It has been years since my arms and lips stopped working. I ache to hug and kiss my children. I ache to speak to them, and tell them how much I love them and how proud I am of them.

Now more, than ever, I see the value of these things.

In the portion of Tzav we read, “And the fire on the altar shall burn on it; it shall not go out. The kohen shall kindle wood upon it every morning.”

The fire on the altar was a G‑dly fire that remained whether wood was added or not.

What was the purpose of adding the wood? What can we learn from this?

Every one of us is a Holy Temple. At our spiritual center, our altar, is a G‑dly fire that can never be extinguished. This is our neshamah, our soul.

One may mistakenly think, “I am a Jew at heart, isn’t that enough? I will set myself on auto-pilot. My current direction is good enough for me.”

To this, the Torah says, the kohen must kindle wood every morning. You must invest your physical self, your possessions and your time, to develop and grow your fire every day.

We can take a lesson from this in our own personal relationships. One may mistakenly think, “They know how I feel, that should be enough.” You might think, “I give them everything they want, that should be enough.” To this, the Torah says, “The kohen must kindle wood every morning.”

You must constantly rekindle the spark of your relationships.

Please, do not take your loved ones for granted! Grab the opportunity to develop your connections. Keep adding wood to your fires. Don’t wait for the “right moment.”

Do it now.