Part of the flour of the Korban Mincha was burned on the fires of the Mizbeach.
Flour, from which bread is made, represents Parnasa (livelihood). Earning a Parnasa in and of itself is not a negative thing. On the contrary, the Torah obligates us to work in order to earn a living and praises a person who eats from the toil of their hands.
Whilst earning a Parnasa is a good thing, worrying about Parnasa is not. Worrying about one’s Parnasa is a symptom of a lack of Bitachon – trust in Hashem.
These worries stem from the desires of our animalistic soul and our attachment to materialism.
The message of the Mincha is that we need to burn these worries away with the fires of our G-dly soul, the source of our Bitachon and connection to Hashem. We do this through Davening, where we focus on our connection with Hashem.
This is why our sages teach that a person should not eat before Davening. When we wake up in the morning, we are more connected to the physicality of our body. Since we are not yet spiritually connected, we will be unable to elevate the food that we eat. Instead, the physicality of the food will feed our animalistic desires and pull us down.
Through our meditation during Davening, we reveal the fiery flames of passion that our Neshama has for Hashem. This holy fire burns away our worries of Parnasa and attachment to materialism.
After burning the Kemitza, the remainder of the Mincha could be consumed in a state of purity. After burning our worries over Parnasa, we can engage with physicality and use it properly in the service of Hashem.
~ Based on Likutei Torah Sukkos p78d
