The Alshich also infuses a great deal of meaning into the description of the menorah, although different than the Abravanel. Instead of seeing the menorah as wisdom, he sees the menorah as symbolizing man and what he should strive for. The menorah symbolizes man who is like a lamp, ready to give light with the help of the Lord, through Torah and good deeds. It is therefore 18 handbreadths high, the height of a medium-sized man. Though formed of gross matter, he should make himself pure and free of dross and sin like pure gold.
Man can only become a lamp of pure gold through the cleansing and refining effect of suffering.
To this the expression beaten work alludes. We have been taught that everything recorded in the Torah is designed to provide us with a permanent source of inspiration and Divine wisdom with which to perfect ourselves. We can see through the Abravanel and the Alshichs commentaries that even the portions of the Torah that seem the most difficult to apply to our lives today really do hold valuable lessons for us.