Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Shas Party, implied over the weekend that the fire that raged on Mount Carmel was a punishment from God for religious offenses committed by the area’s residents.
During his weekly sermon, the rabbi read from the Babylonian Talmud, stating that “the fire only exists in a place where Shabbat is desecrated.”
“A number of houses were destroyed, entire neighborhoods were lost — all under supervision,” the rabbi said. He recommended that people “study Torah, engage in good deeds, repent, observe Shabbat, and know the entire halachah, and [then] God will apply a full recovery.”
On Dec. 3, a day after the fire began, ultra-Orthodox newspapers called for self-scrutiny, saying the disaster was a sign from God.
In its editorial, haredi paper Hamodia said the Carmel fires demanded that the people of Israel scrutinize their acts and ask themselves if they caused the disaster.
Under the headline “Who by Fire,” the editorial said this was the time for each and every one to look inward and do what is required to improve their lives. The paper quoted phrases from Yom Kippur liturgy about the Day of Judgment. — ynetnews.com