“And You Shall Make a Menora of Pure Gold”

The command concerning the menorah in Parshat Teruma seems to be out of place, and linguistically difficult. The command is addressed throughout in the second person singular, to Moshe, including the conclusion, which describes the purpose of the vessel – up to and including the making of the lamps. The instruction to light the lamps, however, is formulated in the third person (“he shall light…”). Through a close analysis of the text we can learn about the unique dual nature of the Kohen as both a servant of God and a representative of Bnei Yisrael.