Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
The world is in shock over the wildfires raging in California, where lives have been lost and the destruction is nothing short of catastrophic. Is there anything we can do to help from afar, and is there any message for us?
Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:
Prayer as the First Response
We should certainly be concerned for the well-being of everyone affected, including the Jewish communities that are also in danger. Lives have been tragically lost, many families have been displaced and forced to evacuate, and communities have been devastated by the disaster.
Our first response must be to pray to Hashem (God). Some of the boys in our yeshivah (Talmudical school) were studying Torah late on a Thursday night, when the news broke that the fires were intensifying and approaching Jewish communities. Immediately, we gathered a minyan (a quorum of ten adult men) to pray for their protection, as there is a special power to tefillot prayed at around the time of chatzot, midnight.
Torah Study and Charity: Sources of Protection
We should also strengthen our commitment to Torah study, which our rabbis tell us (Sotah 21a) has the unique power to shield from harm. Additionally, we should increase our acts of tzedakah, as we are taught (Mishlei 10:2), “Tzedakah tatzil mimavet—charity saves from death.”
God’s Message to the Jews
At the same time, we must also recognize that “natural disasters” are not really natural and don’t occur on their own. Events such as fires, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, and others are the Hand of Hashem at work, sending a message that He is not pleased with our behavior. Certainly, those directly affected must reflect and introspect, but when major disasters receive global or national attention, the message is for all of us. The Gemara (Talmud) (Yevamot 63a) teaches that “misfortune comes to the world only on account of the Jewish people,” and as Rashi (an early Torah commentator) explains, when Jews witness or hear about Hashem’s acts of retribution, they will be aroused to do teshuvah (repent) for their own sins.
We no longer have prophets to tell us why the victims of these wildfires suffered or what the precise message from Hashem is, but we still must seek to understand the message to the best of our ability, based on the specific event. Indeed, I saw this practiced by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. A community that had experienced a tragedy approached me with a request that I ask Rav Moshe for advice and meaning. When I told him of the tragedy, he examined the specific details of the event to suggest ways they could strengthen their avodat Hashem (Service to God).
What does Fire Symbolize in our Spiritual Lives?
When it comes to fires specifically, there is a powerful and frightening admonition that holds particular significance. Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) (Sanhedrin 92a) teach: “Any house in which words of Torah are not heard at night will be consumed by fire.” Indeed, the Rambam (Hilchot Talmud Torah 3:13) stresses the extreme importance of studying Torah at night, stating that most of a person’s wisdom is learned during the night, and only through dedication to nighttime Torah study can one attain the “crown of Torah.”
Therefore, it is quite reasonable that these wildfires are a message to Jews worldwide to improve and increase their nighttime Torah study. While it is undoubtedly difficult to set aside time for Torah study at night—especially when we are tired from a long day of earning a livelihood—it is essential to push ourselves and make a concerted effort to engage in learning during these hours.
In short: We can help protect from afar through davening, increasing our Torah study, and giving tzedakah. All disasters serve as a message for us to repent, and fire in particular can be a message to increase our nighttime Torah study.
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