Two fires of Torah and teshuvah

במד' זאת תורת העולה על כל פשעים תכסה אהבה כו'.

In the Midrash: "This is the law of the olah (burnt-offering)" — "over all transgressions love covers" (Mishlei 10:12), etc.

The Midrash links the offerings to the verse that love covers over all sins, hinting that the korbanos express a love that atones.

דאיתא עבירה מכבה מצוה ואינה מכבה תורה.

For it is brought that a sin extinguishes a mitzvah, but it does not extinguish Torah.

The protective light of a single mitzvah can be snuffed out by an aveirah, but the light of Torah is never extinguished.

ועליו נאמר אש תמיד תוקד.

And concerning it is said, "A perpetual fire shall burn" (Vayikra 6:6).

This unquenchable fire on the altar corresponds to the fire of Torah that burns continually.

התורה דכתיב כה דברי כאש.

The Torah, of which it is written, "Is not My word like fire?" (Yirmiyahu 23:29).

Torah is compared to fire — a fire that cannot be put out.

לא תכבה כמ"ש בזוה"ק ברע"מ.

"It shall not be extinguished," as stated in the Zohar HaKadosh in the Ra'aya Mehemna.

The Zohar teaches that this fire — the Torah — can never be extinguished.

ולכן התורה מלמדת האיך לתקן כל החטאים על ידי הקרבנות.

Therefore the Torah teaches how to rectify all sins by means of the korbanos (offerings).

Because Torah's light endures even after sin, it provides the path of the korbanos to repair every transgression.

לכן כתיב בכולן תורת לומר שבכח התורה יכולין בנ"י לעולם לחזור ולהתקרב אליו ית"ש.

That is why "toras" (the law of) is written by all of them — to say that through the power of Torah, Bnei Yisrael can always return and draw close to Him, Yisborach.

Each offering is introduced with "toras," teaching that it is the strength of Torah that always allows a Yid to return to Hashem.

וכ' ב"פ והאש על המזבח תוקד לא תכבה ואח"כ אש תמיד תוקד.

And it is written twice: "And the fire on the altar shall burn… it shall not be extinguished," and afterward, "a perpetual fire shall burn."

The doubling of the "fire" verses points to two distinct fires.

לרמוז על ב' התורות שבכתב ושבע"פ.

This alludes to the two Toros — Torah she-bichsav (the Written Torah) and Torah she-be'al peh (the Oral Torah).

The two fires correspond to the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.

ועליהם נאמר סמכוני באשישות באש של מעלה ושל מטה.

And concerning them it is said, "Sustain me with ashishos" (Shir HaShirim 2:5) — with the fire (eish) from above and the fire from below.

The Sefas Emes reads "ashishos" as two fires (ishos), one heavenly and one earthly, supporting a person.

והיא תורה שבכתב ושבע"פ.

And these are the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.

The upper fire is the Written Torah, given from Heaven; the lower fire is the Oral Torah, developed through human effort.

כמ"ש אעפ"י שאש יורדת מן השמים מצוה להביא מן ההדיוט.

As Chazal said: even though fire descends from Heaven, it is a mitzvah to bring fire from an ordinary person.

Even when Hashem sends fire from above onto the altar, man is commanded to kindle his own fire from below — a partnership of the two.

ולעולם יש חלק לבנ"י בב' אשות הנ"ל.

And Bnei Yisrael always have a portion in these two fires mentioned above.

A Yid is bound up in both fires — the one given from Above and the one he kindles below.

דכ' כה דברי כאש בחי' תורה שבכתב.

For it is written, "Is not My word like fire?" — the aspect of the Written Torah.

"My word like fire" is the heavenly fire of the Written Torah.

וכ' בית יעקב אש בחי' חיי עולם נטע בתוכנו דייקא.

And it is written, "the house of Yaakov shall be a fire" (Ovadiah 1:18) — the aspect of "eternal life He planted within us," precisely.

The fire of the house of Yaakov is the Oral Torah, "planted within us," the fire that arises from within a Yid himself.

וזו היא מטבע של אש שהראה הקב"ה למרע"ה לומר שיש חלק לבנ"י בצורה זו דאש.

And this is the "coin of fire" that the Holy One showed to Moshe Rabbeinu — to say that Bnei Yisrael have a share in this form of fire.

Just as Hashem showed Moshe a fiery image, so too Bnei Yisrael partake in this very "form of fire" — Torah.

מחצית הצורה מלמעלה ומחצית מלמטה.

Half of the form is from above and half is from below.

The fire of Torah is composite: half descends from Heaven and half is contributed by man.

ובבית המקדש שהי' מוכן לאש מן השמים הי' המצוה לערוך ג"כ אש שלמטה.

And in the Beis HaMikdash, which was prepared for fire from Heaven, there was nonetheless a mitzvah to arrange a fire from below as well.

Even where heavenly fire descended, man's own fire was still required — the two fires together.

וכן בזמן בשבת שיורדת נשמה יתירה והיא מיוחד לבנ"י בחי' לחם משנה מן השמים ומן הארץ.

So too in time, on Shabbos, when the neshamah yeseirah (extra soul) descends, and it is unique to Bnei Yisrael — the aspect of lechem mishneh (the double portion), from Heaven and from the earth.

Shabbos likewise has a "from above" and "from below," reflected in the double loaves, one heavenly and one earthly.

והם ג"כ ב' אשות הנ"ל תורה שבכתב ושבע"פ.

And these too are the two fires mentioned above — the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.

The double portion of Shabbos corresponds to the same pair: the Written and Oral Torah.

ועיקר האהבה דכתיב אהבתי אתכם הוא שקבלו בנ"י במתן תורה אנכי ה' אלקיך שזה עיקר התורה שנחקק אלקותו ית' בנפשות בני ישראל וברשימה זו יכולין לחזור ולהתקרב אליו תמיד.

And the essence of the love of which it is written, "I have loved you" (Malachi 1:2), is what Bnei Yisrael received at Matan Torah — "I am Hashem your God" — which is the essence of the Torah, that His Godliness was engraved into the souls of Bnei Yisrael; and by this imprint they are able to return and draw close to Him always.

Hashem's love is expressed in the imprint of "Anochi Hashem" engraved into every Jewish soul at Sinai — and it is this indelible mark that lets a Yid always find his way back to Hashem.

וזה עולת תמיד העשוי' בהר סיני:

And this is "the continual olah that was made at Har Sinai."

The "perpetual offering of Sinai" is this enduring imprint of Hashem's Godliness within the soul, which keeps the bond of closeness burning continually.

Summary: A sin can extinguish the light of a single mitzvah, but never the fire of Torah, which "shall not be extinguished." That is why every korban is introduced with "toras" — through the power of Torah a Yid can always return and draw close to Hashem. The doubled "fire" verses point to two fires: the Written Torah from Above and the Oral Torah kindled from below, both of which a Yid shares in, reflected too in the double soul and double loaves of Shabbos. The root of it all is Hashem's love, the imprint of "Anochi Hashem" engraved into every Jewish soul at Sinai — the "perpetual offering" that keeps the bond of closeness ever-burning.