The flame is man’s future

Most Jewish authorities stand up against cremation, which does not belong to jewish traditional rules. Burial respects the dignity of corpse, formerly inhabited by soul and promised to resurrection. Cremation reminds of the horror of human sacrifices prior to Hebrew people. But fire is also a vehicle for Revelation, for instance in the Burning Bush, and brings human beings closer to God through smoke of ancient sacrifices in the Temple: the hebrew root for the word “sacrifice” means “bring closer”. The expiation exchanges ownings for meaning, frees human beings of themselves and opens them to the Wholly Other.