Hail and Fire

This week we begin reading about the ten plagues imposed by God to the people of Mitzraim so that the people of Israel would be set free. The specific passage that I just read talks about hail, the seventh plague. “A miracle within a miracle!” exclaims medieval French commentator Rashi. This phrase seems to begin the explanation of something really good.

However, Rashi is explaining the presence of fire within the hail, as it is described by the biblical text: “Fire and hail mingled, although hail is water!”. In fact, the miracle within the miracle was not something good, as expected, but something really frightening. A storm of ice and fire together.

Following Rashi’s teaching, Moroccan kabbalist rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, also known as Or haChaim, explains that the Hebrew word מתלקחת (mitlakachat), is used in verse 9:24 of Parashat Vaera to inform us that though water and fires are opposites and one of them is bound to prevail over the other in any encounter, in this instance they demonstrated the ability to co-exist.

The image of a storm of fire which coexists with hail, water, wind, and destroys anything that it encounters: humans, animals and plants, brings to my mind several recent natural disasters, especially the recent fires in California. Something we have never thought we would see. Images that belonged to movies about the end of the world, not to serious news channels. Houses, businesses, life memories, all eaten by fire, by water, by the wind. Looking for clues within parashah Vaera, I found in chapter 9 verse 29: “לְמַ֣עַן תֵּדַ֔ע כִּ֥י לַיהֹוָ֖ה הָאָֽרֶץ” – so that you know that the earth belongs to God.

It is true that upon creation, the earth was given to the humans. However, it wasn’t a gift, but a responsibility. The earth and all its beings are given to humans so that we take care of it, that we take care of all creation, and if we don’t – the earth goes back to its owner: God.

I will certainly not blame the victims. It is not upon the citizens of Los Angeles, or any of the victims of extreme weather conditions around the world that lies the blame. It is upon each and every one of us to stop ignoring scientists’ warnings about the dangers of climate change. It is especially upon those in power who have no political will to make the necessary changes to save our world.

The Los Angeles Times explains that rapid shifts between wet and dry extremes are increasing, and a 'hydroclimate whiplash' contributed to California's devastating fires. Without the influence of climate change, according to the newspaper, the fires in California probably would have been smaller and easier to fight.

As the plague of hail is considered the beginning of the end for Pharaoh and the people from Mitzraim, we can’t blame any specific authority for what is happening in our world now. "These problems are consequences or manifestations of humankind’s assault on the biosphere and the growing perturbation of planetary life-support systems.” teaches scientist Dr. David L. Goldblatt. These are anthropogenic plagues.

Climate change may be our seventh plague, the one that precedes the downfall, and its recent demonstrations should be our cue to unharden our hearts and act immediately, instead of waiting for the destruction and pain of the remaining three plagues. We don’t want to get to the destruction of our future, symbolised by the death of the firstborns.

Different from our parashah, when the land of Goshen is protected from the plague, and from what a recent post on the internet suggested that happened to an orthodox synagogue in California, Jews are suffering along with the rest of creation from the ravages of ecological degradation and climate change. There is no protection from others, so we have to act and seek to protect creation right now, as the people from Mitzraim who feared God did when they were informed about the seventh plague.

Looking to mend one’s own environmental ways may seem inadequate to address the scope and complexity of the problems. But it is the beginning. Here, at the LJS, we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and raising awareness of the climate crisis. The LJS is working to become an EcoSynagogue, which is a cross-communal initiative to help Jewish communities become more environmentally responsible. The change begins within our homes. However, our Jewish responsibility is to continue creation, is to Letaken Olam, to correct or improve the world. This means changing our actions and acting to make changes happen in a bigger scale.

If the hearts of the Paraoh and his people were already hardened and their ways were already compromised, may we be able to have opened hearts and do our sacred job as established since the creation of the world. May we take care of creation and build a better world for human beings, for animals, plants, and all creation, to live protected. May we be worthy of our divine responsibility.

Shabbat Shalom.