One of the lines of Kabbalat Shabbat, from Psalm 97, describes the fire associated with God’s holiness:
אֵשׁ לְפָנָיו תֵּלֵךְ וּתְלַהֵט סָבִיב צָרָיו Fire goes before God, consuming besiegers all around.
Here, the fire that is all around God is seen as a sign of God’s power. It’s connected to the lightning that we witnessed at Mount Sinai; it’s the bright light that we associate with awe of God. I can only imagine that the Psalmist wants us to view this fire as something Divine.
But this week, we’ve witnessed too much pain from fire, fire that doesn’t really feel so Godly. Hundreds of rockets from Gaza have plummeted Southern Israel. The pain, fear, and destruction happening is unfathomable. I feel far away and unsure of how to help amidst the flames I continue to see in videos and photos online. And of course, the fires in California continue to take more lives, destroy homes, summer camps, and buildings, and are forcing more people to experience homelessness. With so many people still missing, the fires continue to wreak havoc.
When will fire cease to destroy? When will fire be restored to be about God’s glory?
I pray that Israel will experience peace, I pray that California will experience calm. God created fire and as the Psalm teaches, God leads with fire. Part of our work here is to pray for the Divinely perfect fire, and we must work towards restoring that fire. This is a light that guides us, as opposed to a flame that hurts us. Our work is to decrease the power of both of these fires so that the Divine fire can shine brighter. May we welcome in a Shabbat where we no longer witness the fire of pain, but are enabled see the fire of God’s glory. And may this Shabbat be one of Shalom, of peace.
