Face The Middle

Rashi in the beginning of Behaloscha says יאירו שבעת הנרות – שעל ששת הקנים, שלשה מזרחיים (ה)פונים למול האמצע הפתילות שבהן, וכן שלשה מערביים ראשי הפתילות למול האמצעי. ולמה? כדי שלא יאמרו לאורה הוא צריך.  Rashi is saying that the din of אֶל־מוּל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הַמְּנוֹרָ֔ה יָאִ֖ירוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת הַנֵּרֽוֹת is said on the wicks, not on the menorah itself.  This means that the din of  אֶל־מוּל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הַמְּנוֹרָ֔ה יָאִ֖ירוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת הַנֵּרֽוֹת isn't a din in the form and making of the מנורה, rather its a din in the lighting of the menorah (Briskor Rav.)  Rashi in this week's parsha (25:37) on the possuk וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ אֶת־נֵרֹתֶ֖יהָ שִׁבְעָ֑ה וְהֶֽעֱלָה֙ אֶת־נֵ֣רֹתֶ֔יהָ וְהֵאִ֖יר עַל־עֵ֥בֶר פָּנֶֽיהָ says והעלה את נרותיה והאיר אל עבר פניה – עשה פי ששת הנרות שבראשי הקנים היוצאין מצידיה מסובין כלפי האמצעי, כדי שיהו הנרות כשתדליקם מאירים על עבר פניה – מוסב אורם אל צד פני הקנה האמצעי שהוא גוף המנורה.  This Rashi sounds that the din of  אֶל־מוּל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הַמְּנוֹרָ֔ה יָאִ֖ירוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת הַנֵּרֽוֹת is a din that the nerot themselves should be facing the middle.  At face value it would seem that this Rashi contradicts the Rashi in Behaloshca is it a din in the wicks or a din in the nerot? It would seem that Rashi holds there are two dinim in this din.  One is a din in the lighting of the menorah, that is Behalosacha, and another is a din in the form of the menorah itself and that is parshas Terumah (see Bear Miriyam.)  [It is noteworthy that the Daas Zekanim does have a different way of learning the pessukim, as he sees in Terumah פי׳ והאירה המנורה אל השלחן שכנגד פניה של מנורה כדכתיב בפרשת ותכל וישם המנורה באהל מועד נכח השלחן מכלל דלהאיר על השלחן היתה המנורה וכן כתיב בפרשת בהעלותך אל מול פני המנורה דהיינו שלחן יאירו שבעת הנרות.]

The Rambam (Beis Habechirah 3:8) says שֵׁשֶׁת הַנֵּרוֹת הַקְּבוּעִים בְּשֵׁשֶׁת הַקָּנִים הַיּוֹצְאִים מִן הַמְּנוֹרָה כֻּלָּן פְּנֵיהֶם לַנֵּר הָאֶמְצָעִי שֶׁעַל קְנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה וְזֶה הַנֵּר הָאֶמְצָעִי פָּנָיו כְּנֶגֶד קֹדֶשׁ הַקָּדָשִׁים וְהוּא הַנִּקְרָא נֵר מַעֲרָבִי:  The Rambam is saying like Rashi in Terumah and note that the Rambam isn't writing in Laws of temmidim U'mussofim, rather in the Laws of Beis Habechirah.  One would infer from this that the Rambam holds that the din of  אֶל־מוּל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הַמְּנוֹרָ֔ה יָאִ֖ירוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת הַנֵּרֽוֹת is a din in the fashioning of the menorah.  The Briskor Rav finds this to be impossible for the possuk says דַּבֵּר֙ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֵלָ֑יו בְּהַעֲלֹֽתְךָ֙ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹ֔ת אֶל־מוּל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הַמְּנוֹרָ֔ה יָאִ֖ירוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת הַנֵּרֽוֹת, there is a command to Aharon.  If its a din in fashioning the menorah, what does it have to do with Aharon, he's the lighter, not the craftsman making the menorah?  We see it must be a din in lighting the menorah.  Therefore, he says that yes, the Rambam holds its a din that's applied to the nerot themselves, but that's merely the application, however, the yesod hadin is in the lighting of the menorah.  Hence, he concludes the nerot must only be tilting toward the middle when the menorah is lit, however,during the time its not lit, the menorah will still be a menorah even if the nerot aren't facing toward the middle.

However, in light of the Rashi in Terumah we do have a source for the simple reading of the Rambam that the din of the nerot facing the middle is a din in the fashioning of the menorah; the pssuk in Terumah.  The Rambam may derive from here the din that the menorah must have the nerot fashioned facing the middle.  Then we get to Behaloscha, when we encounter that its a din in lighting the menorah, Rashi holds it tells us something else, the wicks themselves must face inward.  The Rambam on the other hand, held it tells us that the din of facing the menorah is also a din in lighting the menorah (see Torah Or on Briskor Rav.)  What difference does it make that its also a din in lighting the menorah?  The difference will be if they aren't using the menorah of gold, rather of other metals, where it doesn't have the dinim that exist in forming the menorah (see Rambam ibid Law 4,) there still will be an obligation that when the menorah is lit, the nerot will have to be facing the middle.