Addict Torah: Vaetchanan 2022/5782

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דברים ד׳:י״א-י״ב

(יא) וַתִּקְרְב֥וּן וַתַּֽעַמְד֖וּן תַּ֣חַת הָהָ֑ר וְהָהָ֞ר בֹּעֵ֤ר בָּאֵשׁ֙ עַד־לֵ֣ב הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם חֹ֖שֶׁךְ עָנָ֥ן וַעֲרָפֶֽל׃ (יב) וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם מִתּ֣וֹךְ הָאֵ֑שׁ ק֤וֹל דְּבָרִים֙ אַתֶּ֣ם שֹׁמְעִ֔ים וּתְמוּנָ֛ה אֵינְכֶ֥ם רֹאִ֖ים זוּלָתִ֥י קֽוֹל׃

Deuteronomy 4:11-12

(11) You came forward and stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain was ablaze with flames to the very skies, dark with densest clouds. (12) יהוה spoke to you out of the fire; you heard the sound of words but perceived no shape—nothing but a voice.

שמות ג׳:ב׳-ד׳

(ב) וַ֠יֵּרָ֠א מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה אָסֻֽרָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶ֥ה הַגָּדֹ֖ל הַזֶּ֑ה מַדּ֖וּעַ לֹא־יִבְעַ֥ר הַסְּנֶֽה׃ (ד) וַיַּ֥רְא יְהֹוָ֖ה כִּ֣י סָ֣ר לִרְא֑וֹת וַיִּקְרָא֩ אֵלָ֨יו אֱלֹהִ֜ים מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֗ה וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֥ה מֹשֶׁ֖ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃

Exodus 3:2-4

(2) A messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. (3) Moses said, “I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?” (4) When יהוה saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.”

דברים ד׳:כ׳

(כ) וְאֶתְכֶם֙ לָקַ֣ח יְהֹוָ֔ה וַיּוֹצִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִכּ֥וּר הַבַּרְזֶ֖ל מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם לִהְי֥וֹת ל֛וֹ לְעַ֥ם נַחֲלָ֖ה כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

Deuteronomy 4:20

(20) but you יהוה took and brought out of Egypt, that iron blast furnace, to be God’s very own people, as is now the case.

דברים ה׳:י״ט-כ״ג

(יט) אֶֽת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֡לֶּה דִּבֶּר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֶל־כׇּל־קְהַלְכֶ֜ם בָּהָ֗ר מִתּ֤וֹךְ הָאֵשׁ֙ הֶֽעָנָ֣ן וְהָֽעֲרָפֶ֔ל ק֥וֹל גָּד֖וֹל וְלֹ֣א יָסָ֑ף וַֽיִּכְתְּבֵ֗ם עַל־שְׁנֵי֙ לֻחֹ֣ת אֲבָנִ֔ים וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃ (כ) וַיְהִ֗י כְּשׇׁמְעֲכֶ֤ם אֶת־הַקּוֹל֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַחֹ֔שֶׁךְ וְהָהָ֖ר בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֑שׁ וַתִּקְרְב֣וּן אֵלַ֔י כׇּל־רָאשֵׁ֥י שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֖ם וְזִקְנֵיכֶֽם׃ (כא) וַתֹּאמְר֗וּ הֵ֣ן הֶרְאָ֜נוּ יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ אֶת־כְּבֹד֣וֹ וְאֶת־גׇּדְל֔וֹ וְאֶת־קֹל֥וֹ שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הָאֵ֑שׁ הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ רָאִ֔ינוּ כִּֽי־יְדַבֵּ֧ר אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם וָחָֽי׃ (כב) וְעַתָּה֙ לָ֣מָּה נָמ֔וּת כִּ֣י תֹֽאכְלֵ֔נוּ הָאֵ֥שׁ הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את אִם־יֹסְפִ֣ים ׀ אֲנַ֗חְנוּ לִ֠שְׁמֹ֠עַ אֶת־ק֨וֹל יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵ֛ינוּ ע֖וֹד וָמָֽתְנוּ׃ (כג) כִּ֣י מִ֣י כׇל־בָּשָׂ֡ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁמַ֣ע קוֹל֩ אֱלֹהִ֨ים חַיִּ֜ים מְדַבֵּ֧ר מִתּוֹךְ־הָאֵ֛שׁ כָּמֹ֖נוּ וַיֶּֽחִי׃

Deuteronomy 5:19-23

(19) יהוה spoke those words—those and no more—to your whole congregation at the mountain, with a mighty voice out of the fire and the dense clouds. [God] inscribed them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. (20) When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, you came up to me, all your tribal heads and elders, (21) and said, “Our God יהוה has just shown us a majestic Presence, and we have heard God’s voice out of the fire; we have seen this day that humankind may live though addressed by God. (22) Let us not die, then, for this fearsome fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of our God יהוה any longer, we shall die. (23) For what mortal ever heard the voice of the living God speak out of the fire, as we did, and lived?

