As the Netziv points out (in his commentary at the beginning of our Parashah), the Menorah symbolizes all forms of wisdom. This is why it must be made from one solid piece of gold - not welded together - because all wisdom has one elemental Source. He goes on to explain that the middle stem of the Menorah represents the wisdom of Torah, where the three branches on each side represent other forms of wisdom which are, essentially, included in the wisdom of the Torah. The three wicks on each side must face the center - just as all other intellectual disciplines must serve the wisdom of Torah and its study.

We need one more piece of information to explain the need for a "front" of the Menorah. Besides the Menorah, there are two other vessels in the Sanctuary: the Mizbach haK'toret (Incense Altar) and the Shulhan (Table). Whereas the Mizbach haK'toret was further back and in the middle of the Sanctuary, the Shulhan was near the front, just like the Menorah - and on the opposite side of the Sanctuary from the Menorah. In other words, the Shulhan and the Menorah were somewhat matched in the Sanctuary.

What was on the Shulhan?

And you shall set Lechem haPanim ("Showbread") on the table before me Tamid (always)". (Sh'mot 25:30)

The purpose of the Shulhan was to house the Lechem haPanim - bread that has a "face" or a "front" - and that bread was to be on the Shulhan at all times - Tamid. (See BT Menahot 99b).

We now look across the Sanctuary to the Menorah - which was to house the everlasting flame - the Ner Tamid - and the association is clear. In order to complete the symmetry, the Torah commands Aharon to make a "Panim" (face/front) for the Menorah - such that the "Panim" of the bread and the "Panim" of the Menorah face each other, creating an outside analogue to the K'ruvim.

SUSTENANCE AND WISDOM

If the Menorah represents Wisdom, what is represented by the Shulhan and its attendant Lechem haPanim? As Ramban (Sh'mot 25:30) points out, the Lechem haPanim was the source of God's blessings of sustenance - the symbolism is pretty straightforward, considering that bread is usually associated with physical existence and nourishment.

So - we have two vessels, facing each other in the Sanctuary - with their focal components consistently present ("Tamid"). What are we to make of this phenomenon?

The Rabbis already taught us:

If there is no flour (bread), there is no Torah; and if there is no Torah, there is no bread". (Avot 3:17)

In other words, while the Torah distances itself in no uncertain terms from hedonism, asceticism is also not the ideal. We must balance our physical needs and material pursuits with our pursuit of wisdom - and Torah. We must note that the Shulhan and the Menorah face each other and are mutually interdependent.