Seven children are being flown to Israel after dying in a fire in Brooklyn. The fire was started by a common practice among Ultra-Orthodox jews. Since they believe God does not want them to use fire or engage in any work (including the turning on of appliances) on the Sabbath, they turn on hot plates before the Sabbath and leave them on. In this case, the hot plate caused the fire that trapped the children and badly injured their mother and another sibling. The father, Gabriel Sasson was at a religious . Lost are Eliane, 16; Rivkah, 11; and Sara, 6; and boys David, 12; Yeshua, 10; Moshe, 8; and Yaakob, 5.
At the time of the fire, Sasson, a religious education instructor was at a Shabbaton, an educational retreat.
We have previously discussed the curious practices used to circumvent the limitations by the Ultra Orthodox including elevators that require all riders to stop on every floor to avoid the need to push a button. Other practices are more serious including dangerous practices associated with circumcision. In this case, a prohibition on fire does not apparently prevent the use of electrical heat but only if you do not actually turn on the device during the Sabbath.
The deaths have caused ultra orthodox families to discuss this practice which is widespread in the community.
The thing is that traditional shabbos food makes a delicious meal although much too salty in most aspects of the preparation. The baked goods are tremendous.
Pogo – thanks
That is the issue. Many people have gone to electric stoves as opposed to gas ones. That is a very good point.
Paul
I was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home. Back in the day, most families used to have gas burning stoves, and one of the stove top burners was kept on at the the lowest possible flame throughout the duration of the Sabbath. I don’t recall ever hearing about tragedies such as this occurring. I suppose that many families no longer have gas stoves, so this tragedy may have been triggered by the very unwise move of using a hot plate plugged in.
OK Third comment eaten and I have been very respectful and not used any verboten words nor any links.
I give up.
Compassion has summed it up quite well. Any electrical appliance has the potential to start a fire even when used correctly. This is a tragedy which took the lives of 7 children and injured their mother. A family has been devastated. Our thoughts, prayers, healing wishes go out to this family and community. Those of you who are choosing to use this as an excuse to express your own bigotry against religion and religious practices should be ashamed. I hope that you are careful to stand by and watch every minute the next time someone in your household uses a crock pot, or other slow cooker or warming system.
Compassion is obviously first and foremost. When one is finished feeling sorry for the parents, it might be time to put the pieces together. The intent is to keep food warm for an extended period of time. What’s wrong with cold food. I will wager that most people eat a cold meal at least two, perhaps three times a week: bread, cheese, yogurt, cold cuts, vegetables, fruit, etc. The idea of breaking with the regular eating routine is part of human ritual from the beginning of time, before Judaism. In almost every ancient society, a break from eating for a day whether not at all or with a lean diet was seen to give the body a rest.
Regardless of whether this has to do with work, diet, machines, whatever, when one is going to leave an electrical device like a hotplate on for a day, one would think that the device would be foolproof. People prepare food in electric crockpots over many hours and the basic models come with safety features that don’t allow the element to start a fire.
Leaving a hotplate on so as to avoid turning it on seems from the bottom to the top, just stupid and infantile. Perhaps remaining childlike is one of the objectives of religion. God is there like parents to take care of the believers, the chosen, etc. And if he decides he wants your kids up there with him, well then so be it.
Seven children are dead because of stupidity. Hopefully the people that obligate these poor saps to perform these rituals will stop and write in an amendment to the rule/law/decree/whatever that on the sabbath a proper Jew must eat no hot food, that all food must be cold and kept in the refrigerator which should be left plugged in but because it turns itself on via a thermostat no human or divine involvement is necessary. Then there is that nasty problem of the light coming on when the door is opened. So, take the bulb out the day before.
Pogo Hears a Who say:
I suspect you meant ‘skirting.’
If you have proof that running a hot plate continuously is not kosher, prove it.
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Thanks, Pogo, yes, meant skirting, not squirting.
In my quote above, meant the sabbath being a religious prohibition, not ruining a hot plate being one.
But, to Compassion, yes, I should have expressed my compassion better. Instead, I jumped to my frustration at the consequences of what I see being problems in all religions.
Jim22 says:
I’m willing to bet that Ultra-Orthodox religion can point to more (Raw numbers and per capita) fatalities caused by not following their practices than due to following their practices.
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You may be right, Jim, however the flip side of it is that one lives on a standard of carefulness and fear that negatively impacts one’s life…along with everyone else’s life.
Help comment just lost. NO links in it. Thanks.
As a firefighter I always ask people this question, if you have an extinguisher, do you know where it should be located?
” but this is a prohibition, a religious prohibition, the squirting of which leads to tragedies such as this one. ”
I suspect you meant ‘skirting.’
If you have proof that running a hot plate continuously is not kosher, prove it.
po – “Sorry, Pogo. it is religion!
Accident due to distraction is natural, but this is a prohibition, a religious prohibition, the squirting of which leads to tragedies such as this one. Trying to go around the ideals of a faith is common to all religions, and it is usually due to a lack of awareness of the intent or ideal behind the prohibition. Most people respecting the Sabbath have never looked into its aim. Same as for other religions, most adherents never looked into the reasons why they can or cannot do any part of it, which makes sure they keep trying to find reconcile letter to spirit in a self-deceptive manner, which makes their faith more of a burden than anything.”
I’m willing to bet that Ultra-Orthodox religion can point to more (Raw numbers and per capita) fatalities caused by not following their practices than due to following their practices.
This is an utter tragedy. A man woke up to serve as a religious instructor and 10 hours later most of his family was gone. Killed in the most heinous and terrible of ways.
Orthodox Jews try and eat something hot on Sabbath day. The hot plates are created for long term use and are generally not electric. the tragedy here was that the smoke detectors were not functioning. This is a tragedy that could affect anyone.
Just for a second take a second and read these comments as if you were the father of these children. It is not about religion zealotry it is about tragedy, loss, and unimaginable heartache. People always assume that if something is done for religious purposes then it follows that it is done without thought and without a risk benefit analysis. Literally thousand of jews use this method and these hot plates or” blechs” have been created specifically for sabbath uses.
Please don’t pass judgment on things that you know so little about. This includes elevators and all matters of religion where one should only weigh in with their opinion after they have a deeper than surface understanding of why people do the things they do.
What I’m trying to say is….. have some compassion. A family and community has been utterly devastated by a fire that was probably no more likely then a water heater exploding.
@Darren:
Genius!
Dust Bunny Queen, that’s what they were trying to do by running the hot plate; avoid working on the Sabbath. Mrs. Sasson must have had a pre-prepared meal on the plate to keep it warm for those 24 hours. I’m looking at my second slow-cooker here, and wishing they had had it. 🙁
Darren – is that the cat that can be hypothetically dead and alive at the same time?
Karen – until you open the box, the cat can either be alive or dead. However, in this case the light switch would be either on or off and the light either on or off, as best as I can tell.
There are always people who try to find a way around the rules. It is a miracle that it doesn’t happen more often.
Tragic, senseless loss. I don’t think God is against the use of common sense. From the Message Bible, Luke 14:1-6
Luke 14 The Message (MSG)
14 1-3 One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?”
4-6 They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. Then he said, “Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn’t rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?” They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=MSG&search=Luke%2014
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
And the meaning of this parable? Following orders, even if you think they’re Gods, blindly, KILLS.