An everlasting fire

When Moshe saw the burning bush, one of the commentaries mentions that it was both consumed by fire but also wet at the same time.  This is strange on two fronts. First, things that are wet don’t catch fire, or the other way is that things that are on fire don’t stay wet because the fire evaporates the water.  What is the importance of knowing that the bush was also wet? Furthermore, a midrash states that a bush in the desert only grows when there is water underneath it.  Why does the Torah emphasize a connection between the bush, fire, and water?

              Fire is energy and it is often used to denote inspiration.  A person is considered ‘on fire’ when they live with passion and a skip in their step. We also know how difficult it is to stay inspired. Over time, actions, jobs, and mitzvos can all become rote with little to enliven them; a person dries up.  What is the way to maintain ones’ vitality, keep ones’ fire and what does it have to do with redemption?

              There are two sources of water, which is the metaphor for life giving and desire.  There is water that is external, such as rain, a lake or a river and there is water that wells from within, which are tears. In fact, the word for an eye, ayin עין , is connected to the idea of a spring or a מעיין.  Both of these represent the keys to keeping fire.  The ultimate symbol for external water is Torah, often compared to water for its life giving properties.  A way to keep mitzvos strong is to continue to learn and reinforce the actions with deeper ideas to support it.  Another way is through tears, the symbol for yearning. It was precisely the tears of yearning that brought about the redemption.  Egypt is compared to a fiery furnace that dries everything in its path and for a while it dried up the Hebrews. Finally, though, they found their cry and their tears to shout out to Hashem and rekindle the relationship.  That was part of the vision that Hashem showed Moshe at the bush.  The Jewish people had found their tears that could rekindle the fire between them and Hashem, and therefore, it was time to take them out. 

true tranquility

There is a verse in the Torah that discusses tranquility in the strangest of ways.  In reference to Issachar, the tribe dedicated to the study of Torah, it says that ‘he saw tranquility that it was good, and the land that it was nice, and he bent his shoulder to carry the burden, and he became an indentured servant’.  On the surface, if one sees that tranquility is good, then one should seek it out directly- an isolated beach or a peaceful park. How does seeing the goodness of tranquility lead a person to ‘carry the burden’?

              Human beings are restless.  Staying in bed for long period of time is not a sign of peace and tranquility, but a sign of depression. It is a strange phenomenon for if one were asked, do they like to relax and likely they’ll say yes. However, most agree that after a while, relaxation loses its luster and a person finds himself itching to do something.  Rest only comes in handy after a dose of struggle has already occurred. Where does that itch come from to need to work and struggle?

              Deep inside we are aware that we have a  purpose. We are meant to do something and accomplish something with our life and until we arrive at that destination we will be restless. Rest in the Jewish sense really means arriving at a proper destination after a period of struggle. And Yissacher realizes that universally, the ultimate tranquility only comes via a person's struggle to achieve moral perfection via Torah study.  Finding physical completion via career is only part of the picture.  There is also an ethical dimension that requires fine tuning and until that job is done, we will find no rest. That is the type of tranquility that we call good.