“The oil of the Torah needs a wick to hold the flame of light.
It cannot burn of itself.
Something has to transfer the oil in small, controllable quantities.
Otherwise, there is a conflagration.
And it is the body of man that constitutes such a wick.
The ignited flame is the mitzvah, giving off a spiritual light.
The body functions as a useful device.
It helps to manipulate the immense things of the world so that there can be ‘light’ without an explosion.
Of course, the body also causes a lot of trouble for the soul.
But it does provide the means for the soul’s achievements.”
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
From The Candle of God, “Implications of the Menorah,” p..350 by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz