Who By Fire and Who By Water

בס"ד

After the Jews successfully defeat the Midianites they are instructed as to how to purify the spoils for Jewish use.

"כָּל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יָבֹא בָאֵשׁ תַּעֲבִירוּ בָאֵשׁ וְטָהֵר אַךְ בְּמֵי נִדָּה יִתְחַטָּא וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָבֹא בָּאֵשׁ תַּעֲבִירוּ בַמָּיִם:" [במדבר לא:כג]

"Any item that passes through fire shall be passed through fire and be purified, it must be cleansed in water fit for a niddah, and all that does not pass though fire you shall pass through water."

What is the secret, miraculous way by which fire and water serve to remove the idolatrous influences of Midian ?

There are two types of stains that can affect a person's soul. You can be surrounded by negative influences – your entire frame of reference can be one of misguided values and faulty goals. This is common in a society dominated by superficiality and instant gratification. Or perhaps you have fallen deeper into the abyss of impurity and you are actually excited by doing what is wrong in the eyes of G-d.

To correct these flaws you must reverse the effect they have upon you. In order to reorient yourself to a life of divine service and positive values you must completely surround yourself with those of a similar mindset. This spiritual immersion can help shift the focus and sharpen it to true life goals.

The second level of impurity is much harder to expunge. It has become so absorbed within a person that external immersion will not have the power to bleed it out. For this we need to 'burn it out' from the inside. We must fight fire with fire – a fire of longing for the Divine to cancel out the fires of desire; a fire of intense happiness in His service to cancel out a fire of revelry and wildness.

May we be zocheh to add only purity to our lives by every which way imaginable and merit seeing the pure redeemer, speedily, in our days.

Hatzlacha !!