Two fires: illuminating love and consuming zeal

בפסוק אש תמיד פרש"י אפילו אש מנורה מאש מזבח החיצון תוקד.

On the pasuk, "a continual fire (aish tamid)" (Vayikra 6:6), Rashi explains: even the fire of the Menorah is to be kindled from the fire of the outer Mizbei'ach (altar).

Rashi notes that even the Menorah's light had to be lit from the fire of the outer altar — the starting point for distinguishing two kinds of fire.

כבר כתבתי במקומות הרבה כי יש אש מאיר ויש אש שורף והם בחי' שקלים וזכור.

I have already written in many places that there is an illuminating fire (aish mei'ir) and a consuming fire (aish soref), and they are the aspects (bechinos) of Shekalim and Zachor.

There are two fires — one that gives light and one that burns — corresponding to the two special parshiyos: Shekalim (giving in love) and Zachor (destroying Amalek).

נדבת השקלים בהתלהבות אהבה רשפי' רשפי אש.

The donation of the Shekalim is with an enthusiasm of love, "its flashes are flashes of fire" (Shir HaShirim 8:6).

The half-shekel offering expresses the fire of ahavah — a blazing love for Hashem, the illuminating fire.

וכמו כן צריך להיות הרוגז והשנאה על עמלק ימ"ש וכל סט"א כאש להבה.

And likewise the anger and the hatred toward Amalek, may his name be erased, and all the sitra achra (the other side), must be like a flaming fire.

The consuming fire is the burning hatred a Yid must feel toward Amalek and all forces of evil.

וכאשר אמרו חז"ל בית יוסף להבה ששולט מרחוק.

As Chazal said, "the house of Yosef is a flame" (Ovadiah 1:18), which rules from a distance.

Yosef is described as a "flame" with the power to dominate even from afar — the consuming fire that destroys Esav/Amalek.

ובאמת יש בבחי' יוסף ב' האשות והם בחי' מנשה ואפרים.

And in truth, in the aspect of Yosef there are both fires, and they are the aspects of Menasheh and Efraim.

Yosef contains both fires, embodied in his two sons — Menasheh and Efraim representing the burning and the illuminating fire respectively.

נשני הוא תמחה זכר עמלק.

"Nashani" (God has made me forget — Menasheh) is "you shall erase the memory of Amalek" (Devarim 25:19).

Menasheh, whose name means "forgetting," corresponds to erasing Amalek — the consuming fire that wipes out evil.

והפרני הוא אש מאיר.

And "hifrani" (God has made me fruitful — Efraim) is the illuminating fire.

Efraim, whose name means "fruitfulness," corresponds to the fire that illuminates and brings forth growth.

ובאמת צריך להיות הכנה מקודם באשא תכלא ואח"כ חל עליו אשא חיורא.

And in truth there must first be a preparation with the "black fire" (asha tachla), and afterward the "white fire" (asha chivara) rests upon it.

Drawing on Kabbalistic imagery, the dark, consuming fire of clearing away evil must come first, and only then does the bright, illuminating fire descend.

וכן הוא המדה כאשר רמזו בזה שאפילו אש המנורה דכתיב בה להאיר.

And so is the measure, as they hinted in this — that even the fire of the Menorah, regarding which it is written "to give light" (l'ha'ir).

This is the very lesson of the Menorah, whose fire is explicitly "to illuminate."

מ"מ מאש מזבח החיצון השורף ומכלה הסט"א מכח זה נמצא אור המאיר אח"כ.

Nevertheless, it is from the fire of the outer Mizbei'ach, which burns and consumes the sitra achra — from the power of this, the illuminating light is then found.

The Menorah's illuminating light must be kindled specifically from the altar's consuming fire, teaching that light comes only after evil is first burned away.

אכן שמעתי מאמו"ז ז"ל שביאר מאמר המד' במה שהקדים יעקב אע"ה אפרים למנשה שביקש יעקב אע"ה שאפילו מי שלא נתברר כל צרכו אעפ"כ ע"י אור המאיר יוכל אח"כ להיתקן ולשרוף הסט"א ולבוא על הבירור ולכן הקדים אפרים למנשה ע"ש בעניני חנוכה מ"ש בשמו ז"ל.

However, I heard from my grandfather, of blessed memory, who explained the statement of the Midrash regarding Yaakov Avinu placing Efraim before Menasheh: that Yaakov Avinu requested that even one who has not yet been fully clarified — even so, through the illuminating light he can afterward be rectified, and burn the sitra achra, and arrive at the clarification (berur); and therefore he placed Efraim before Menasheh — see there in the matters of Chanukah what was said in his name, of blessed memory.

The Sefas Emes's grandfather (the Chiddushei HaRim) explained that Yaakov put Efraim (illuminating fire) first to teach that even an unrefined person can begin with light, and through it later gain the power to burn away evil and reach full purification.

וכדברים האלה נראה לבאר כאן בהקדמת שקלים לזכור ואמרו חז"ל גלוי וידוע לפני הקב"ה שעתיד המן לשקול כו' והקדים שקלינו לשקליו.

And in line with these words it appears one may explain here the placing of Shekalim before Zachor, and Chazal said: it was revealed and known before HaKadosh Baruch Hu that Haman would in the future weigh out [silver]... and therefore He placed our Shekalim before his shekalim (Megillah 13b).

The same idea explains why we read Shekalim before Zachor: Hashem preceded Haman's plot by having Yisrael give their half-shekalim first, the fire of love coming before the fire of destruction.

והרמז נכון כמ"ש עם היות שצריך להיות גבורי כח לבטל ולכלות שקלי המן לזכות אח"כ לשקלי הקודש.

And the hint is fitting, as was said: even though one must be "mighty in strength" (giborei ko'ach) to nullify and to destroy the shekalim of Haman, in order to merit afterward the holy shekalim.

Although it would seem one must first muster might to destroy the evil "shekalim" of Haman before attaining the holy ones.

אכן הקב"ה בחסדו הקדים שקלים להיות מקודם אש מאיר.

However, HaKadosh Baruch Hu in His chesed placed the Shekalim first, so that there should first be the illuminating fire.

In His kindness, Hashem reversed the expected order, giving the illuminating fire of the holy Shekalim first, before the work of destruction.

ומרוב התלהבות דקדושה נעשה מעיל קנאה ושלהבת אש לשרוף קשו של עשו.

And from the abundance of the enthusiasm of holiness (hislahavus d'kedushah), a "cloak of zeal" (Yeshayahu 59:17) and a flame of fire is made, to burn the straw of Esav.

The blazing love kindled by the holy Shekalim itself becomes the consuming flame that burns up Esav/Amalek, "the straw."

לכן שקלים קודם לזכור:

Therefore Shekalim comes before Zachor.

Hence the order: the illuminating fire of love (Shekalim) must precede and generate the consuming fire of destroying Amalek (Zachor).

Summary: There are two fires — the illuminating fire (aish mei'ir) of loving devotion, embodied in Shekalim and in Efraim, and the consuming fire (aish soref) that burns away Amalek and the sitra achra, embodied in Zachor and Menasheh. Though normally the dark, consuming fire of clearing away evil must precede the white, illuminating light, Yaakov placed Efraim first and Hashem in His chesed placed Shekalim before Zachor, teaching that one may begin with the illuminating fire of holy enthusiasm — and from that very blaze of love comes the power to burn away the "straw of Esav."