THE FLAME THAT BURNS ON, SO TOO, THE SOUL ASPIRES FOR GREATNESS by Rivka Ryback Lighting a candle. Praying for a Jewish soul captured and held against its will.

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THE FLAME THAT BURNS ON, SO TOO, THE SOUL ASPIRES FOR GREATNESS by Rivka Ryback

Recently we read the Torah portion of Beha'alotecha. It is traditionally read either the first or second Shabbat after the holiday of Shavuot, the annual celebration of the renewal of God’s giving the Torah at Mount Sinai to the Jews. Therefore, there must be some connection between this portion and how we perceive ourselves after receiving the Torah.

The second verse, "when you raise up the candles," is a statement describing the essential human relationship to the Divine. In Torah terminology, a candle is a vessel that includes a wick and oil, that must be lit with a flame. Every Jewish soul is analogous to a candle, as it says in the verse, "The soul of man is G-d's candle". (Proverbs 20:27) The seven candles that lit the Menorah in the Sanctuary and the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, contained the seven levels of serving G-d: chesed - love of G-d; gevura - awe and fear of G-d; tiferet - beauty, the realization of G-d's great compassion towards us; netzach - eternity, overcoming any obstacle to our service; hod - glory, demanding of ourselves awe of G-d, even when we do not feel it fully in our hearts; yesod - not just feeling, but truly connecting ourselves to the emotions of love and fear; malchut – kingship, actively taking on the divine yoke with humility and subservience.

Man is a complex conglomeration of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, fire and wick. Like the light, man too, is comprised of three elements which determine the direction of his actions. The candles wick, flame and oil resemble man’s body, soul and source in the Torah and its mitzvot.

His soul, like the flame, is a flame with yearning and inspiration. It burns brightly within him, inspiring him to connect to his Creator. It desires fiercely to break the bonds of this physical world; to transcend the barriers of a material existence and unite with its Maker.

The body of man, like the wick of the candle, is both grounded and physical. With its many limitations, many real needs and desires, the body entraps and enslaves the soul within it. Yet, while imposing its restrictions, the body also houses the soul and provides an outlet for its unique expression. The soul can only feel, perceive and savor reality, through the body's senses; it can only move about freely with the body's limbs; and it can only think and analyze with the body's mind. The body's very groundedness, then, provides a means and opportunity for the soul's relationship with creation.

The lighting of a candle, as a required observance and focal point of Jewish Ritual, is perhaps the most prevalent act of Judaism. At the onset of Shabbos, Holidays and during times of remembrance, the igniting of a candle has served to be an  "Eternal Light for the Jewish People.

In praying for a Jewish soul captured and held against its will, lighting of a candle is a significant reminder. We are reminded of the all too temporal bond between body and soul. This same metaphor of the flame of a candle does, however, contain a great life -affirming lesson for us all. Though we cannot see the person in question, we pray for their safe return and well being until such time we are, B”H, are together again.

The flame of a single candle can, when touched to another candle, have the essential ability to ignite the wick of the next candle; this newly lit candle can now go on to light the next candle - and so on, ad infinitum, striving to achieve the likeness of the infinite qualities of HaShem. At a time of distress, time of the most indescribable angst and fear possible, one can find tremendous spiritual strength in the knowledge, that just like we hope and pray for the safe return of our captured loved ones, they too, continue to reach out to us to help lift up our soul.

May the world be filled with the light of the good deeds of the Jewish People; speedily usher in the long awaited time of the full revelation of our redemption: as it is said, “May death disappear forever, and may Eternal G-d wipe the tears from every face!".