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Fire features in a variety of contexts throughout the Jewish textual tradition. Rabbinic texts describe how the first humans discovered fire, and fire plays a role in many biblical stories, like that of the burning bush. Fire appears both physically and metaphorically, for example as a metaphor for Torah.
Notable Sources
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The Torah as Fire
MIDRASH
The Torah, like fire, is divine, eternal, life-giving when engaged with properly, and dangerous when misused or neglected. The Sifrei, an ancient midrash on the book of Deuteronomy, uses the metaphor of fire to describe the Torah's transformative power and lasting impact.
The Consuming Fire of God's Zeal
TANAKH
Fire can be a metaphor for the power of God's anger. At the end of the Torah, Moses warns Israel the consequences of their forgetting their covenant with God.
The Eternal Flame
MUSAR
In the ancient Temples, there was an flame on the altar that was never extinguished, as long as the Temple stood. According to Jewish tradition, presented here by Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz in his 17th-century Shenei Luchot HaBerit, all of God's world and creations only exist because of the existence of this fire.
The Nature of Fire
HALAKHAH
According to Aristotle, all matter is made up of four elements. Rambam, in his 12th-century legal code, the Mishneh Torah, echoes Aristotle in his explanations of the four elements.
The Parts of the Flame
KABBALAH
A candle flame has different parts that appear to be different colors. The Zohar, a foundational text of Jewish mysticism uses the metaphor of the different parts of the flame to illuminate the relationship between God and Israel.
The Prohibition of Fire on Shabbat
TANAKH
There are different kinds of prohibited creative activities on the Sabbath, the God-given day of rest. The Torah, in the book of Exodus, explicitly prohibits the kindling of a fire.
The Blessing of Fire in Havdalah
LITURGY
The Havdalah service includes a blessing over fire, symbolizing the transition from the sacredness of Shabbat to the ordinary weekdays.
The Fire of the Evil Inclination
JEWISH THOUGHT
In Temple times, a repentant sinner brought a sacrifice to be burnt on the altar fire. Rabbi Moses Isserles, in his 16th-century work, Torah HaOlah, explains the symbolism of the fire on the altar.
Contrasting Lights
GUIDES
Shabbat and Chanukkah candles serve different purposes, so their laws are different. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz spells this out in more detail in his introduction to the chapter of the Babylonian Talmud where these contrasting lights are discussed.
Torah of Fire
TALMUD
What does it mean to say that the Torah was made of white fire and black fire? The Jerusalem Talmud presents ancient rabbinic opinions as the fiery nature of the Torah and divine hand by which it was given.
The Pillar of Fire
MIDRASH
The pillar of fire provided exclusive light and protection to the Israelites during their journey in the desert. The third-century midrash on the book of Numbers, Sifrei Bamidbar, elaborates on the divine protective light of the pillar of fire.
Moses before the burning bush. From the Haggadah for Passover (the 'Sister Haggadah'). 1580
Moses before the burning bush. From the Haggadah for Passover (the 'Sister Haggadah'). 1580
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