“Fire Never Ceases to Sense its Source” p: 168-9

AyinBase / Ayin Beis with R' Paltiel ThursdayNight 11 Tishrei 5772  

Page 168 – 5^th line from the end of the page – (line starts, 'mikoro...') For text, see picture below.

From a secular view, all that a man does is to preserve and enhance his existence. We see the whole world from a different viewpoint.

We don't say all is stuggling for its survival. All is not precarious. All is secure. Each thing senses its creation is real, since it is a G-dly creation. Each thing knows it is solid. The thought of 'not being' does not occur.

We perceive all being based on a limitless foundation and resource.

A human being could not offer a single word if he were preocupied with self-preservation. His ability to speak is due to his sense of infinite support.

This is our perspective of man and nature.

We say fire is in constant state of flight and self-effacement. The fire is so spiritual, so that even in a state of existence it sense completely that it is not really a 'thing' but rather associated with its source.

The nature of the 'vessel' is to descend below; and the nature of the 'light' is to rise above. The purpose of the vessel is to allow the light to be in a state of 'an entity' / metziut.

So lights and vessels are a representation of chessed/kindness and gevurah/severity. Vessels are like kindness that goes down to a lowly recipient... and the light is like severity, that strives upward to the source, and one needs to relate to the source, to be a recipient from it.

The cause for the difference between them is that the vessel is not in a state of cleaving to its source, while the light does cleave to its source.

So too with fire down here. It wants to rise since it is close to its source. Fire never ceases to sense its source.

The nature of earth is to descend downwards.

Man stands on 2 feet, not due to his structure, but due to his spirit. Man is like the fire. He is in a constant state of rising upwards.

Earth by contrast does not sense that its source is spiritual. Water has a certain similarity to earth – it flows downwards, but it is less static than earth. Wind goes up and down. And only the fire due to its refinement rises upwards.

So for this reason G-dliness of atzilus is likened to fire. It has the full sense of its affinity with its source and both it and its source is not a 'thing'!