Gold as a symbol of light

In Parshat Truma (Shmot 25:31) we read about the Menora:

You shall make a menora out of pure gold. The menorah must be made by hammering its form out of a solid piece of gold. Its base, its shaft, its cups, its knobs, and its flowers shall be of the same piece of gold.

The three types of metal that were used in the mishkan were gold (zahav), silver (kesef) and copper (nechoshet). Gold is of course the most precious.

Copper, the least expensive of these metals is found in abundance in the Land of Israel. It is mentioned in Dvarim 8:9:

A land where you will not eat bread in poverty, you will lack nothing there; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose hills you will mine copper. You will eat and be full and you will bless HaShem, your God, for the good land that He has given you.

Gold has been found in Israel, near Eilat, but in much smaller quantities.

In Shmot Raba 35:1, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said:

The world was unworthy to have the advantage of gold, but it was created for the sake of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) as it says in Breisheet 2:12, “And the gold of that land is good,” with which we may compare, “That good hill country and the Levanon (Dvarim 3:25).”

The good hill country refers to Jerusalem while the Levanon refers to the Beit HaMikdash.

The Misrash lists 7 kinds of gold that were found in the Beit HaMikdash. They are: Good gold (tov), pure gold (tahor), beaten gold (shachut), overlaid gold (sagur), refined gold (mezukak), gold of Parvaim and the finest gold (mufaz).

Sadly, gold was used to make the Golden Calf which is associated with idol worship and corruption. However, gold is also the symbol of purity and refinement as we see in the Menora which brings light to the world.