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Zohar on the Torah |
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Parshat Tzav - Zohar, Page 27b Translated and adapted by Mr. Simcha Treister Rabbi Acha opened his discourse with the verse: ‘And the fire on the
Alter shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out; and the priest shall add
wood to make it flare up every morning’ (Leviticus 6,5); What is the reason that there always has to be fire on the altar and
why should it be made to flare up every morning which is when the sphira of
Chesed rules? Furthermore, why should it be the Kohen, who is rooted in the
attribute of Chesed, that is commanded to make fire, which is the attribute of
Gevura, (– fire in every place it burns, represents Judgement/Din). The Kohen is from the side of Chesed, on the
right of the tree of the Sphirot, which is far removed from Din [Gevura being
on the left side of the Tree. Fire is connected with anger – as the word
furious attests.] A Kohen is never
involved with harsh judgement, even in this physical world, yet it is written
that it is the Kohen who must cause the fire on the altar to blaze up. The answer is as we have learnt, that a person who sins before his
Master, does so because he is consumed with the internal fire of his evil
inclination. The evil inclination is rooted in the impure spirit, which dwells
in a person who sins [For example, according to the Sages, allowing oneself to
become furious is compared to idolatry.
A furious person is consumed by his burning anger to the point where he
looses touch with reality.] Most times it is known and recognizable from the type of sacrifice that
is required to be brought, as to which aspect it repairs. An example is the sin
sacrifice that was a goat that has an impure spirit dwelling on it. A person
must sacrifice an offering akin to his sin. Just as an impure spirit dwells on
the person, so now he must burn an animal from the side of that spirit, in the
flames of the altar. This impure spirit does not burn out or remove itself from
him, other than in the flames of the altar.
The flames of the altar come from the higher level of the spirit of
purity and it burns the impure spirit because it is a fire that consumes fire.
The Kohen, who comes from the side of Chesed, should, as he tends the altar,
have in mind that the Holy fire will consume the impure fire, burning it out of
this world. Now the reason that the altar must be tended and care must be taken
that it should not go out, is because that fire is the Holy fire of the
Shechina. It must be kept burning to enable that fire to have the strength to
break the power and force of the spirit of impurity and drive it out from the
world. [This represents the continual conscious struggle to recognize the holy
and pure, keeping the flame of this consciousness always burning – even in the
darkest moments.] This is the reason that it must not be extinguished. The Kohen had to fix the fire on the altar and make it flare up in the
early morning each day, because that is specifically the time when his side of
the sphirot tree, the side of Chesed, is ascendant. This is done in order to
perfume the world, to sweeten the din through the fire of Chesed on the altar.
This in turn causes the defeat of those who cause din to spread in the world,
blocking their ability to arouse evil. And this is what we have learned, there
is a fire that eats fire. The higher fire from the side of Chesed eats the
lower fire. The fire of the altar eats the impure fire, which is why it must
never be let to go out and it is precisely the Kohen, from the side of Chesed
who has to tend it. |
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