Sacred Flame: The Torah of Fire

For God is a devouring fire, an impassioned God.

According to Levi ... after the Sabbath When the world sank into darkness as a result of G*d withdrawing the original light, as part of Adam’s punishment for having violated G*d's commandment not to eat from the tree of knowledge, Adam was disconsolate and exclaimed (Psalms 139,11) “is darkness to conceal me permanently?” G*d responded to his cry of anguish by replacing the original light with fire, sparks, by teaching him how to produce fire by striking two flints against each other. Having been successful in this, Adam blessed the fire.

And some say that the Holy One, Blessed Be prepared for him two stones, one Thick Darkness and One the Shadow of Death. (as in Job 28:3, One sets an end to darkness.. seeks out the stones Thick Darkness and the Shadow of Death) Adam, the First, took the two stones and struck them together and out came from the two stones fire and Adam made the Havdallah blessing "who Divides the Holy from the Profane" Therefore do we make Havdallah over fire as the Sabbath ends.

(4) At the end of Shabbat Adam was meditating in his heart and saying: Perhaps the serpent, which deceived me, will come in the evening, and he will attack me in the heel. A pillar of fire was sent to him to give illumination about him and to guard him from all evil. Adam saw the pillar of fire and rejoiced in his heart, and he put forth his hands to the light of the fire, and said: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the flames of fire. And when he removed his hands from the light of the fire, he said: Now I know that the holy day has been separated from the other days, for fire may not be kindled on the Sabbath day; and in that hour he said: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who divides the holy from the ordinary.

(5) Rabbi Mana said: How must a man say the Havdalah blessing? (He does this) over the cup of wine, with the light of fire, and he says: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the various flames of fire; and when he removes his hand from the fire (flame) he says: Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who divides the holy from the profane.

(6) If he have no wine he puts forth his hands towards the light of the lamp and looks at his nails, which are whiter than his body, and he says: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who divides the holy from the ordinary. and when he has removed his hands from the fire, he says: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who divides the holy from the ordinary.

(7) If he has no fire, he puts forth his hand to the light of the stars, which are also fire, looks at his nails, and says: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the various flames of fire. If the heavens be darkened, he lifts up a stone outside, and says: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who divides the holy from the ordinary.

R. Hama son of R. Hanina further said: What means the text: Ye shall walk after the Lord your God? Is it, then, possible for a human being to walk after the Shechinah; for has it not been said: For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire? Rather, follow the character traits of G-d.

(11) And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. (12) And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice

(2) You find that when the Holy One gave the Torah, it was entirely of fire, as it is said: At God's right hand was a fiery law unto them (Deut. 33:2). Our sages stated: The law was of fire, the parchment was of fire, its writings were of fire, the thread was of fire, as it is said: At God's right hand was a fiery law.

The face of the agent (Moses) became fiery, as is said: And they were afraid to come nigh him (Exod. 34:30). The angels who descended with it were of fire, as it is said: Who makes winds Thy messengers (Ps. 104:4). The mountain burned with fire (Deut. 4:11), and it was given within a fire consuming fire, as it is said: For the God is a devouring fire (ibid. 4:24). And upon the earth God made thee to see God's great fire (ibid., v. 36).

The Divine Word also came forth from the midst of fire. When they beheld the lightning and the burning letters, the Holy One, said to them: Do not imagine that they have much power, and God began to recite the words I am thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods (Exod. 20:2).¹⁸The Ten Commandments. Cf. above, “In the Beginning,” n.

(2) “and the Mountain was ablaze with fire to the very heart of the heavens, darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.” If you were to say that the beginning of this verse appears to contradict its end seeing that if something burns and is aflame, there is obviously no darkness there? The miracle at the time was that darkness and light coexisted. Moses continues by explaining what took place: God spoke to you out of the fire; what you heard, were the sounds of God's voice. However, you had no vision of something by means of a picture, an illustration. The reason that you could not see the vision, the picture, was that it was enveloped by different degrees of darkness. This had to be so, as no human being is allowed a visual image of the essence of God.

(1) If [the judges] didn't know [the witness], others were sent with him to testify about him. At first, testimony about the new moon was received from any one; [but] from when the heretics corrupted [and bribed witnesses to lie], it was ordained, that [testimony] should be received only of those witnesses who were known.

(2) At first, bonfires were lighted on the tops of the mountains [to transmit the appearance of the new moon]; but when the Cutheans [the Samaritans] corrupted [the process], it was ordained that messengers should be sent out.

(3) How were these mountain fires lighted? They brought long staves of cedar wood, and shoots, and sticks from oil trees, and the scraps of flax, which were [all] tied on the top of [the staves] with twine; [with these, the court's agent] went to the top of the mountain, and lighted the fire; and waved them to and fro, upward and downward, until he could see his fellow, [and] that [the latter] was doing the same on the top of the next mountain; and so too, [this process was repeated with regards to the next fellow] on the top of the third mountain.

Ben Azzai was sitting and expounding, and fire was blazing around him. They [his disciples] came and told Rabbi Akiva, "Rabbi Ben Azzai is sitting and expounding, and fire is blazing around him." [Akiva] went to him and said, "I heard that you were sitting and expounding, and fire was blazing around you!" [Ben Azzai] replied, "Yes." [Akiva] said to him, "Perhaps you are engaged in the chambers of the Chariot [the secrets of Ezekiel's vision of the Chariot]?!" [Ben Azzai] replied, "No, I am sitting and stringing words of Torah, from Torah to the Prophets, and from Prophets to the Writings, and the words are as joyous as on the day they were given from Sinai, and as sweet (sonorous, fragrant) as the essence [ikar] of what was given. And the essence that was given [that day] on Sinai, were they not [originally] given in fire?!" and the mountain burned with fire (Deut. 4:11).