An Israeli officer rescues a father and child from the Jerusalem forest fires, shielding them with one hand.

I just saw in the news that the National Fire and Rescue Authority has announced that due to the extreme weather conditions coming upon us it is prohibited to light bonfires and other fires in public areas from now through May 7. This applies in the entire country. This range of dates obviously includes Yom Haatzmaut.

photo credit unknown

the imagery is shocking.

One of the big questions surrounding the violence in Bnei Braq last night with the bus going up in flames is why it took nearly an hour for the fire station to respond and arrive on scene?

After the horrific tragedy in Beitar recently in which two young children died in a fire, an avreich from the community went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky to ask if they should be installing smoke detectors or fire extinguishers in the house, just in case of other similar fires, God forbid.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky responded, according to the report on Kikar, that people who learn Torah do not require any additional measures of protection beyond the Torah learning. The Torah protects. Ergo, each person should improve and increase his learning as much as possible.

I don't know how this stuff works, but we know traditionally that this is true. The question is how much Torah does a person have to learn to get this level of protection. I guess each person has to decide for himself and herself  if his/her learning is at that level that they can rely on it for protection and not take care of obtaining external forms of protection.

What makes this "psak" particularly interesting is that it does not come from a rabbi (though maybe some rabbis are now issuing piskei halacha based on this, in one way or another). Rather, ti comes from the fire and rescue services.

This past Shabbos the fire and rescue services of Jerusalem were called into action to put out a fire in a yeshiva. The fire had originated from the sue of some sort of ad hoc "blech" - a metal sheet placed over a fire. Pots had been placed atop the blech to keep the food hot for the upcoming meals, and draped over the pots were towels, to keep the heat in.

The towels caught fire and it quickly spread. The firemen put the fire out relatively quickly, but much damage had already been done.

The fire and rescue services then issued a statement to the public saying that using an electric hotplate to heat up food for Shabbos is definitively prohibited, but using a blech is 7 times worse and 7 times more dangerous. The chance for a fire catching on the towels and spreading is extremely high and the chances are high for a fatal fire to spread. Many fires and much damage is caused regularly by using such hotplates and blechs, even proper ones, and covering the food.
source: Behadrei

I am pretty sure we hear even more frequently about fires that started from electric hotplates that shorted out or something else happened to that caused an electrical fire.

I'd say to only use hotplates made by reputable companies and to be careful to cover your food without letting towels touch the surfaces of the hot plate or blech, but the rescue services are saying that even that is not good enough and no such method should be used as they are all too dangerous. Unfortunately such a warning in basically a waste of time, as how do they expect anybody to heat up food for Shabbos, if neither a blech nor a hot plate is acceptable? If they really want people to listen and heed their warnings, they should figure out what the safe way is for keeping food hot on Shabbos and letting the public know what is acceptable, and not just what is not. As of right now, people will nto listen with every method they are familiar with being condemned and no alternative being offered.

City of Hall of Modiin Ilit has published some instructions and guidelines for the Lag b'Omer celebrations.




As you can see by the circled item, City Hall is warning the residents to not throw rocks and boulders at the firemen who will be driving around to ensure everyone's safety.

On the one hand, it is troubling that such a statement needs to be made.

On the other hand, "good on them" - kol hakavod - it did need to be said, and they said it. Hopefully people will listen.It might be more effective if they put out pashkevilim with rabbinic decrees to that effect, but small steps, as they say, small steps.

Good news for home-fire victims.. the Knesset Committee of the Interior and Environment Protection today approved new directives by which people will not have to pay for the use of the fire services.

Normally when calling the fire station to report a fire in a home, the homeowner, even if it was someone else who called, will have to pay a bill for the services rendered by the firemen.

The charge he will  have to pay will be dependent on the size of the fire, how much water was required to extinguish the fire, and any other work needed to be done by the firemen on the scene. There is also a charge when they are called for a false alarm.

This can be a big deterrent to someone reporting a fire. He might wait thinking he can put it out himself, thereby endangering people nearby,.

I also think this should be a service covered by our taxes, even without the issue of someone possibly not calling so as to avoid the fee.

Without giving an explanation, Nana News reports that the Knesset Committee today approved the new directive by which residents no longer have to pay a fee for using the fire services in certain situations, including false alarms and situations where someone is injured or killed in the fire. also, people in difficult financial situations will be given reduced rates..

It is a start. I don't think people should have to pay for calling the fire services. If it is a business, and not a service provided by the government, it should be privatized and competition should be allowed.

The Firemans Authority has recently issued a new directive. No fireman in Israel is allowed to have a beard. they must all be clean-shaven. The new directive is seemingly in line with international standards.

A bit of research shows that this is truly the international standard. The reason for it is so that the seal of the mask and breathing apparatus should be tight and remain unbroken. Beards might interfere with the seal, though it seems mustaches are generally ok. A little bit of research also seems to indicate that this is generally considered an important rule and one that is appropriate to be enforced.

The reason this makes the news now is because the new directive in Israel was issued just in time to prevent a Haredi man who has been training to be a fireman.from getting certified. Because he has a beard and refuses to shave it.

A bit of a ruckus was started over this, but the authority did not back down. Dossim now reports that the firemen themselves have decided to support the haredi candidate. The Director of the Fireman's Committee has issued an order to all the firemen to not shave, in solidarity with the candidate.

There are about 50 bearded firemen serving today in the service. One, a Chabadnik that recently took a course to be certified as a fireman has not been certified because of his beard. There were another two bearded candidates, but they shaved when told the new rule. The new rule was only announced shortly before the graduation ceremony. Because of this, the association of firemen decided to go on strike and none of the active firemen will be shaving.

