God wants us to serve Him with excitement and joy, which is reflected in the lighting of the the Menorah. The Ma’or VaShemesh reads the lighting of this lamp on the part of Kohen Gadol as analogous to the igniting of religious fervor that can often happen when people are in the presence of great religious teachers and inspirational spiritual leaders. Like the flame which achieves independence from the spark that ignites it and then draws from its own fuel to keep the light burning, so too, people need to draw from their own internal resources to maintain excitement and to be internally motivated to keep on growing.

"Ki Anu Amecha," "Klimovitcher Nigun," and "Nigun Hisva'adus" from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.