The fires that broke out across the country today (Wednesday) reminded many of the huge fire in California a few months ago. At that time, communities from California sent a question to their rabbi, the Rabbi Ben Moshe, Rabbi of Jerusalem - why the severe fires were hitting the city.
The Rabbi replied in a detailed and astonishing letter - that the fires come for two reasons: because they do not make a memorial to the destruction in their homes, and because they do not study Torah at night.
Students of the Rabbad are now being encouraged to strengthen themselves in both of these matters.
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Below is the full letter:
""To the honor of the Rabbani Rabbi Ezra Dwek, Shlita, Rabbi and M.O.T. of the Torah Or School of Los Angeles - California, peace and blessings."
""Regarding the terrible fire that struck your place, and the homes of thousands of people went up in flames and were consumed by fire, including the homes of some of our brothers from Israel who were left without a roof over their heads in the wilderness.".
""And now, if this thing happened so close and it seemed right on the bitter day of the 10th of Tevet, the day when the siege of Jerusalem, our holy and glorious city, began, and from which the destruction and burning of the Temple in the year 1000 was born, surely the Holy Spirit would have said, "We have made a sign of the covenant" and there are things in it. And I thought that there was a hint from heaven here to strengthen ourselves in two important matters by which they could be saved from the fires of Rachal.
""One, what our Sages have decreed for us in the Gemara (Bava Batra, page 60) regarding making a memorial of destruction in every house, as explained in the Shulchan Aruch (Siman 99, 61), after the destruction of the Temple, the Sages of that generation decreed that one should never build a whitewashed and decorated building like the buildings of the kings, but rather one should plaster one's house with mortar and plaster it with lime, leaving a cubit upon a cubit space opposite the doorway without lime, etc., etc. And see this as a wonder, because geniuses of the past have already written to us about this, because this matter of making a memorial of destruction in a house is a tried and tested remedy against fires and other evils." Thus, the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Pelaji wrote in his book Moed Lak Chai (sign 10, letter 12, and quoted in 28, sign 99, letter 11) that he regrets the houses of Israel that do not commemorate the destruction of the temple, and he wrote that he heard from his father that "every house is tested and tested by him, if it is built one cubit upon another, as a measure against the door, as is customary, and the appearance of the bricks appears to be mortar, then that house is true to the world, and so are all the buildings on it." He also looked at the book Kontras Yehiyeli (Beit Adam, page 12), which brought a terrible event that whoever did not commemorate the destruction had a terrible dream. Therefore, it is said that the Ketar will announce at the gate of many houses to the members of his community and to those who have taken it, that they should be careful to do so in their courtyards and castles, and to leave one cubit upon another without lime or paint against the door, and in this way they will be protected from all harm and affliction, especially from fires and the like.
""And the second is a Halacha verse in the Shulchan Aruch Yod (Siman Ramo, section 24) and this is its language: Every house in which the words of Torah are not heard at night, fire will consume it. Thus. And it is from the words of Rabbi Elazar in Tractate Sanhedrin (page 22a). And also refer to the Gemara (Eruvin 18b) where Rabbi Jeremiah ben Elazar said, Every house in which the words of Torah are heard at night, is not destroyed again. And so on in the introduction to the Zohar corrections and in Parashah Teruma (page 17b).
""Therefore, His Eminence will urge the members of the community to each and every one of them to set a fixed time for studying Torah at home, whether a little or a lot. Provided that they have a regularity of study, whether in the Pentateuch with Rashi, in the Gemara (daily page, etc.), in Halacha, and the like, and in this they will be granted great protection from fires and all evil.".
""And the Almighty, in His mercy, will close the breaches of His people Israel and will protect all our brothers, the House of Israel, from all trouble and distress and from all sickness and disease, and from here on out, for the sake of the Lord. Amen.".
