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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!".
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