24 Feb PARSHA IN PRACTICE: SKILLS FOR BETTER LIVING TETZAVEH – CONSISTENTLY BALANCED

What can the light of
the menorah teach
us about avoiding
“burnout”?
Parshas Tetzaveh opens with the mitzvah
to light the menorah in the Mikdash,
which must be done “tamid” (Shemos
27:20), a word typically translated as
“constantly.” However, as Rashi points
out, in this context, that cannot be its
meaning, as the candles were not up in
flames 24/7. Instead, Rashi comments,
the light of the menorah was “tamid”
in the sense that it was lit “consistently,”
every evening without fail. It may not
have burned continuously at all hours,
but the fact that it was ignited each day at
its proper time allowed it to achieve the
status of “tamid.”
Rashi provides a similar explanation
of the korban tamid, the twice-daily
offering introduced later in our parshah
(Shemos 29:38-42). He explains that
this sacrifice earned that designation,

“tamid,” not because it was brought non-
stop throughout the day, but by virtue of

being offered with consistent diligence
every day at its proper times, once every
morning and once every evening.
The Chofetz Chaim extrapolated that this
understanding can help us set reasonable
and healthy standards in our daily
mitzvah observance. Our engagement in
both Talmud Torah (represented by the
menorah [Bava Basra 25b]) and Avodas
Hashem (represented by the avodah of
the korbanos) need not entail performing
the same action at all times. By our new
definition, a masmid – from the same
root as tamid – is not one who learns at
all hours of the day without any down
time; and the title ba’al(as) chessed is
not limited to one who gives selflessly
without an allowance for a personal life.
Instead, a person exemplifying the quality
of temidus (consistency, not constancy)
need only follow the model from our
Parshah: establishing regular times for
learning, prayer, and mitzvah observance.
Such a schedule allows one to supplement
the day with other obligations: earning
a living, attending to family, social

responsibilities, and
self-care (eating,
sleeping, recreation).
Addressing each
avodah at its proper
time is the truest
fulfillment of “tamid.”
The Chofetz Chaim
was known for putting
these words into
practice, as he would
reportedly extinguish
the lights in his
Beis Midrash every
evening, encouraging
the talmidim to get a
good night’s sleep. He understood that if
something had to “burn out,” better it be
the candles than the students.
By remaining dedicated to Torah learning
and mitzvos daily, any interim hours
spent in business or pleasure are not
considered an interruption in temidus
(Menachos 99b). In fact, by explicitly
considering working and resting hours as
a means to help facilitate a life of study

and devotion to Hashem, one can elevate
and transform those mundane activities
into religious pursuits, as well (Rambam,
Dei’os 3:3). When a day is filled with
mitzvos and their supporting cast, there is
truly never a break from Avodas Hashem!
With this understanding of consistency,
we can avoid burnout while still
accomplishing “shivisi Hashem l’negdi
TAMID” (Tehillim 16:8).