The Torah begins its description of lighting the lamps in the Tabernacle with the word “T’tzavveh” — “you shall command” or “you shall instruct.”
That opening word echoes another familiar word: mitzvah.
How do we understand what it means to do a mitzvah?
In one of my classes, we explored that very question. For some, a mitzvah means being commanded by God. For others, it is a bridge between ancient ritual and modern life — a way of linking ourselves to generations past. When we perform a mitzvah, we join a chain that stretches backward and forward, binding Jews together across time through a single sacred act. For many, a mitzvah is ultimately about connection — to Jewish practice, to community, to values, and to God.
Whatever definition resonates most, a mitzvah creates holy attachment: attachment to divine expectation, to our own Jewish identity, and to one another.
The Torah’s structure here is striking. It does not first describe the light and then label it a mitzvah. The command — the connection — comes first. Only then comes the light.
The message is profound: whenever we engage in a mitzvah, we create connection — and from that connection, light emerges: a light that transcends generations and a light that anchors us in a story and a purpose larger than ourselves.
Each mitzvah opens us to the possibility of becoming bearers of that light. What a beautiful, bright, illuminating task.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is senior rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik or on Instagram @rabbiguzik. For more writings, visit Rabbi Guzik’s blog section from Sinai Temple’s website.
