Above all, may G-d give comfort to those afflicted in this tragedy; we are all human, and hence fragile and vulnerable. And let's not forget the central message of Chanukah: even in the worst darkness we must seek out the divine light, outside as well as within ourselves. It is often very very hard to find, but there if we seek it.
1
Is it time for rabbis and communal leaders to announce unequivocally, the menorah candles must be put out before going to bed. For years now, the most rabbis were willing to say is- don't leave the candles burning unattended, as Rabbi Avi Shafran is quoted saying in this article. This is unacceptable and has to stop! There is absolutely no reason for the candles to continue burning once family members have gone to sleep for the night. Rabbis have an obligation to tell their congregants in no uncertain terms, the candles must be extinguished before the last adult family member goes to bed.
Rabbi Yossi Newfield
12
My heart and prayers go out to the victims, the family, and the community.
Can we understand the good in this tragedy as a clarion call to make safer choices?
“Never leave a lit menorah unattended.” http://www.totalfamilycaremd.com/hanukkah-fire-safety/
“Keep the fire in the fireplace: Turn off all decorative holiday lights, including electric candles and menorahs, before you leave the house or go to bed.” http://www.parenting.com/article/holiday-safety-tips-and-tricks
Celebrate The Festival of Lights and make better choices in doing so.
Celebrate The Light of The World and make better choices in doing so.
3
terrible tragedy.. but an open flame unattended.. no matter what religion it is this is just sheer lunacy.. plese put those flames out before bed.. needless pain and suffering.. god will understand...
7
I think we are not getting the whole story here; nobody but nobody lights Hanukkah candles after midnight (dusk is traditional), and any candles that were lit, oil or wax, would have burned out within an hour of their ignition. Either there are some terrible "smart" matches at work -- or someone's trying to cover up shoddy electrical work -- or worse. But I don't for a second buy that Hanukkah candles cost these people their lives.
4
"But I don't for a second buy that Hanukkah candles cost these people their lives."
They weren't candles, they were small oil-burning wicks in glass jars.
Yartzeit candles burn for twenty-four hours in small glass jars. I've put my hand on a lit yartzeit candle to shift it somewhat from its spot on a granite fireplace mantel, and it's very hot indeed. Oil in glass jars would burn longer than Hanukkah candles and perhaps hotter than a yartzeit candle.
It is never a good idea to leave anything burning when you're not in a room, not even a candle. Candles can tip over, bend and fall, and so on. And it's not just Jewish families who light candles on holidays.
The world is a perilous place, and we make it more so by inattention. That said, I am in this instance, as I always am at such things, heartsick.
2
“Everything that God does is for good. It’s above our understanding.”
If God did this, then God is cruel. No good comes from a mother and three children dying.
15
A tragedy, but one we must learn from:
1, Don't go to sleep while the candles are burning. Lighter earlier and remember they menorah only needs to burn 30 minutes (90 on a Friday night) so if you are using an oil menorah you do not have to fill it to the top.
2, Menorah's should be put in a safe place. Yes, next to a window is the ideal but safety comes first. The menorah's should be put on a surface which is large enough so that if they tip over they will not hit the floor. They should be put on a metal tray or at least under strong aluminum foil.
3, Working smoke detectors must be on every floor of your home, including (and especially) the basement. Keep a fire extinguisher next to the menorah.
7
Is it time for rabbis and communal leaders to announce unequivocally, the menorah candles must be put out before going to bed. For years now, the most rabbis were willing to say is- don't leave the candles burning unattended, as Rabbi Avi Shafran is quoted in this article. This is unacceptable and has to stop! There is absolutely no reason for the candles to continue burning once family members have gone to sleep for the night. Rabbis have an obligation to tell their congregants in no uncertain terms, the candles must be extinguished before the last adult family member goes to bed.
Rabbi Yossi Newfield
16
“Everything God does is for good..”
What part of this tragedy is good?
31
I doubt that this highly-religious Jewish population needs any reminder that sometimes the things God does (or lets happen) aren't great.
3
This is horrible. I have heard that Hasidic and possibly Orthodox Jewish households have to have certain rooms in their houses facing certain directions.
I've also heard this leads to inevitable firetraps with the kitchen blocking the only escape routes. There needs to be more reporting on this. My thoughts go out to this family at any rate.
2
The reason there is no reporting on this is because it is false.
Jews face east (i.e. towards Jerusalem) when praying. The sanctuaries of most synagogues accordingly face east. There is no such rule applying to homes. When you pray at home you stand facing east, irregardless of the room setup. (What does it mean to have rooms "facing certain directions" anyway?)
I assume you mean no ill intent, but you should understand that like sex through a sheet and myriad other fables spread about our community, the purveyors of these rumors *do* have ill intent. (Just as it may be true that some ignorant people earnestly wonder about Barack Obama's birthplace, but the people initiating the rumor are racists.)
7
A very sad and tragic story. But that final quote? This is how religion manipulates. People can act in the worst ways (and be forgiven)or terrible things can happen to the most innocent, and it’s God’s will that cannot be understood or explained? That’s convenient to keep people believing, I guess.
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What I don't understand is that the oil-fired menorahs last for one-and-a-half hours, and they are lit at nightfall, how could that menorah still be burning close to 2:00 A.M.?
16
Exactly the comment I was going to make. The ritual is to be performed at nightfall or pretty close to it, so normally the candles would be expired well before residents are asleep. It would be highly irregular for candles to be burning at 2AM.
6
Your suggestion of impropriety in how the ritual was performed (time when lit), is well-taken.
On the other hand, is it not possible that the oil lasted vastly much longer than it normally would?
Obviously some poignant irony in your question, given the menorah's symbolism.
3
Just so sad and a totally avoidable tragedy. Celebrate the holiday by all means but do it safely. I’d venture to say that if everyone switched to menorahs with light bulbs God would not be offended!!
21
The problem is that the in the religion in question, the determination you presume to make comes out of a rabbinical and hermeneutic methodology, and based on certain faith commitments, slightly more involved and intricate than those reflected in your glib suggestion purporting to fathom the Divine Will.
However, in one respect that faith commitment and methodology converges with your safety orientation: the menorah, which normally burns about 2 hours, is supposed to be lit at nightfall, which this time of year means it should be safely burned out by 6:30 or 7pm. When properly observed, the ritual leaves nothing burning past mid-evening, much less the wee hours of the morning when people are sleeping.
That said, unfortunately tragedies can happen even earlier in the evening. One shouldn't leave a menorah unattended, and it is very advisable to keep it on a non-flammable surface that would allow any break or spill to simply extinguish the flame, such as placing the menorah in a tray of shallow water.
Safety first! It's not only common sense, but required by the Torah (including proper performance of this ritual) itself.
6
As a child in Hebrew school I was taught that Shabbos and holiday candles should not be extinguished but be allowed to burn down on their own. Since becoming a parent I've made a point of ignoring this lesson and blowing out the candles before leaving the living room to go upstairs for bed. I'm not willing to risk the safety of my family on tradition.
42
The FDNY or other authority should investigate the cause of the fire. If the oil filled cups self-destroyed then they should be banned. It will be necessary to set up safety standards for these products, and that can only be done with testing and certification by a testing lab. Some kinds of glass can withstand heat better than others. But there should be no rush to judgment either, since we don't know yet if the glass actually cracked, or maybe there was human error involved. Some products are filled with a gelled oil - is this safer than liquid oil? Yartzheit candles seem safe, but the glass is much heavier. Regulations are necessary in this case, but first find out what really happened.
16