What is our fundamental purpose in life?
Are we here to attend to our own needs and occasionally extend our time and resources to others when convenient, or does our primary existence revolve around helping others?
To shed some light (pun intended), consider the golden Menorah that stood in the Holy Temple, adorned with goblets fashioned in the form of triangles. Remarkably, on the Menorah, these goblets were situated upside down; the wider opening faced downward while the narrow base pointed upward. But why?
The Menorah, like the Temple itself, symbolized a radiant source of light, spreading goodness, morality, and holiness into the world. The inverted goblets mirrored this purpose. A cup is designed to receive, yet it fulfills its true function only when turned upside down, generously nourishing others with its contents.
Likewise, the more our personal cups are inverted, the greater our joy becomes. Embracing a focus on others, generously sharing our time, energy, and resources with those around us, constitutes our purpose of why we’re here in the first place; to be an ambassador of light in this world. While acknowledging the importance of self-care, it is critical not to lose sight of our ultimate purpose, to shine our inner light and illuminate the world around us.