This Shabbat:

Friday Candle Lighting: 7:40 PM

Shabbat Ends: 8:41 PM

Torah Message:

Why is the Menorah mentioned here? (v. 8:2ff.)

Rashi: Why is the section dealing with the Menorah placed next to the section dealing with [the dedication offerings of] the leaders?

Because when Aharon saw the dedication [offerings] of the leaders (above, ch. 7), he was dismayed that he was not included with them in the dedication, neither he nor his tribe. G‑d said to him, “By your life! Your [act of dedication] is greater than theirs, for you will light and prepare the lamps [thereby dedicating them].”

Ramban: Rashi’s solution is difficult for me to fathom. For why should Aharon be consoled through the lighting of the Menorah, which was not the exclusive right of the High Priest? Surely, Aharon should have been consoled by a service which he alone was entitled to perform, such as the daily offering of incense, the High Priest’s meal-offering or the service of Yom Kippur?

Rather, it appears to me that the section regarding the Menorah follows the section concerning the dedication of the Altar as a hint to the rededication of the Menorah that occurred in the times of the second Temple, which we commemorate on Chanukah.