“The oil of the Torah needs a wick to hold the flame of light.
It cannot burn of itself.
Something has to transfer the oil in small, controllable quantities.
Otherwise, there is a conflagration.
And it is the body of man that constitutes such a wick.
The ignited flame is the mitzvah, giving off a spiritual light.
The body functions as a useful device.
It helps to manipulate the immense things of the world so that there can be ‘light’ without an explosion.
Of course, the body also causes a lot of trouble for the soul.
But it does provide the means for the soul's achievements.”
--Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
From The Candle of God, “Implications of the Menorah,” p..350 by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
