Fanning the hidden fire of Torah

ואיתא במדרש בשבת זכור ובעמלק זכור.

And it is taught in the Midrash: regarding Shabbos, "Remember" (zachor), and regarding Amalek, "Remember" (zachor).

The Sefas Emes notes that the word "zachor" appears both in the mitzvah of Shabbos and in the mitzvah to remember Amalek.

זכירת שבת על שולחן מלא ועמלק על שולחן ריקה ע"ש.

The remembrance of Shabbos is over a full table, and that of Amalek over an empty table, see there.

The Midrash contrasts the two "zachors": Shabbos is remembered at a table laden with food, while Amalek is remembered at a bare table.

הענין הוא דכתיב מות וחיים ביד לשון.

The matter is as it is written, "death and life are in the hand of the tongue."

The key is the principle that the tongue holds the power of both life and death.

ובמדרש בהר מצא גחלת ונפח בה וביערה רקק בה וכיבה.

And in the Midrash on Behar: one found a coal — if he blew upon it, it blazed up; if he spat upon it, it was extinguished.

The Midrash uses the image of a glowing coal: breath can fan it into flame, while spittle can put it out — both powers lie in the mouth.

ושניהם בכח הפה של איש ישראל לעורר חיות התורה שטמון וגנוז בעולם.

And both [powers] lie in the mouth of a Jew, to awaken the vitality of the Torah that is hidden and concealed in the world.

The Jew's mouth holds both capacities, and its true purpose is to fan into flame the hidden life-force of the Torah latent within the world.

והוא בחי' בית יוסף להבה.

And this is the aspect of "the house of Yosef a flame."

The verse "the house of Yaakov fire, the house of Yosef a flame" alludes to this power of igniting the Torah's hidden fire.

כי יעקב אבינו הוא עצם התורה.

For Yaakov Avinu is the very essence of the Torah.

Yaakov embodies the inner essence of Torah itself.

כמ"ש תתן אמת ליעקב.

As it is written, "You shall give truth to Yaakov."

Yaakov is identified with emes, and the Torah is called "the Torah of truth."

ובעוה"ז אין התורה יכולה להתגלות.

And in this world the Torah cannot be revealed [openly].

In olam hazeh the true light of the Torah remains hidden and cannot shine forth plainly.

דהוא עלמא דשיקרא.

For it is a world of falsehood (alma d'shikra).

This world is fundamentally a realm of concealment and falsehood, which obscures the Torah of truth.

והיא טמונה כמו אש בתוך הגחלת.

And it is hidden like fire within a coal.

The Torah's fire is buried within the world the way a flame is concealed inside a glowing coal, awaiting one who will fan it.

וכ"כ בספרים כי גחל"ת גי' אמ"ת.

And so it is written in the sefarim, that "gacheles" (coal) has the same gematria as "emes" (truth).

The numerical value of "coal" equals that of "truth," confirming that the hidden fire in the coal represents the concealed Torah of truth.

ובית יוסף להבה בכח התלהבות נפח בה וביערה.

And "the house of Yosef a flame" — through the power of hislahavus (fiery enthusiasm) he blew upon it and it blazed up.

With burning enthusiasm in avodah, a Jew "blows on the coal" and ignites the hidden fire of Torah into a blaze.

ואז ובית עשו לקש.

And then, "the house of Esav is straw."

When the fire of Torah blazes, the power of Esav and Amalek is reduced to mere stubble before it.

ושניהם ביד איש ישראל לעשות תורה ומצות עיקר בעולם.

And both are in the hand of the Jew: to make Torah and mitzvos the main thing in the world.

Both the fanning of the flame and the routing of Esav depend on the Jew choosing to make Torah and mitzvos his central focus.

להניח כל הכח והחשק בעבודת הבורא.

To place all of one's strength and desire in the service of the Creator.

This means investing one's full energy and passion into avodas Hashem.

ובעניני עוה"ז לעשותם טפל וכלאחר יד.

And to make worldly matters secondary and incidental.

The affairs of this world should be treated as peripheral, handled almost in passing.

ועי"ז רקק בה וכיבה ואז השבת נזכר על שולחן מלא ועמלק על שולחן ריקה:

And through this, "he spat upon it and extinguished it" — and then Shabbos is remembered over a full table, and Amalek over an empty table.

By making Torah primary and worldliness secondary, one "spits out" and extinguishes the fire of Amalek; consequently Shabbos is celebrated at a full table while Amalek is left at the empty one.

Summary: The mouth of a Jew holds the power of both life and death, like breath that can fan a coal into flame or spittle that extinguishes it. Its purpose is to awaken the hidden fire of the Torah — the Torah of truth (gacheles equals emes), embodied in Yaakov and concealed within this world of falsehood. Through fiery hislahavus in avodas Hashem, making Torah and mitzvos primary and worldly matters secondary, a Jew blows the coal of Torah into a blaze ("the house of Yosef a flame") and reduces Esav-Amalek to straw — so that Shabbos is remembered over a full table and Amalek over an empty one.