Tzav 5772 - English

Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky
B’nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica

How One Fire can kindle Another In this week’s parashah, Parashat Tzav, we find a special emphasis on the subject of the fire that burned in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, the portable temple used in the wilderness. It is written, for example: “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning, not to go out: every morning the priest shall feed wood to it… A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out” (Lev. 6:5-6). 

Regarding these fires, Rashi comments that the Talmud sages are divided in their opinions. But apart from this, he reminds us of something very important concerning two different types of fires that always burnt in the Mishkan. 

On the one hand, we have the Ner Tamid, the eternal lamp located within the Mishkan. Actually, the Ner Tamid was one of the seven lights that made up the Menorah, the candelabra. Even today, all synagogues have, on top of the Aron ha-Kodesh, a light that is always ignited and which is also called Ner Tamid, in remembrance of the Tabernacle’s Ner Tamid. 

The Ner Tamid symbolizes the Torah, the teachings. The light radiated is like the light that emanates from the Torah. Its study enlightens us, illuminates our path in life. 

The other fire recalled by Rashi on his commentary is the Esh Tamid, the eternal fire that burned over the altar, located at the outer precinct of the Mishkan. This fire served as basis for the fire that burnt the offerings. It had to be ablaze forever, so the cohanim had to feed it every morning with new logs. 

An interesting fact about these two fires was that when the fire of the Ner Tamid blew out, it had to be kindled with the fire of the Esh Tamid. That is, the light that illuminated the inner and holiest precinct of the Tabernacle, the fire that symbolized the eternal light radiating from the Torah and which enlightens the path of those who study it, had to be kindled with a fire located outside the Mishkan, beside the altar of the sacrifices. 

In my opinion, we can learn an important lesson from this: the fire of the Torah, the fire of the Jewish tradition, must be fed every day “from the outside”, from the external. The fire of the spiritual, of that which gives meaning to our lives, must be fed every day with the body, with the action, with the effort, with our daily works. 

The Jewish tradition is as beautiful and precious as light, but it is not passed on by itself or through osmosis. Having a Shabbat dinner and being able to enjoy it is fantastic, but in order to do that, we must first cook, clean the house, try to learn the blessing and songs, invite friends, etc. 

Our children’s learning at school what Judaism is all about is wonderful, but in order to do so, we must struggle as a community to keep and improve our school, drive our children to and from classes, accompany them in their learning process so that they will see that we care about what they learn, etc. 

The fire of the Jewish tradition must be fed with concrete actions every day. Otherwise, it gradually blows out, loses strength, loses brightness, loses heat, and loses vigor. If we do not feed our Judaism every day, it goes out, it is lost… and it is very difficult to recover the lost fire afterwards. 

Ner Tamid and Esh Tamid, those two eternal fires that burnt in the Mishkan, were everlasting because there were people who fed it daily. If we truly wish to keep the flame of Judaism alight, if we want the Torah to enlighten our lives and that of our children, then we must act day to day and feed that fire, for it to be eternal, Tamid. But also, we should never forget that, in order to enjoy high levels of spirituality, beauty and intellect, we must work hard through concrete actions, physical effort, patience, and perseverance. 

Shabbat Shalom!