דברים ז׳:ה׳

(ה) כִּֽי־אִם־כֹּ֤ה תַעֲשׂוּ֙ לָהֶ֔ם מִזְבְּחֹתֵיהֶ֣ם תִּתֹּ֔צוּ וּמַצֵּבֹתָ֖ם תְּשַׁבֵּ֑רוּ וַאֲשֵֽׁירֵהֶם֙ תְּגַדֵּע֔וּן וּפְסִילֵיהֶ֖ם תִּשְׂרְפ֥וּן בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

Deuteronomy 7:5

(5) Instead, this is what you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, smash their pillars, cut down their sacred posts, and consign their images to the fire.

Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy, p. 82

Fire is everywhere and everywhere it is mysterious.

Yerushalmi Shelamim 6:1, 49d

R. Simeon ben Lakish said: The Torah given to Moses was written with black fire uponwhite fire, sealed with fire, and swathed with bands of fire.

Genesis Rabbah 1:1

The primordial Torah was written with black fire on white fire. It was fire mixed with fire, cut from fire, given from fire. God peered into the fiery letters of that Torah and created the world. (cited in Schwartz, Tree of Souls, p. 265)

Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzburg, p. 1+

THE FIRST THINGS CREATED - In the beginning, two thousand years before the heaven and the earth, seven things were created...the burning bush...the pillars of fire and cloud as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness...fire itself

Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzburg, p. 12

Fire made a division between the celestial and the terrestrial at the time of creation, as it did at the revelation at Mt. Sinai...the firmament [of fire] is not more than three fingers thick...

שמות ל״ב:כ״ד

(כד) וָאֹמַ֤ר לָהֶם֙ לְמִ֣י זָהָ֔ב הִתְפָּרָ֖קוּ וַיִּתְּנוּ־לִ֑י וָאַשְׁלִכֵ֣הוּ בָאֵ֔שׁ וַיֵּצֵ֖א הָעֵ֥גֶל הַזֶּֽה׃

Exodus 32:24

(24) So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off!’ They gave it to me and I hurled it into the fire and out came this calf!”

Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy, p. 87

[The golden calf] seems to put an end to ambiguity; stable, predictable, it emerges from the fire as though demonically possessed. All the turbulence of life can be resolved in one gleaming image.

שיר השירים ח׳:ו׳-ז׳

(ו) שִׂימֵ֨נִי כַֽחוֹתָ֜ם עַל־לִבֶּ֗ךָ כַּֽחוֹתָם֙ עַל־זְרוֹעֶ֔ךָ כִּֽי־עַזָּ֤ה כַמָּ֙וֶת֙ אַהֲבָ֔ה קָשָׁ֥ה כִשְׁא֖וֹל קִנְאָ֑ה רְשָׁפֶ֕יהָ רִשְׁפֵּ֕י אֵ֖שׁ שַׁלְהֶ֥בֶתְיָֽה׃ (ז) מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֗ים לֹ֤א יֽוּכְלוּ֙ לְכַבּ֣וֹת אֶת־הָֽאַהֲבָ֔ה וּנְהָר֖וֹת לֹ֣א יִשְׁטְפ֑וּהָ אִם־יִתֵּ֨ן אִ֜ישׁ אֶת־כׇּל־ה֤וֹן בֵּיתוֹ֙ בָּאַהֲבָ֔ה בּ֖וֹז יָב֥וּזוּ לֽוֹ׃ {ס}

Song of Songs 8:6-7

(6) Let me be a seal upon your heart,
Like the seal upon your hand.
For love is fierce as death,
Passion is mighty as Sheol;
Its darts are darts of fire,
A blazing flame. (7) Vast floods cannot quench love,
Nor rivers drown it.
If a man offered all his wealth for love,
He would be laughed to scorn.

Shir Ha Shirim Rabbah 1: 52

Once as Ben Azzai sat and expounded Torah (doresh), the fire flamed (me-lahetet) around him. They went and told R. Akiva, saying, Rabbi, Ben Azzai is sitting and expounding Torah and fire is flaming around him. He went to Ben Azzai and said,I hear that while you were expounding torah fire flamed around you? He answered, thatis so. He said to him, Were you perhaps engaging in the secrets of the Divine Chariot?No, he replied. I was only combining the words of Torah with one another and then with the words of the prophets, and the prophets with the Writings; and the words rejoiced as when they were delivered from Sinai, and they were sweet as at their original utterance. And was it not in the fire that they were originally delivered from Sinai, as it says, "And the mountain burned with fire"? (translated by Dr. Avivah Zornberg, TheHidden Order of Intimacy, p. 100)

Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy, pp. 100, 101

His only concern is for the d'rashah, for the creative moment of his teaching - making links, threading beads between texts of Torah...here the fire represents not sacrifices butthe threading of beads, the electric contact of words with words...In Ben Azzai's words, the original fire, with all its terror, is transformed into sweetness and joy...he is uncannily demonstrating the effect of God's presence within him. ...[The fire] flames around him but does not consume him.