The Neshama is like a fire. Just as a fire burns towards the heavens, wanting to be consumed within its source, similarly does the Neshama want to be consumed within its source. However, the avodah/work of lighting the fire of your Neshama is ultimately not about expiring, but about redirecting that energy back into this physical mundane world. So too, in the Bais Hamikdash, when they lit a fire to burn wood, it wasn’t about the three elements that went up in smoke, but rather about the fourth element that stayed and turned into ash- because ultimately it’s about bringing spirituality into the physical world.

לקו״ש לו