הלכה על יומא 42:1

And not only has He given us His special treasure, but He has also commanded us not to forsake it, as it is written (Mishlei 4:2): "For a goodly acquisition have I given you; do not forsake My Torah" — unlike the way of flesh and blood, who, if he gives his friend a fine gift, and the other does not deport himself with it correctly, and it is not beloved in his eyes, he pines for the day that his friend will abandon it altogether, so that he can take it back for himself. Not so is the way of our G–d. For He established for us prophets in all the generations of the first Temple to return us to the good. And even in the days of the second Temple, when (in our many sins) Israel descended from its pristine holiness, and when they lacked five things which obtained in the first Temple [ark, ark-cover, and cherubim; the Heavenly fire; the Shechinah; prophecy; and the urim vetumim (viz. Yoma 21b)] — notwithstanding this, when we were on our land and had a Temple, we could fulfill all the mitzvoth of the Torah, and thereby bring to perfection all of the spiritual components within us (the soul [like the body] possessing 248 "organs" and 365 "sinews" [see Sha'arei Kedushah of R. Chaim Vital, Chapter One]).

The commandment of lighting fire on the altar every day: To burn (some have the textual variant, to have) fire on the altar every day perpetually, as it is stated (Leviticus 6:6), "A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar." And the explanation of perpetual came [that] it means to say to place wood in the morning and in the afternoon. And in the elucidation, they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 21b), “Even though the fire descends from the Heavens, it is a commandment to bring [it also] from the commoners. And do not let it be difficult for you, to say, "What is this commandment – is it not that they, in any case, had to burn a fire for the sake of the sacrifice that they were obligated to bring, as it is impossible [to do so] without fire." As this is a commandment on its own; since besides the fire for the sacrifice, they would place fire on the altar for this commandment – and as they, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Yoma 45a), there were three arrangements of fire [derived] from the verses, as we will write in the laws of this commandment.