Dear Friends,
Fire is a complex element… It can warm and cook; it can harm and destroy.
This week, our Torah portion begs a look at fire as it offers instructions for the ancient burnt offering. The priest was to consume an animal fully in fire, and then remove its ashes and place new wood on the altar. The section concludes, “A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out.” (Leviticus 6:6)
Yes – it is a nice image, a wonderful metaphor: to keep a fire burning perpetually. This feels like a spiritual precursor to the Ner Tamid, the Eternal Light, reminding us of the presence of God.
But, fire is complex. As an element, its warmth is both a gift and a risk. Who among us hasn’t been burned at one time or another – by touching a hot pot, drinking a scalding cup of tea, or some other accident. We curse the fire.
And, in these recently frigidly cold days of winter, we are thrilled that our pilot light is on, and the furnace ignites. We stand by the fireplace and let it warm our cold legs. We turn on the stove and boil water for soup. We bless the fire.
No wonder the Torah charged the priest to maintain the perpetual fire. In truth, as dangerous as it can be, when used well, fire is a better resource than it is a danger.
When used well… We are again struck by the terminology of war, as the images from Ukraine are as relentlessly perpetual as the fire which the priests maintained millennia ago. Rockets are fired at apartment buildings. Tanks fire at soldiers. Planes fire missiles at targets. Firefighters race to extinguish fires in homes and schools. And, to the terrified citizens of Ukraine, it feels never-ending, a perpetual fire, a la 2022. Today, it is not the fire which is “not to go out;” it is the Ukrainian mother and child, grandfather and resident. And, to hurt even more, too many homes are without heat as bombs have severed gas lines. Even a welcome fire is absent, far from perpetual.
It would be nice to have different terminology. It would be nice if fire could be a neutral noun, and not a terrifying verb. It would be nice if fire was “only” a mechanism to bring God near. It would be nice if fire was something which we could control, in our stove or furnace. It would be nice if fire was in the precinct of the priest, to make blessings.
But, fire is a complex element…
Shabbat Shalom, and Chag Purim Sameach,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Fire is a complex element… It can warm and cook; it can harm and destroy.
This week, our Torah portion begs a look at fire as it offers instructions for the ancient burnt offering. The priest was to consume an animal fully in fire, and then remove its ashes and place new wood on the altar. The section concludes, “A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out.” (Leviticus 6:6)
Yes – it is a nice image, a wonderful metaphor: to keep a fire burning perpetually. This feels like a spiritual precursor to the Ner Tamid, the Eternal Light, reminding us of the presence of God.
But, fire is complex. As an element, its warmth is both a gift and a risk. Who among us hasn’t been burned at one time or another – by touching a hot pot, drinking a scalding cup of tea, or some other accident. We curse the fire.
And, in these recently frigidly cold days of winter, we are thrilled that our pilot light is on, and the furnace ignites. We stand by the fireplace and let it warm our cold legs. We turn on the stove and boil water for soup. We bless the fire.
No wonder the Torah charged the priest to maintain the perpetual fire. In truth, as dangerous as it can be, when used well, fire is a better resource than it is a danger.
When used well… We are again struck by the terminology of war, as the images from Ukraine are as relentlessly perpetual as the fire which the priests maintained millennia ago. Rockets are fired at apartment buildings. Tanks fire at soldiers. Planes fire missiles at targets. Firefighters race to extinguish fires in homes and schools. And, to the terrified citizens of Ukraine, it feels never-ending, a perpetual fire, a la 2022. Today, it is not the fire which is “not to go out;” it is the Ukrainian mother and child, grandfather and resident. And, to hurt even more, too many homes are without heat as bombs have severed gas lines. Even a welcome fire is absent, far from perpetual.
It would be nice to have different terminology. It would be nice if fire could be a neutral noun, and not a terrifying verb. It would be nice if fire was “only” a mechanism to bring God near. It would be nice if fire was something which we could control, in our stove or furnace. It would be nice if fire was in the precinct of the priest, to make blessings.
But, fire is a complex element…
Shabbat Shalom, and Chag Purim Sameach,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn