The Tragic Ironies of the Terrible Fire Today
In such a horrible day in Israel, where at least 40 people ר"ל lost their lives, a forest is being destroyed, and thousands are being evacuated, I would like to take a look at some of the tragic ironies that just occurred.
- Before today, when I thought of a fire in the Carmel, I think of Eliyahu Hanavi getting the people to say ה' הוא האלקים ה' הוא האלקים. After today, we still need to say ה' הוא האלקים, but the reason for saying it is more hidden. The fire then was a fire of blessing - this is just the opposite.
- Today is the first day of Hanukka, where we should be celebrating our victories over the Greeks. Instead, we need to ask Greece (among others) for help to put out the fire, and they are sending helicopters.
- We light Hanukka flames with the hope that the flames in the Carmel Forest are put out.
- There was just an article about firefighters warning people about house fires before Hanukka.
and notes various Tehillim gatherings due to the blaze.עַד-מָה יְהוָה, תִּסָּתֵר לָנֶצַח; תִּבְעַר כְּמוֹ-אֵשׁ חֲמָתֶךָ
47 How long, O LORD, wilt Thou hide Thyself for ever? How long shall Thy wrath burn like fire?
Tehillim were also said at the Minha minyan I attended today.
May Hashem speedily turn the Aish of destruction into an Aish of building, as we say:
באש הצתה ובאש אתה עתיד לבנותה
posted by yaak @ 12/02/2010 03:22:00 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
Last week when a rabbi's kitchen went up in flames, he gave a drasha the next day in shule saying that "It says in the Talmud that after a fire comes riches."
I thought he was being a bit optimistic at the time, because surely a fire is some kind of punishment? Not a reason to celebrate the imminent arrival of mass wealth.
But anyway, that's what it says somewhere in the Talmud....
Most Israeli media are downplaying the fact that Arab arson is most likely behind this fire. And as such this is a terrorist act.
Also, it is difficult to understand why a technologically developed country like Israel does not have firefighting planes and helicopters, while Israel's neighbors all have these kinds of planes and helicopters.
Israel must purchase these firefighting planes and helicopters without delay because it is a country with many enemies and because it is prone to arson and terrorist attacks.
dont we have a tradition (the baal shem tov says) that when moshiach will come we are going to have a similar test like elihau had, but this time , the "fire" is going to burn the "other side" korban?
Shloime, there is such a description and it also says that it will appear that Islam is chosen, and it will test many; I remember reading it, but don't remember the source.
The Haftorah for this Shabbat is very interesting.
Another irony, and I feel uneasy saying it, but just a few days ago we held TWO fast days for rain, and what was the answer to those tefillos ...
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On Motzei Shabbat, Rav Ovadia Yosef said that the forest fires were due to Shabbat desecration in the area. People should take this warning very seriously, and they should start keeping the Shabbat. Ha-shem is telling us that time is running out before the war of Gog and Magog, and that keeping the Shabbat is a matter of life and death. I hope that I am wrong but I doubt that anybody will take Rav Ovadia's warning seriously.
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=77506
A few things came to mind about what is happening in the north.
Yaak, could the prophecy about the 'north' from the time hizbullah was raining missiles on the entire area, and zefas and other areas were evacuated ... also apply to what is happing now?
Second, in a photo in the Jpost paper yom rishon, there was a home devastated by fire, but in their front yard 'remained a statue' ! This statue looked like avoda zara to me.
There is always a danger in dry weather, with trees and underbrush accumulating, that fire could erupt spontaneously, but here we have two youths as the catalyst for 'negligence' and thus a wild fire. Also, I read by Jameel that another fire erupted in the Golan ... In a very strategic (militarily) spot near the border w/Syria.
The fire could have been able to be controlled, but this is a "raging inferno".
I wonder what if any can be read into this? This is your domain. Can you find anyhing alluding to this?
It's just so awful, I can't read the articles in the paper...too too sad.
At sundown on Sunday, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Associated Press that there have been 20 arson attempts in other forests over the past 48 hours, and four people have been arrested.
The greatest danger to Bene Yisrael are the arabs living in Israel. They have now adopted a new strategy of lighting forest fires.
It will be interesting to see how the people respond to this new threat.
Rabbi Lazer Brody points out that the Midrash Raba states that,"Right before the Moshiach comes, the outskirts of Haifa will burn."
http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2010/12/the-haifa-fire.html
The Haifa fire is then a sign that the Moshiach is on his way.
Machlouf, which midrash rabah! Sources, please give sources.
R' Lazer Brody quotes Shir Hashirim Rabba 2:8, which says the following on the verse כשושנה בין החוחים:
Rabbi Ayvu explains the verse regarding the Redemption of tomorrow (the future Redemption). Just as a rose, when it is placed among the thorns, it is difficult for its owner to pluck, so too (Eicha 1:17) "the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his adversaries" for example Halamish for Naveh, Yeriho for No'aran, Sisutan for Teveria, Kastra for Haifa, Lod for Ono. This is what it means when it says (Yehezkel 5:5) "This is Jerusalem! I have set her in the midst of the nations, and countries are round about her". Tomorrow, when the End Times will be reached, what will HKB"H do? He will bring the fire and burn its outskirts. This is what it means when it says (Yishaya 33:12) "And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime; as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire." What is written over there (regarding the End of Days)? (Devarim 32:12) "The LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with Him."
Sorry machlouf, just visited lazerbeams. Very interesting, someone also mentioned: " Melakhim (Kings) A, chapter 18, verses 21 through 46. There it tells that due to the abundance of Avoda Zara (worship that is foreign to the desire of HaShem, idolatry etc) on the Carmel HaShem will send fire down from heaven. All the country will gather there because of the fire"
My previous comment told about a statue in front of someone's burnt home ... Which is clearly on the front page of today's JPost edition, for ALL to see.
The Midrash Shir HaShirim quoted by yaak only says that Hashem will burn the eniemes of Israel that are around Jerusalem.... there's nothing about the Haifa fire. Probably the Midrash is speaking about Gog uMagog.
I think that Rabbi Lazer Brody is pointing out that the Midrash Shir HaShirim is predicting that the fate of Haifa will be like the fate of Jerusalem when Ha-shem burns the enemies of Israel at the outskirts of the city.
regarding the Midrash Rabba on Shir HaShirim, see my writeup here:
http://parsha.blogspot.com/2010/12/was-fire-in-haifa-predicted-in-midrash.html
kol tuv,
josh
Maybe we should give Rabbi Brody a chance to explain his interpretation before drawing any conclusions.
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