Mitzvos as light and fire

במדרש נר מצוה ותורה אור המקיים מצוה כאלו הדליק נר לפני הקב"ה ומחי' נפשו שנק' נר כו'.

In the Midrash: "A mitzvah is a candle and the Torah is light" (Mishlei 6:23) — one who keeps a mitzvah is as if he kindled a candle before the Holy One, and he gives life to his neshamah, which is itself called a candle.

The Sefas Emes opens with the image that every mitzvah is a vessel that holds light, and by performing it a person lights up his own soul, which Chazal compare to a candle (Mishlei 20:27).

המצוה היא כלי ונר להמשיך אור מהתורה.

The mitzvah is the vessel and the candle through which the light of the Torah is drawn down.

A mitzvah is not the light itself but the lamp that channels the Torah's light into this world.

והמקיים המצוה הוא המדליק זה הנר מאור תורה.

And the one who performs the mitzvah is the one who kindles this candle from the light of the Torah.

The Jew who does the mitzvah is the active partner who draws the Torah's light into the lamp of the deed.

לכן איתא המקיים המצוה כאלו עשאה דכ' ועשיתם אותם כו'.

Therefore it is taught that one who keeps a mitzvah is as if he made it, as it is written, "and you shall do them" (Vayikra 26:3, read as "and you shall make them").

Chazal read "va'asisem osam" as "you make them" — by keeping a mitzvah a person becomes, as it were, its maker, because he draws its light into reality.

והנה התורה נק' אור ונק' אש.

Now, the Torah is called both "light" and "fire."

The Torah has two aspects: a quality of illuminating light and a quality of consuming fire.

כדכתיב כה דברי כאש.

As it is written, "Is not My word like fire?" (Yirmiyahu 23:29).

The navi testifies that Hashem's word carries the power of fire, not only the gentleness of light.

כי כל נר יש בו אש השורף ואור המאיר.

For every candle contains both the fire that burns and the light that illuminates.

A single flame does two things at once — it gives light and it consumes; so too the Torah.

ונראה כי ב' אלו הם בכח רמ"ח מצות עשה ושס"ה מל"ת.

And it appears that these two correspond to the 248 positive mitzvos (mitzvos asei) and the 365 negative mitzvos (mitzvos lo sa'asei).

The illuminating light and the consuming fire map onto the two categories of mitzvos: those that command action and those that forbid.

כי על ידי קיום מ"ע מתעורר אור תורה.

For through keeping the positive mitzvos the light of the Torah is awakened.

Doing a mitzvas asei draws forth the Torah's illuminating light.

וע"י קיום מל"ת מתעורר אש התורה.

And through keeping the negative mitzvos the fire of the Torah is awakened.

Guarding oneself from what is forbidden draws forth the Torah's burning, purifying fire.

דאיתא שמי עם י"ה שס"ה.

For it is taught: "My Name" together with the letters yud-hei equals 365.

Chazal teach that "shemi" (My Name, 350) joined to the divine Name yud-hei (15) totals 365 — corresponding to the negative mitzvos.

זכרי עם ו"ה רמ"ח.

"My remembrance" together with the letters vav-hei equals 248.

"Zichri" (My remembrance, 237) joined to vav-hei (11) totals 248 — corresponding to the positive mitzvos.

ואיתא בזוה"ק כי מצוה הוא שם י"ה בחילוף אתוון מ"צ.

And it is taught in the holy Zohar that the word "mitzvah" contains the Name yud-hei, since the letters mem-tzadi are an exchange-cipher for yud-hei.

By the at-bash letter substitution, mem-tzadi of "mitzvah" stand for yud-hei, so the first half of the divine Name is hidden in every mitzvah.

ושם ו"ה בהתגלות.

While the letters vav-hei are present openly.

The remaining two letters of the word "mitzvah" (vav-hei) are revealed plainly, so a complete Name is concealed and revealed within the mitzvah.

והענין הוא שע"ז כתיב יד על כס יה.

The matter is that concerning this it is written, "the hand is on the throne (kes) of Y-ah" (Shemos 17:16).

