Qatar’s Cyber trucks and the Menorah’s Flame: A Lesson in Authenticity
This week was a major moment on the world stage. One of the Israeli hostages, Edan Alexander, was finally released. But while that should have been cause for unity, something strange happened: Israel wasn’t even involved in the negotiations. President Trump traveled to Qatar, a country that doesn’t recognize Israel, and was greeted with a surreal scene: a welcoming party featuring camels and futuristic red cyber trucks.
It was a powerful image. Camels—symbols of the ancient desert world—alongside cyber trucks—symbols of modern technology and progress. But here’s the question: are countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and others really changing? Or are the cyber trucks just for show, while the values and ideologies remain stuck in the past?
This brings us to something surprisingly similar in this week’s Torah portion. The Torah repeats two mitzvot that were already mentioned earlier: lighting the Menorah and placing the Lechem HaPanim—special bread—on the Temple table. Why mention them again?
The answer teaches us something timeless. In the earlier portion, the Torah described the construction of the Menorah and the Table—how they were built. But here in Emor, the focus is on what you do with them. Not just their appearance, but their purpose: the Menorah has to be lit daily, and the bread has to be replaced weekly. Without that action, the Menorah is just a fancy decoration. The Table is just furniture.
Here’s the takeaway: it’s not enough to look holy—we have to live it. A house full of Jewish books doesn’t mean much if no one’s learning them. A person can dress or speak a certain way, but if there’s no real effort to grow, then it’s just a façade. Our identity—our tzurah—isn’t about image; it’s about action. And that action needs to be consistent, not one-time or symbolic.
Does this mean we shouldn’t aim high unless we can live up to it perfectly? Not at all; sometimes, you have to fake it until you make it—not out of hypocrisy, but because that spark that made you want to present yourself as a proud Jew. That instinct to wear a yarmulke in public or put a mezuzah on your door even though you are not doing other mitzvos—that spark is real and it’s holy. Use that image as motivation. Let it pull you forward. Say a bracha (blessing) over food even if you don’t feel very Jewish or spiritual that day. Put on a nicer outfit for Shabbos even if you’re home alone. These little actions matter. They are your inner Menorah; if you show up like that—every day, every week—it keeps your Judaism not just visible, but alive.
A story’s told about a wealthy man in pre-war Europe who decided to donate a beautiful menorah to his community’s shul. He spared no expense; it was made of pure silver and had ornate designs. It was the pride of the synagogue and every visitor would admire it; the donor felt proud knowing his name was associated with such beauty.
One night, someone noticed that the menorah had not been lit and, after investigating, it was discovered that it hadn’t been lit for several nights. The shamash (shul caretaker) had been away, and no one had done anything about keeping it lit.
When the donor found out, he was outraged. “How could you let my menorah sit there, dark and unused?” The shul president responded, “you gave us a menorah but what we needed was light.”
A core message in this week’s parsha—and of our own emotional and spiritual lives—is that it’s not enough to have the form—we have to activate it. What good is a silver menorah without the flame? It will be merely a museum piece without the impact it was intended to have. Whether you’re watching camels and cyber trucks in Qatar or looking in the mirror each day, it’s always good to renew our commitment to something we already know—real growth doesn’t come from appearances, it comes from daily effort.
May each one of us find the strength to keep showing up with sincerity and live according to our values and finding the strength to match our outer image with inner truth. Whichever way the chips fall for Qatar, we pray that HaShem protect Israel, return the remaining hostages, and bring true and lasting peace to our people and to the world.
Good Shabbos