Dear all,
Havadalah is the ritual at the end of Shabbat. One of the blessings we offer thanks God as the creator of fire (borei m’orei ha-eish). To my understanding, this is the sole prayer for fire in Judaism. (Yes, we have prayers regarding the commandment to kindle lights – but no prayer about the fire itself).
That said, the critical point in the Havdalah ritual occurs when the fire ceases, as we extinguish the candle in the cup of wine. We all become silent, waiting for the “sizzle.”
This week, two events occurred regarding the ceasing of fire.
We have the Los Angeles fires becoming more contained.
And we have the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
While both give us hope, both also leave a residue with many questions:
Are we safe?
Have the ashes from these fires made us physically or emotionally unhealthy?
Where do we go from here?
How do we prevent these fires in the future?
What does rebuilding look like?
And – specifically with Israel/ Hamas – will this end the vitriol against the Jewish people – or will it fuel haters to burn even more?
We have a true moment in time to take a world-wide pause, to listen to the sound of fire going out, and to have a true cooling off period. I pray that the fires cease. And I hope that we can move forward toward a future with woven promises and shared dreams.
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
