A Heap of Ashes
The book of Leviticus contains commandments pertaining to the sacrafices and rituals that were done in the Beit Hamikdash. One of these commandments was for the kohen remove a small shovel worth of ash from the growing pile near the altar. He wasn't to clean the large pile daily, rather to fill his small shovel with the ash. When the large pile ash on the altar became too big, it was then removed and placed outside of the Temple mount.
This seems kind of peculiar, why not clean out the whole ash pile, why wait until it accumulated to become too large? How does one small shovel full help?
The fire on the altar represents the fire within us. Our soul. When we are in tune with our soul then our whole being becomes one with it. The ashes represent what remains, what isn't consumed by the fire. It represents the challenges we have yet to overcome, the opportunities we haven't yet taken advantage of.
We keep a small portion with us to help us stay grounded and humble. It serves as our reminder of what we need to work on today. When we look at our little pile of ashes we should not look at them as failure but as an opportunity to grow. From the ashes of opportunity burns the fire to reach the greatest heights.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Hecht
