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Dear CAI Family,
We should never for a moment take for granted the blessings in our lives. As we watch the news of wildfires consuming whole neighborhoods in Southern California, our hearts break for those affected. The scale of devastation is hard to comprehend. I’ve been in touch with many members of my former congregation on the West Side of LA. The homes of several members of that community have already been lost to the fire - some without enough warning to gather important personal items or family heirlooms and they don’t know where or when they will again have a place they call home. Thankfully, they are safe and unharmed for the moment, but they are also anxious about what is yet to come. I know many of you have connections to these communities as well.
For those who are inclined, I encourage you to donate to the Jewish Federation emergency relief fund that has already been set up.
https://www.jewishla.org/wildfire-crisis-relief/
As some of you may have heard, the building of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center was one casualty of the Eaton Fire. This synagogue is home to Claire and Abe z”l Akselrad’s daughter, Aviva Zierler, and her family. We’ll be remembering Abe at our comedy night this Saturday night and, of course, Aviva and her community will be in our hearts as well. I wanted to share with you a beautiful message that the synagogue leadership sent to their congregation the other day. As sad and as awful as these events are, I was touched by their focus on caring for one another - emphasizing that God’s presence is manifest in the connections between community members and not in a physical space alone. They will need those connections to sustain them now more than ever.
Finally, I want to share a prayer with you that I wrote back in 2014. I was living in LA at the time and there were awful wildfires then, but nothing like what they’re experiencing now. Nevertheless, I thought it appropriate to write an intention for lighting shabbat candles. I offer it to you, now, with the hopes that you might say it as you light your shabbat candles. In doing so, I hope your prayers and thoughts will be in support of those most affected by this disaster.
A Kavannah As We Light Shabbat Candles
Rabbi Ari Lucas
May 16, 2014 - 17 Iyar 5774
לֹא-תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ, בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם, בְּיוֹם, הַשַּׁבָּת
Let no fire burn in your homes on the Sabbath Day
- Exodus 35:3
As I kindle these Shabbat flames and bring the warmth and light of Shabbat into my home, I am mindful of the wildfires that continue to burn across Southern California. Fire, when contained, can be a source of blessing to a home, but it also has destructive potential. We call to mind friends and communities, fellow citizens who have lost their homes, their synagogue, or are in harm’s way. For them, this Shabbat brings no rest. As for me, this is my prayer: Let the peace of Shabbat come as a salve to the burning we have witnessed this week. May God protect the lives and homes of those in the line of fire. May God strengthen the hands of the firefighters who work day and night to control this blaze. May our earth and ourselves be healed from the great destruction of the week that has passed. Let no fire burn in our homes on this Shabbat day.
Amen
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