PAGE 12A HERITAGE FLORIDA JEWISH NEWS, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
By Jonathan Feldstein
The story I am about to
tell is real, happened to me,
and I am glad to share both
as a way to praise God for
His mercy and grace, and to
share a uniquely Israeli and
Jewish perspective on a story
that may not be so unique in
general.
It is in every way a Shabbat
miracle for which I will forever
be profoundly grateful.
Shabbat, complete day
of rest. The Torah lists 39
forms of work that were used
to build the Tabernacle. Ob-
servance Of Shabbat means
a full avoidance of all these,
and the modern derivations
of these categories as time
and technology unfold. It's
not just that we refrain from
"going to work," a concept that
didn't exist in biblical times,
but from all forms of work and
creation. God rested after six
days of creation, so we rest as
well. It's not just alist of things
we cannot do, but receiving
the gift of the day of rest and
not having to do them.
I don't know that I could
live without Shabbat. It's a and as I usually do. I sat read- But to play it safe, I scooped the towel and saw it was cov-
day of literal rest, fellowship ing, quietly, with one kid out him up and put him in my bed ering a desk lamp. The towel
withfamilyandfriends, Torah (16), and two others (22 and were my wife was, and shut was Smoldering, so I took it
study, andprayer.Modernun- 12) asleep early. The three the door so as not to disturb and threw it in the bathtub.
derstandingofthesemeansno other kids weren't home, so them. Miracle #2. I unplugged the charred but
phones, no starting or extin- including my wife, who fell I kept looking throughout still working lamp. My expos-
guishing a flame, no writing, asleep on the couch next to the house; in the electrical ing the towel to the air must
no driving, no cooking, etc. me, there were just five of us. boxes and anywhere I could have brought on flames, so I
But all the prohibitions of At some point when I was think of. My frustration grew turned on the shower extin-
Shabbat get thrown out the sufficiently tired, I decided to at not being able to figure it guishing the flames. Thank
window in the instance ofsav- gotobed.Mywifewokeupandout, so, albeit with no visual God. There was still smoke
ingalife forwhich supersedes noticed the faint odor of what signs of smoke or fire, I called from the carpet andbookcase
all Torah commandments, smelledlikeburntmarshmal- the fire department. In ad- that the lamp had been lying
When the sun sets Friday, lows. She went right to bed dition to using the phone, I on, but these went out on
my home and indeed our but I was awakened by the had to turn on a light to see their own.
whole town becomes quiet odd notion that somebody that I was dialing the right A knock on the door was
and serene. The loudest noise was roasting marshmallows, number. I told them I smelled followed by the doorbell.
all Shabbat typically is the much less cooking anything, smoke but couldn't figure out Emergency services arrived
Moslem call to prayer which in our neighborhood and so where it was coming from. I in waves. Firemen in full
wehearfromacrossthevalley something was off. I went was told to wait by the phone uniform, medics included
in Bethlehem, or kids racing outside to see if there was a and be near the door. I kept neighbors I knew. For them
down the hill on scooters in fire or smoke from anywhere, up my hunt for the source of too, each left his home and
the middle ofthestreetdevoid I checked all the floors and the burning marshmallows, the sanctity of Shabbat to
of cars, sometimes so loud electric boxes in our house, Then, on the next trip participate in saving a life. All
it's like there's an oncoming just in case. The smell was upstairs, I saw there was a were professional. All wanted
train. Otherwise, it is peace- pronounced in a few par- lot of smoke on the second to see the source, check the
ful and serene, and incredibly ticular spots and I was sure floor. My son's room (18) was house forsmoke, be sure there
restful, it was coming in from an empty and had no smoke but was no other reason to think
We have a lovely family open window. But I couldn't by then my daughter's (16) anything was burning, and
dinner together, kids go off figure it out. room across the hall was full wake up my sleeping family
their own way and one by I sattoreadsomemoreand of smoke. Miracle#3. I must (hard to believe they were
one people start slipping off thenwenttocheckeverything have turned the light off so I sleeping through this all) to
to sleep. Whether the sun again; up and down the stairs, turned it back on to find the be sure everyone was OK.
sets at 5 p.m. or 9 p.m., I'm the basement, backyard, ev- strangest thing. Smoke was After the smoke cleared,
typically asleep early. I am erywhere. I noticed that the billowing up from the floor literally, I learned that 16
tired from the previous week top floor of my house had al- in the corner of her room as was making up a bed for 12
and it's the only day I don't most no burnt marshmallow if being blown in artificially and bumped into the lamp,
have work I must get to. This smell, nor did my bedroom, like at a concert. This made no which fell and went on. She
week my youngest kids (16 leading me once more to be sense as, except for sheetrock thoughtfully covered it with
and 12) were bickering a bit sure thatwith nothing noticed walls, most of our house is a towel so he could sleep.
and by the time dinner was inside the electrical boxes, it steelreinforcedconcrete.How Had I fallen asleep early like
over they were setting up for was coming from outside, could there be smoke much I usually do, he could have
asleepoverinthe 16-year-old's It seemed like the smell less a fire coming from the suffered from smoke inhala-
room. Maybe that wasn't a was stronger in my daugh- concrete floor? tion, or worse. That's the big
miracle, but it wasnice to see ter's room (16) so turned on Then I saw it, less than a miracleinaseriesofmiracles,
all the same. the light thinking maybe the yard fromwhere my son's (12) and while I was aware in each
This past Friday night, the ceiling fan was burning. My head was 20 minutes earlier, case of my doing things that
first miracle was that I didn't son (12) slept soundly. No smoke billowing from a blue
fallasleepearlyasIhadhoped, smoke from the ceiling fan. towel on the floor. I picked up Miracle on page 15A
Building: Community Since I954
bi Joshua N [y
toria[
Meitin
The l ates of
SO ate, OUT dooTs.
Wednesday, September 2
Erev Rosh
Thursday, September
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Tashlich* - 6:00t
Mincha/Maariv* -
Friday, SeF
2nd Day Rosh
Friday, September 29
Kol Nidre - 6:45pm
Saturday, September 30
Yore Kippur Day - 9:00am
Mincha* - 5:00pm
Community Memorial Service - 6:20pm*
Neila* - 6:45pm
Maadv* - 7:40pm
(*open to entire community)
High Holiday
Tickets includes unlimited
&':i members in
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a donation of $180.
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407.647.3055 • office@tiflorida.org • www.tiflorida.org
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