20 Jul WHEN THE HAZE LIFTS

Last week, wildfire smoke took over the
skies in the US Northeast. It was eerie. The
sun turn apocalyptic red. What was a vibrant
blue sky, with puffs of white clouds, became
a milky-white haze. Air quality was poor,
and there was a burning odor in the air. All
this was due to the Canadian wildfires.
We know that there are no coincidences.
The letters of the Hebrew word mikra,
meaning coincidence, can be rearranged to
form two words – rak m’HaShem, only
from G-d. Everything that happens in our
world is orchestrated from Above.
Wildfires from Canada, smoke blowing our
way. Its fumes lingering in the air. All this
happening during the Nine Days, a time
when we are supposed to remember the
churban of the Beis HaMikdash, the
destruction of our Holy Temples. A time to
recall the fires that ravaged Yerushalayim,
and the pain of our nation.
Do we shed a tear for Yerushalayim and the
splendor it once was? Are we crying for the
many churbanos, the many holocausts our

nation has endured? Do we truly feel the
suffering we have experienced and the many
lives lost throughout the ages?
We have to look and listen to our messages.
When we don’t remember, HaShem sends
us little reminders. As the smoky haze blew
in, it helped me focus on the fires that were
burning in Yerushalayim so long ago. In the
haftora we read last Shabbos, Chazon
Yeshayahu, the Vision of Yeshayahu, the
navi mournfully laments the destruction of
the Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash.
“Artzechem shemama, Your land is desolate,
areichem serufos aish, your cities are
burning with fire…” (Yeshayahu 1:7)
It is now generations later. We are still
suffering, living with the pain of galus,
affecting us both as a nation and in our
personal lives.
Eretz Yisroel is surrounded by enemies.
Every day of its existence is a miracle from
HaShem. And throughout the world we are
living with a world-wide wave of increased
anti-Semitism and Jew hate.
At the same time, on the personal level,
everyone has a thorn in their life, a source of

pain. Be it financial pressures, challenges
with health, family relationships, raising
children, shidduchim, or issues in the
workplace. We all have our something, our
source of aggravation.
But like the wildfires’ smoky haze that
lifted, we are a nation that hopes and
believes in a better and brighter tomorrow.
For a Jew, suffering is never the final
chapter. We transition from Shabbos Chazon
to Shabbos Nachamu. From the haftora of
“…ozvu es HaShem, they have forsaken
HaShem”, to the haftora of “Nachamu,
nachuma ami, Comfort, comfort my
people…” Both, words from Yeshayahu.
“Nachamu, nachamu ami, Be comforted, be
comforted, my people, yomar Elokeichem,
says your G-d.” (Yeshayahu 40:1) Our sages
teach that when Yeshayahu said these words,
he was asked if the consolation was limited
to the generation that lived through the
destruction of the Holy Temple, those who
witnessed the devastation of Yerushalayim.
The prophet responded, that he came to
comfort all generations, as it is written
‘yomar – says’ your G-d, and not ‘said’ your
G-d.
The strength and beauty of Am Yisroel is
our ability to take times of despair and
distress, and use it as an opportunity to
bring tikkun, healing to ourselves and our
broken world. In the midst of difficulty, to
have the will and desire to make the world
a better place. In doing so, not only do we
bring bracha to those around us, but also
into our own lives.
It was the summer of 1991. A family was
celebrating a special simcha. Their
daughter became a kalla. They were
enjoying their vacation at a bungalow
colony in the Catskills. Simchos are a
source of nachas, meant to be shared with
family, and so bubby and zeidy, who were
staying the same colony, joined them for
the Shabbos Seudos. There was excitement
in the air. Three generations sharing a
Shabbos together. The Friday night meal
was a joyous occasion. Friends came by to
wish the family mazel tov. The zeide
shared words of Torah, giving thanks to
HaShem for having survived Hitler’s
camps, living to see the blessing of a
granddaughter become a kalla.
The Shabbos ended on a high note. Lots of
joy, zemiros and good wishes. But just
twenty-four hours later, the unthinkable
happened. While the grandparents were
asleep, an intruder broke in and brutally
murdered them.
Nachamu, Nachamu, Be comforted, Be

comforted. While it doesn’t bring a life
back, the family found comfort by
establishing a chesed organization in the
grandparent’s memory, that would be an
aliyas neshama, elevation for their souls. A
fund to help needy brides, in memory of a
bubby and zeidy who never got to see their
beloved granddaughter under the chuppa.
My mother was asked to speak at one of
their fundraisers. She shared her recollection
of Rudy Giuliani, then a mayoral candidate,
who was also a featured speaker. He began
by saying how the Jewish nation is truly
remarkable. He was amazed by a family
who was faced with adversity, too difficult
to even contemplate. A true nightmare. Yet,
instead of gathering people to protest, make
noise, or go on a rampage, they brought
goodness into the world. They started a
much-needed charity. Instead of being
angry, they brought blessing. The beauty of
Am Yisroel.
In the merit of a nation that is able to rise
above their tzaros, their sorrows and
misfortunes, and find the power and strength
to build for the future, may we see peace in
Eretz Yisroel, world-wide peace and inner
peace. May the prophecy of Zechariah
come true in our day: “Od yeishvu z’keinim
u’zekeinos b’rechovos Yerushalayim….
The elderly men and women will once again
sit in the streets of Yerushalayim… and the
streets of the city will be filled with young
boys and girls playing in its streets.”
(Zechariah 8:4-5)
Nachamu. Be consoled. From sadness
comes joy.