Living On Fire

[Music] exactly 18 days ago on April 1st y n on Friday night of shavis hag at exactly 12:45 at night I was lying in my bed when I heard the scream of a fire alarm the noise that nobody wants to hear I look at my wife my wife looks at me I look at my wife my life looks at me and I jump up and I run to the living room only to see our entire couch completely engulfed in flames catching onto the bookshelf destroying the walls burning everything in its sight I ran to grab my 2-year-old son and ran out of the apartment we watched as the fire continued its Onslaught we saw the fire department come tame the fire we stood and watched for hours neighbors came and left but we remained transfixed on the fire that burnt down everything we had later that later that night after being welcomed in by a neighbor I was lying in bed for a second time that night and I was thinking if not for that fire alarm that shriek that scream that Bell I wouldn't be alive right now if not for the fact that I got jerked out of bed with enough time to grab my kid and run the unthinkable could have occurred and then I remembered that week's paraa on fire parav it was about the simpleton who went to the Big Town to see its glorious sights and was awoken in the middle of the night by a bell he went and asked the bell ringer what he's doing and the bell ringer said I am ringing the bell for there is a fire the simpleton was amazed and ran back to his village and declared to all that he has discovered a way to fight fire simply install a bell and when a fire breaks out just ring that Bell there were ooze there were Oz how Innovative how technologically advanced how sophisticated the next night there was a fire and the simpleton ran with Glee to ring the fire to ring the bell but the fire raged on the man rang and rang and rang and yet the Monstrous fire burnt all in its path the man rang with all his might yet the fire kept on going until there was nothing left for the fire to burn sadden and confused he stormed back to the big city he found a bell ringer and he Dem Ed an explanation the man said you fool it's not the Bell that puts out the fire it's you who puts out the fire the Bell is there to merely Sound the Alarm what amazing has Divine Providence that of all weeks to have written that story it was the week where I myself would be saved from a fire by a bell but not because the Bell itself saved me but because the Bell aroused me from my soul Slumber and gave me the time to run for my life fellow Friends There Are Spiritual fires all around us and the Torah places countless bells to help combat them chauffeur blasts and caparos shaking the lulov and eating matah laning the Torah and the hag counting the OM and reading millas Russ these are not ancient religious rituals that we do hoping they somehow some way work their magic these are Bells arousing us to fight the spiritual fires around us the chauffeur screams do Chua kaparo scream we must better ourselves shaking the lul of belts out to us to thank Hashem for his love and grace reading the hag pleads with us to reignite our passion to be part of hashem's chosen people counting the OM is Drilling in us our Everlasting and forever increasing love of hashem's Torah migas Rus beckons us to have an unadulterated love and happiness to be under the wings of hashem's Glory we are not Spectators watching a religious play we are angels in human form doing God's holy work on Earth stage the same way if I would have rolled over in bed and thought there is no need for me to run out of my house because hey I've got a bell that will save me I would have burnt to a crisp so too if we don't act upon our spiritual Bells Hashem placed in our lives we might be reduced to spiritual Ash and conversely if we hear the bell and jump up with alacrity and energy and zest and grab our children and run with all our might to safety we can breathe that fresh crisp clean spiritual air and dance our way safely and happily down the Journey of life may we never know of physical fires and may the only fire in our life be the one Ablaze in our soul [Music]