The Torah hints that as long as Amalek exists, the divine Name and the throne remain incomplete — only kes (instead of kisei) and only Y-ah (instead of the full Name) are written.

כי באמת מ"ע הם מיוחדים לבנ"י.

For in truth the positive mitzvos are uniquely the province of Bnei Yisrael.

The positive mitzvos, which draw down light, belong specially to Bnei Yisrael.

ואין שם מגע נכרי כלל.

And there is no foreign contact in them at all.

The realm of the positive mitzvos is entirely pure, with no foothold for any outside, alien force.

ולפי רוב המקיימים המ"ע.

And according to the greater number of those who keep the positive mitzvos —

The amount of Torah-light revealed in the world depends on how many Jews perform the positive mitzvos.

כך מתרבה האור תורה בעולם בישראל.

so does the light of the Torah increase in the world among Yisrael.

More mitzvos asei means more of the Torah's illuminating light shining into the world.

וכפי מיעוט המקיימים.

And according to the fewer who keep them —

When fewer Jews keep the positive mitzvos, the effect is diminished.

מתמעט האור תורה.

the light of the Torah is diminished.

The light grows dimmer in the world, but only in degree.

אבל לית כאן מגע סט"א.

But there is here no contact with the sitra achra (the side of impurity).

Even when the light is lessened, no power of impurity can attach itself to the domain of the positive mitzvos.

אכן מל"ת אדרבה כל העיקר להיות מתוקנים בשמירת מל"ת כדי שלא יהי' שייכות סט"א לבנ"י.

However, with the negative mitzvos, on the contrary, the whole essence is to be properly set in guarding the prohibitions, so that the sitra achra should have no connection to Bnei Yisrael.

The point of the negative mitzvos is specifically to seal off any opening through which impurity could grip a Jew.

ולכן בעבירה יש שליטה לסט"א.

Therefore through an aveirah the sitra achra gains dominion.

Transgressing a prohibition is precisely what opens the door and gives the side of impurity a hold.

וכל שאין נשמרין בשס"ה מל"ת לא יוכל להיות התגלות שם המיוחד.

And as long as the 365 negative mitzvos are not guarded, the unique Name cannot be revealed.

The complete divine Name stays hidden until the prohibitions are kept and the impurity is cleared away.

ולעתיד כשיתבער הסט"א.

And in the future, when the sitra achra will be burned away —

In the time of the geulah the power of impurity will be utterly consumed.

יתגלה כל השם בשלימות.

the entire Name will be revealed in its completeness.

Then the full divine Name and throne, now written only in part, will appear whole.

המאיר והשורף.

both the illuminating aspect and the consuming aspect.

Both faces of the Torah — the light that shines and the fire that burns — will be fully manifest.

ולכן איתא במדרש שאומרים זכור לרמוז לבנ"י לשוב מחטא שבידם.

Therefore it is taught in the Midrash that we say "Remember" (Zachor) to hint to Bnei Yisrael to do teshuvah from the sin in their hands.

The reading of Parshas Zachor is a call to repent, because clearing away sin is what readies the Name to be revealed.

כי כשיהיו נשמרים כראוי יתגלה אור התורה.

For when they guard themselves properly, the light of the Torah will be revealed.

Proper observance of the prohibitions unveils the Torah's illuminating light.

וגם בחי' אש שורף.

And also the aspect of consuming fire —

And with it comes the Torah's other power, the fire that destroys.

למחות זרע עמלק כמ"ש והי' בית יעקב אש כו':

to wipe out the seed of Amalek, as it is written, "And the house of Yaakov shall be a fire" (Ovadiah 1:18).

The fire of the Torah, awakened by guarding the negative mitzvos, is the very force that will consume Amalek.

Summary: A mitzvah is the lamp through which the Torah's light enters the world, and the Torah is both light and fire. The 248 positive mitzvos draw down its illuminating light, which is the unique domain of Bnei Yisrael, untouched by impurity; the 365 negative mitzvos awaken its consuming fire, sealing out the sitra achra. Teshuvah and careful observance of the prohibitions will ultimately reveal the full divine Name and unleash the fire that destroys Amalek.