Welding is the art of joining two objects. By applying the heat of the torch, the previously separate entities fuse to one. However, it is of utmost importance that the surfaces to be welded be utterly free of all foreign substances; should the welder fail to remove the minutest bit of dirt or rust, the two parts will fail to bind or, at best, their union would be flimsy and temporary.
The same applies to man’s endeavor to cleave to his Maker. The fervor of prayer is a welder’s torch that fuses matter and spirit, heaven and earth, the mortal and the eternal; but one must take great care to first cleanse the union of all vestiges of grime and decay. For the bond to be true and enduring, it must be free of pride, strife and other elements inherently foreign to the soul of man.
Based on a saying by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), founder of Chassidism.
