There are certain things that need to be constant. They always need to be happening, not just last for a week or a year. They are beyond time.
The Torah tells us that the fire on the altar in the Holy Temple must always burn, without interruption. What makes this commandment remarkable is that even in a state of ritual impurity and even on Shabbos, the holiest day of the week, when nearly all labor is forbidden, the fire must burn.
Constantly
There are times when we may think we don't need a fire. We are in a state of ‘Shabbos’; attending every program, every class and fully invested in our spiritual experience. We feel at the peak of our religiosity. Even then, the Torah tells us that we need to keep the fire burning. That experience must not just technically be complete, another thing on our checklist, but also with passion, with fire.
Additionally, there are times when we feel very distant, impure. Times when we feel it is hard to generate a fire, an excitement for Judaism. In times of revealed antisemitism, it gets harder to be passionate, to be excited, to be outwardly Jewish. Yet, even in those times, even when we're feeling distant, the fire must not go out, we need to remain constantly excited.
And if the fire is missing, the sanctuary is incomplete. We can't convince ourselves that all is good as long as we're doing what we need to be doing. The fire must constantly burn! We must feel connected to the Torah that we study. Prayer should feel like a conversation with G-d; building an active relationship with Him. Acts of kindness and mitzvot must be done with excitement, passion and in a way that's contagious. Doing so will attract others to do the same; who doesn’t want to be part of something awesome and alive?
This is the challenge that the Amalekites created. They created a coldness, a frigidity, a lack of passion in our service of G-d. Amalek wanted us to feel that our Judaism was just habit and tradition/history. The antidote to that is the constant fire. Even though we are in exile, with challenges, we must remain alive, passionate and on fire.
Keep your fire burning,
Always Constantly
Have a good Shabbos,
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman