Written by Chanie Gourarie

“A constant fire shall be,

Kept burning on the altar,” in our Parsha we see,

“It shall not be extinguished,” why repeat,

There is a lesson here about passion and heat.

 

Bringing a sacrifice is really nice,

But are we happy to do it or do we think twice?

Excitement, passion and fire, Hashem wants to see,

This is why on the alter, a fire burned constantly.

 

A sacrifice itself is insufficient without fire.

To serve Hashem is our true desire,

It’s not enough to go the extra mile,

We’ve got to do it with a smile.

 

“It shall not be extinguished,” is a guarantee,

That if we serve Hashem properly,

Then the “not,” which represents negativity,

Will be extinguished, and turn into positivity.

 

Here is a story to share,

About Gavriel and his wife so dear,

The lesson will be clear,

Let us learn from their passion, love and care.

 

When Chassidic philosophy was something new,

To become a Chossid is what Gavriel wanted to do,

His decision, his family did not appreciate,

They ruined his business which had been doing great.

 

One day a messenger came to the door,

The Alter Rebbe was collecting money for the poor,

How could he contribute like before,

When money he had no more?

 

Gavriel never complained,

But now he was pained,

His wife knew exactly what to do,

She sold her valuables and jewelry too.

 

She polished the coins that she got with love,

Until they shone like the stars above,

The pouch of coins she gave with a smile,

Her husband thanked her for a while.

 

Gavriel left his town that day,

To bring the money to his Rebbe right away,

The Rebbe asked why his coins were different from the rest,

They sparkled and shone and were truly the best.

 

His troubles, Gavriel couldn’t hide,

To his Rebbe, he shared the pain he felt inside,

The Rebbe told him not to worry,

He was blessed with children and lots of money.

 

Gavriel and his wife were full of joy,

Especially when they had their first baby boy,

All the negativity turned around right away,

Because of the “fire” that Gavriel’s wife did display!