וְהָאֵשׁ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ
לֹא תִכְבֶּה
וּבִעֵר עָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן עֵצִים בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר
וְעָרַךְ עָלֶיהָ הָעֹלָה וְהִקְטִיר עָלֶיהָ חֶלְבֵי הַשְּׁלָמִים׃
אֵשׁ תָּמִיד תּוּקַד עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ
לֹא תִכְבֶּה׃
The fire on the mizbei’ah (altar) shall be kept burning,
without going out.
The kohen must burn wood upon it every single morning
and arrange the olah sacrifice on it, and burn the fat of the shelamim sacrifice on it.
A “tamid” (always) fire shall be kept burning on the mizbei’ah; do not put it out.
- What do you notice? What seems to be the big idea here?
- Why might it be important for the fire on the mizbei’ah to stay burning?
- A few weeks ago, in Devash for Tetzaveh, we talked a lot about the word “tamid” and its connection to the נֵר תָּמִיד (ner tamid, continuous flame) that was part of the menorah, and the daily sacrifice called the קָרְבָּן תָּמִיד (korban tamid, continuous sacrifice). Now we see tamid again in connection to the fire on the mizbei’ah! Why do you think so many things in the mishkan were done in a way that made them regular or permanent? What can that tell us about serving God in the mishkan?
- How might it have felt to be responsible for keeping this fire going?
- Can you think of things in your home that need to be working all the time? Who does the work to make sure that keeps happening?
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