The director of the association says that special masks can be purchased that would allow bearded firemen to serve, with their beards.

In response, the head of the authority says that he warned the candidates at the beginning of the course and a number of times throughout, that they would have to shave or not be certified. No new firemen will be certified with beards. Regarding firemen already serving with beards, the issue will be worked out with the workers association. He also said he knows of no such mask for bearded firemen.

In the USA, in Washington DC, an Orthodox Jew who was an active fireman sued when new regulations were put in place that would have forced him to either shave or resign. The courts sided on his behalf because it seems the district failed to prove the fireman with a beard would actually be in any more danger. As well, in situations where the necessary device is need that conflicts with the beard, bearded firemen would be reassigned to other duties.

I wonder if this fellow sues here in Israel, would the courts rule the same way or would they uphold the new regulations?

Is it just a matter of a real safety issue that happened to be bad timing, or was it really a way of keeping out the chabadnik?

People never like new standards and regulations. Considering that it is nothing unique here, but they are implementing safety standards that are used all over the world, I am inclined to believe it to be a matter of bad timing.

I do not know if such a mask for bearded men exists or not, and if ti does if it has been tested and deemed safe, but if it does exist and has been tested, it should be embraced by the fire department authority.

If not, people aspiring to be firemen should only do so if they are willing to comply with safety standards. We would not want a fireman passing out on the job due to smoke inhalation and endangering the people he is meant to be saving, and himself!

With the road to Jerusalem being closed so frequently due to forest fires, it makes me think back to the War of Independence (no, I dont remember those days, but I have read about them)...

the thought struck me that Jerusalem seems to be under siege fairly regularly nowadays, similar to back then, minus the Arab snipers...

Yesterday there was a fire about a block from my house... the edge of Nachal Shacham in the weeds on the hillside above the street, at the edge of Park Ayalon, and below the path under Nachal Lachish. Actually there were a few spots of fire burning on different spots of the hill. I ran over to see and called the Fire Department. Soon after a firetruck came. I got almost all of the excitement on video..

The Breslav Fire Brigade



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The State Comptroller report on the Carmel fire was expected to be a disaster for Minister of Interior Eli Yishai. It was expected to lay the bulk of the responsibility on him (jointly with Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz) and call on him to resign or be removed from his position as minister.

People don't like Eli Yishai. That is for sure. Sometimes it is the Right, sometimes it is the Left, sometimes it is Ashkenazim, sometimes Sephardim. Sometimes it is those "more religious" and sometimes it is those "less religious". Sometimes it is the Litvishe haredim, sometimes the masoratim, sometimes men, sometimes women, etc,. It all depends on who he is upsetting with his positions on any given issue.

Many people were looking to the Comptroller report with great expectations, as if this would finally solve our Eli Yishai problem. The Comptroller would call for his removal, and off with his head. We would be finally be rid of him, as if the PM would actually fire him or as if he would actually resign just because the State Comptroller recommended it.

Sure enough, the Comptroller released his report, and while still laying a lot of blame on Yishai, he did not call for Yishai's removal.

If people were relatively consistent, they should have bowed their heads in submission and said maybe next time.

Yet, since the Comptroller report has been released, people are upset the report didn't call for his resignation/termination, and they are publicly calling for it anyway. What's the point of an investigation and a report if the conclusion is foregone and pre-determined. And what is the point of the investigation and report if the report will be ignored and the desired outcome called for anyway?

I am convinced that instead of using democratic tools to run the country properly, people are just using them to advance the platforms, agendas and/or people they like, and to knock down those they don't. When the results aren't in sync with what people want, they ignore the results and promote their desires anyway.

I am no big fan of Eli Yishai, but the report didn't lay enough blame on him to demand his termination as minister. That's it. Maybe next time.


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On Shabbos there was a fire in the hall of Sadigura on Shmuel HaNavi st. that also burned down a storeroom that was full of boxes of matza waiting to be sold. Hundreds of kilo of matza were burned to a crisp.

Some people, like my brother, always like the burnt matzas better than the normal matza, so it seems that it was not a total loss.

Adding to the list, Rav Ovadia and Rav Sherman have both announced that the recent tragedies, specifically the recent fires in the Carmel Forest are the result of improper judges. They referred to psukim and quotes from the Gemara as proof.

Besides for the fact that the list is continuing to grow, so basically what are we supposed to do or think to fix it, it makes me uncomfortable when we blame others for things. Yes, the gemara says inappropriate judges are the cause of x, y and z. Chilul Shabbos is the cause of a,b, and c. Laxity in issues of tzniyus is the cause of h, i and j. Does that mean it is everyone else's laxity that is causing the problems? Did God want us to inspect everyone else's behavior?

Perhaps we should be less concerned about laying blame at everyone else's doors using the gemara as our proof that it is their fault, and more concerned with figuring out what we, the frum community, the frum people, can do to improve and what lessons we can learn for ourselves from these tragedies. If it is due to inappropriate judges, maybe there is something wrong with the judges we appoint to our batei din, or maybe there is somethign lacking in the level of respect we give to them. Chillul Shabbos - maybe we are lax in certain aspects of chillul shabbos. Tzniyus? bittul torah? you name it and I am surwe we can find ways to apply the issues of laxity to that realm.

Yes, of course the gemara is right that chillul shabbos is the cause, not enough love of the mitzvos and Hashem is the cause, inappropriate judges is the cause, tzniyus and pritzus is the cause. But it is our judge to inspect our ways and behaviors and figure out where to improve, rather than to inspect other people's ways and behaviors.

This site has some amazing pictures from the fires last week in the Carmel Forests near Haifa.

This is a pretty good video put out by Latma about the recent Carmel fires..