Parshat Tzav - The fire within

 Parshat Tzav: Lev. 6:1 “A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not go out.  .  .  .”     

Fire is a process that brings together oxygen with fuel to release energy. Such a process goes on inside of us. Our cells are continually combining oxygen that we breath in with food that we eat to generate the energy we need to stay alive. There is a never-ending cycle of creating and breaking molecular bonds to release the energy we live on. When we quietly tune in to inner sensation, we can sometimes sense a continual buzzing or humming that vibrates and pulses through the body. If this energy were visible to us as light (as it is in some organisms such as the firefly or the luminescent deep sea creatures) we would perceive each other as sparkling, flashing beings shedding light all around.

When we look deeply inside ourselves and others, may we understand and appreciate the unending, eternal, and sparkling essence that powers our aliveness.