Lighting a Candle to Save a Life - Updated

Horiyot 12a:

אמר רבי אמי האי מאן דבעי לידע אי מסיק שתיה אי לא ניתלי שרגא בעשרה יומי דבין ראש השנה ליום הכפורים בביתא דלא נשיב זיקא אי משיך נהוריה נידע דמסיק שתיה

"R. Ammi said: He who wishes to ascertain whether he will live through the year or not shall, during the ten days between the New Year and the Day of Atonement, kindle a lamp in a house wherein there is no draft. If the light continues to burn he may know that he will live through the year."

I put forth this Talmudic passage on the Facebooks, and these are the responses I received:

Skootsky suggests: כי נר מצווה ותורה אור

Morrow suggests: כי נר ה' נשמת אדם

Posner suggests: Sounds like a good confidence boost.

I suggest: 

What does a "house without a draft" mean? It's the Soncino translation of "דלא נשיב זיקא".
My alternate understanding is the only time I know ״זיקא״ is used in Tanach, Isaiah 50:10-11: 

" 10 Who is among you that fears the Lord,That obeys the voice of His servant,That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire,Who encircle yourselves with firebrands (זיקות),Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands (זיקות) you have set ablaze.This you will have from My hand:You will lie down in torment."

In this, זיקות are bad. People who have firebrands don't fear the Lord, they will lie down in torment. It would seem that according to Rashi, "walking in darkness" in verse 10 means that people who trust in the Lord even when times are bad. Thus, lighting a firebrand is someone who doesn't trust in the Lord and follow his prophets when times are bad. I suggest that one should find a house without zika in it - have trust in the Lord when times are bad. Then, light a fire in it not based on worry but on strength of faith. If it does not extinguish over the period of teshuva, you can be sure it is real.

Weisinger suggests:  Maybe, allegorically, during the aseret yemei teshuva, you should shut out everything else besides for self-improvement, and if that fire continues to burn after yom kippur ends, you'll know that you've done well?

Sigala suggests: All year long we struggle with religious observance and the realities and situations that prevent our perfect devotion. Perhaps the meaning is that during this time we have to focus one our merits and abilities, and if in a vacuum (i.e. without distractions and obstacles) we serve God properly and show that we truly have a desire for closeness with him, then God will forgive us if the "candle" had blown out because of the wind. 

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3/3/15

Skootsky and Morrow are on point. I recently read the Midrash Rabbah on Tetzaveh (Shemot Rabbah 36), which speaks to this:

זית רענן ראה, היאך דברי תורה מאירין לאדם בשעה שעוסק בהן, וכל מי שאינו עוסק ואינו יודע, הוא נכשל. משל למי שעומד באפילה בא להלך, מצא אבן ונכשל בה. מצא ביב נופל בו. הקיש פניו בקרקע. למה? שלא היה בידו נר. כך הדיוט, שאין בידו דברי תורה. מצא עבירה ונכשל בה ומת, שכן רוח הקודש צווחת (משלי ה): הוא ימות באין מוסר, ואין מוסר אלא דברי תורה, שנאמר (שם ד) החזק במוסר אל תרף. למה הוא מת? לפי שאינו יודע בתורה והולך וחוטא, שנא' (שם): דרך רשעים באפילה לא ידעו במה יכשלו. 

אבל אותם שעוסקים בתורה, הם מאירים בכל מקום. משל למי שעומד באפלה, ונר בידו. ראה אבן ולא נכשל. ראה ביב ולא נפל. למה? על שהיה בידו נר, שנאמר (תהלים קיט): נר לרגלי דבריך ואור לנתיבתי. וכן (משלי ד)": אם תרוץ לא תכשל. וכן (שם כ): נר ה' נשמת אדם. אמר הקב"ה: יהא נרי בידך ונרך בידי. ואיזו נרו של הקב"ה? זו תורה, שנאמר (שם ו): כי נר מצוה ותורה אור. 

מהו כי נר מצוה? אלא, כל מי שעושה מצוה, הוא כאלו מדליק נר לפני הקב"ה, ומחיה נפשו שנקראת נר, שנאמר (שם כ): נר ה' נשמת אדם. ומהו ותורה אור? אלא, הרבה פעמים שאדם מחבב בלבו לעשות מצוה, ויצר הרע שבתוכו אומר: מה לך לעשות מצוה ומחסר את נכסיך? עד שאתה נותן לאחרים, תן לבניך. ויצר טוב אומר לו: תן למצוה! ראה, מה כתיב: כי נר מצוה. מה הנר הזה, כשהוא דולק אפילו אלף אלפים קרוינין וסבקין מדליקין הימנו, אור במקומו. כך כל מי שיתן למצוה, אינו מחסר את נכסיו, לכך נאמר: כי נר מצוה ותורה אור:

(Jeremiah 11:16) [God called your name,] "A thriving olive tree, [beautiful in fruit and form"; With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are worthless.]

