“The fire on the Mizbaiach shall be kept burning, it shall not be extinguished; and the Kohen shall kindle wood on it every morning….” “A permanent fire shall remain aflame on the Mizbaiach; it shall not be extinguished.” (Vayikra 6:5-6) The avoda of the Kohanim was to keep the fire burning at all times. In order to do so, trees were constantly planted and wood had to be chopped and transported to the Bais Hamikdash where it was carefully stored. Day and night logs were added to the fire. Great amounts of ash had to be removed on a regular basis. All this was done in order to keep the fire steadily burning.
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay was the longest in the history of the Olympic Winter Games. The 65,000 km journey lasted 123 days, visited more than 2900 towns and settlements across all 83 Russian regions and averaged 535 km per day. The Torch switched hands 14,000 times! Each torchbearer was accompanied by security personnel, a medical team, the media, and extra burning torches in case the original one went out. More than 30,000 volunteers also participated in the Relay. These facts demonstrate the immense effort involved in keeping the torch burning while passing it from person to person over thousands of miles. Imagine how much more effort was needed to keep the fire in the Bais Hamikdash burning for hundreds of years!
One of the miracles in the Bais Hamikdash was that wind and rain never disturbed the fire. It was protected by Hashem. Therefore, the entire avoda of the Kohanim was to ensure that the fire continued burning from one korban to the next. As we see, it was not a small avoda, every single log added to the fire represented hundreds of hours of preparation and maintenance. It took tremendous effort. Letting the fire go out is equal to putting it out.
The fire on the Mizbaiach is symbolic of the fire within every Jew, called the Pintala Yid. And just like we have a mitzvah to feed the fire on the Mizbaiach we also have a mitzvah to feed the Pintala Yid in every Jew. We do this by giving chizuk to everyone we interact with through our charity, teaching and kind words. Don’t let the fire go out, not yours and not anyone else’s.
Over the years people have asked me if I would ever draw cartoons depicting some of the cases found in Yora Daya. Well, the answer is yes! I recently published a sefer called The Great Game of Kashrut. Click on the link to find out more: The Great Game of Kashrut
To order a copy of The Great Game of Kashrut follow this link: The Great Game of Kashrut
If you would like to dedicate a Davar Torah in honor of a special occasion or in memory of a beloved family member please contact Yisroel Simon at yisroel@judaism613.com.
Good Shabbos,R’ Channenjudaism613.org