by Rabbi Yosef Y. Jacobson
This week's Torah portion contains the instruction to continuously maintain a flame on the altar which stood in the Tabernacle and then later in the Holy Temple in Yerushalim. For this purpose, a priest was required each morning to place new firewood on the Altar, to feed a flame that must never go out.
Each mitzvah in addition to its concrete and simple meaning, brings forth many symbolisms relating to the inner psyche of the human being. This mitzvah is no exception, capturing a simple but profound truth about our daily patterns.
The Altar, in the writings of Jewish mysticism, is symbolic of the human heart, the space within each of us most capable of sacrifice. The heart, however, needs continuous fire burning in it. For the human heart to live deeply, for it to feel empathy and experience the depth of life and love, it needs to be on fire, be passionate and aflame.
But how? True, there are times when our hearts and souls are inspired and aflame, but often we feel numb and apathetic. How do we maintain the flame in our own internal altar?
There is one way. Each and every morning we must place <wood= on our altar, in order to feed the potential flame. Fire cannot exist in a vacuum; the fire in our heart and soul also requires <wood= to sustain it.
What is the <Wood: that is capable of feeding the soul's flames each morning? Study, mediation, charity and prayer are the morning encounters with the living G-d that allow the fire of the soul to hold onto something and take root in the human psyche. If your heart is aflame, your world will be on fire.
And you must place the wood on your altar each morning, no exceptions. Consistency is the key to a meaningful and inspiring day. There are no shortcuts to inspiration; everything comes with a price.
