The opening Rashi of the sedra points out that Aharon was down-heartened when he saw the grand korbanos of the princes for the opening of the mishkan (parshas Naso) because his tribe did not take part in these. HaShem said to Aharon ‘you are greater than them for you light the menorah.’ Why was the job of lighting the menorah greater than the princes’ korbanos; if anything, the korbanos were more public and with grand ceremony? An answer is that the korbanos were a one-off thing for the dedication of the mishkan. The job of lighting the menorah is a daily task – and therein lies its importance. The things which we do daily in avodas HaShem are the things more central to our Jewish lives, and we therefore have a more regular opporunity to perform them. That was Aharon’s prize.
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