See how the Torah enlightens man when he delves into it, and anyone who does not delve and does not know, how he stumbles! A parable to one who stands in darkness who goes to walk and happens upon a stone and stumbles on it. He happens upon a drainage pipe and stumbles upon it, and his head hits the ground. Why? Because he had no candle in his hand. Such is the ignorant, who has no Torah in his hand. He happens upon a sin, and he stumbles upon it and dies. For the [one with the] divine spirit [of prophecy] cried, (Proverbs 5:23) "He dies without discipline (mussar)." And "mussar" only refers to Torah, as it says, (Proverbs 4:13) "Take hold of instruction (mussar); do not let go." Why does he die? Because he doesn't know Torah, and goes and sins, as it says, (Proverbs 4:19) "The way of the wicked is in darkness; They do not know over what they stumble." 

But those who delve in Torah, they are enlightened everywhere. A parable to one who stands in darkness, and a candle is in his hand. He sees a stone and he does not stumble. He sees a drainage pipe and does not fall. Why? Because he had a candle in his hand, as it says, (Psalms 119:105) "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." And similarly, (Proverbs 4:12) "When you run, you will not stumble." And similarly, (Proverbs 20:27) "The soul of man is the candle of God." Said the Holy One, blessed be He: My candle shall be in your hand, and your candle shall be in Mine. And what is the candle of the Holy One, blessed be He? That is Torah, as it says, (Proverbs 6:23) "For the commandment is a candle and the Torah is light." 

What does it mean, "For the commandment is a candle"? Rather, all who perform the commandments, it is as if he has lit a candle before the Holy One, blessed be he, and resuscitated becomes his soul, which is called "a candle", as it says (Proverbs 20:27) "The soul of man is the candle of God." And what is "And the Torah is light"? Rather, many times a person make his heart desirous to perform a commandment, and the evil inclination that is inside him says: What is it to you to perform a commandment and lose money? Before you give to others, give to your children! And the good inclination says to him: Give for the commandment! See what it says, "For the commandment is a candle". Just like this candle, when it is lit even a million times, wax and tallow candles can be lit off of it, its light [remains] in place, so too anyone who gives for a commandment, he does not lose money. Therefore it says, (Proverbs 6:23) "For the commandment is a candle and the Torah is light." 

9/13/15 Erev Rosh Hashana

There are some rabbis who write about this connection.

Rabbi Asher Rosenbaum, Sefer Meadnei Asher, suggests that this is in reference to the statement in Rosh Hashana 16b:

"א''ר יוחנן: שלשה ספרים נפתחין בר''ה, אחד של רשעים גמורין ואחד של צדיקים גמורין ואחד של בינוניים. צדיקים גמורין נכתבין ונחתמין לאלתר לחיים, רשעים גמורין נכתבין ונחתמין לאלתר למיתה, בינוניים תלויין ועומדין מר''ה ועד יוה''כ זכו נכתבין לחיים לא זכו נכתבין למיתה" 

R`Kruspedai said in the name of R`Johanan: Three books are opened [in heaven] on New Year, one for the thoroughly wicked, one for the thoroughly righteous, and one for the intermediate.

The thoroughly righteous are forthwith inscribed definitively in the book of life; the thoroughly wicked are forthwith inscribed definitively in the book of death; the fate of the intermediate is suspended from New Year till the Day of Atonement; if they merit, they are inscribed in the book of life; if they do not merit, they are inscribed in the book of death.

So, he writes, that the reference to a candle that will not go out is repenting with all one's heart. Why does he say that? Because of yet another midrash, which equates the candle to Torah, and man to a house (Deuteronomy Rabbah 4)

אם שמור תשמרון. אמר הקב״ה נרי בידך ונרך בידי, אם אתה תשמור נרי שהיא התורה, אני משמר נרך שהיא הנשמה, כמש״כ ״כי נר מצוה ותורה אור״ הרי שהתורה נקראת אור, וגופו של אדם נקרא בית ״ביום שיזועו שומרי הבית״

 "If you will keep them..." Says God, "You have my candle, and I have your candle. If you guard my candle, which is the Torah, I will guard your candle which is the soul, as it says, 'For the commandment is a candle and the Torah is light', and the Torah is called "light." And the body of man is called a house, as it says, (Ecclesiastes 12:3) "in the day when the keepers of the house tremble."

Thus, the line means that if one lights his candle, Torah and mitzvot, and doesn't let in a ruach, (which he says we know is a reference to ruach shtus which is the cause of sin, (Sotah 3a) "for one only sins because of a little ruach shtus"), then he will be successful, he is a guaranteed to live out the year and to be written in the book of life.

There are other suggestions as well:

Rabbi Yisrael Bernstein, Sefer Kerem Yisrael, suggests homiletically that this is a statement that reflects on how the Jewish people have survived - they made sure that they focused on the places where the zeitgeist, the ruach hazman, could not enter - the Beit Knesset and the Beit Misrash.