גופא דבר נש איהו פתילהThe Oil and the Wick

gufa devar nash ihu petilahIn Gamatria ↗

The flame waits above the wick until the oil is deeds.

Why do beinonim descend at all, if they can never expel the animal soul? The Zohar compares the Shekhinah (God's indwelling presence) to a flame over a person's head. The body is the wick, and a wick needs oil, which is good deeds. The soul alone is not oil, since even a tzaddik's soul remains a separate self. The commandments are God's own will. Torah study lets the divine soul and its thought and speech merge with the divine light. Physical commandments draw that light onto the body and the vital soul as well.

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