Although the tragedy of WW2 dimmed the heat of the battle, to this day remnants of that war still exist, and in certain parts of the community threaten to surface again. Now, on the one hand fire is a universal symbol for the mystery of G d's presence. In the Covenant of the Pieces between G d and Abraham we read the Torah's description of a flaming torch passing between the pieces of the sacrifice. And, perhaps more than any other aspect of physical being, fire has no neutral quality. It can either bring warmth or devastation, add light or remove life.
Fire is the very essence of potential.
This, it seems to me, is the main teaching of the Midrash. First of all, we dare never despair of any situation, no matter how hopeless or hapless it may seem. From the shameful Egyptian servitude emerged an Israelite nation sanctified at Sinai and committed to be sensitive to the slave and to love the stranger. Potential Godliness is to be found in every place and event, no matter how lowly or hurtful. G-dly powers rooted in his Divine essence.