Modern-day miracles

“It looks like we might get some rain,” my mother remarked not long after she arrived for a recent visit. I explained how late it was in the season, and, therefore, very unlikely we’d see any precipitation. Not to mention, rain in the off-season in Israel is deemed a curse. Famous last words.

My parents are visiting for my son’s Bar Mitzvah, which is just around the corner. Unlike previous visits, they came early so they could also experience Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut. It was to be their first time in Israel for these hallowed days.

My mother is an aviation buff. She loves the Blue Angles and the Thunderbirds and has seen them many times. So when we heard the flyovers weren’t happening this year, it was a big letdown. And then to compound the issue, the forest fires just outside Jerusalem canceled many of the ceremonies celebrating Israel’s 77th Independence Day. Things were looking gloomy.

But as Yom Hazikaron day progressed, things began to look even worse. Smoke-intense winds filled the Judea Hills where we live. The fires were rapidly spreading. Within hours of their start, Israel had already called for support from surrounding counties. Just before the shift to Yom Haatzmaut, a Bulgarian airline tanker was en route to assist our firefighting efforts.

All the news reports seemed ominous. The main highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was closed and it seemed as if the fires were going to burn at least through one of our most festive days of the year. That was until the morning of Yom Haatzmaut.

I rose early that morning because I had a bris and wedding to perform in central and northern Israel. I wasn’t sure how long travel would be, so I planned an extra early start. But when I made my way to the festive morning prayers, something was different.

The sky had cleared and rays of sun poured over the cloud line. Just as we finished Hallel, a neighbor in shul who knew I was embarking on a long journey that day showed me the news — the roads were open and most of the fires had been extinguished.

“How was this possible,” I asked my friend. He told me that the combination of the temperatures dropping and scattered rain showers through the night had changed everything.

There are those who struggle to see God’s hand in the world these days. Many use science and technology to erase the presence of the All Mighty. But not in Israel.

It’s true that rain and temperature drops dampen fire spread. And in many parts of the world lacking an arid climate, these occurrences may go unnoticed. But days like this year’s Yom Haatzmaut, it’s almost impossible not to see God’s work. It’s as if a miracle had saved the Jewish State’s Christmas.