Why? It is to elevate you before all the nations, so that they will say: ‘Israel illuminates for the One who illuminates for all.’ This is analogous to a sighted person and a blind person who were walking.
The sighted person said to the blind person: ‘Come and I will guide you,’ and the blind person was walking. When they entered the house, the sighted person said to the blind person: ‘Go kindle the lamp for me, and illuminate for me, so you will not be beholden to me for accompanying you. That is why I am telling you to illuminate.’ So, the sighted person is the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “For the Lord, His eyes range throughout the entire land” (II Chronicles 16:9).
The blind person is Israel, as it is stated: “We grope a wall like the blind, like the eyeless we grope; we stumble at noon as in the dark of night” (Isaiah 59:10), with the [Golden] Calf at six hours.3Israel committed the sin of the Golden Calf at noon, six hours into the daytime, and thereby stumbled spiritually at midday. The Holy One blessed be He was illuminating for them and guided them, as it is stated: “The Lord was going before them by day” (Exodus 13:21).
When they came to craft the Tabernacle, He called Moses and said to him: “They shall bring you pure olive oil.” Israel said: ‘“For You will kindle my lamp” (Psalms 18:29), and You say that we should illuminate for You?’ He said to them: ‘It is in order to elevate you, so you will illuminate for Me just as I illuminated for you.’ That is why it is stated: “A flourishing olive tree.”