As devastating fires continue to rage across Israel, many were reminded of the massive blaze that swept through Los Angeles just a few months ago. At the time, numerous Jewish communities in California reached out to their spiritual authority, the Raavad of Yerushalayim, Rav Gideon Ben Moshe, with a pressing question: Why had such destructive fires struck their city?
The response they received was nothing short of remarkable.
In a detailed letter addressed to Rabbi Ezra Dwek, the rav of Kehillas Torah Ohr in Los Angeles, Rav ben Moshe offered two spiritual reasons for the fires—and a call to action.
The first reason, he wrote, relates to the mitzvah of remembering the churban, the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. Citing the Gemara (Bava Basra 60b) and the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 560), Rav Ben Moshe explained that Chazal instituted the practice of leaving a square amah of unfinished wall—opposite the entrance of every Jewish home—as a visible reminder of the loss of the Beis Hamikdash.
This practice, he noted, is not merely symbolic. Rav Chaim Palagi writes in Mo’ed Lechol Chai that it is a segulah bedukah u’menuseh—a tried and tested protection—against fires and other calamities. He recounted how his father would insist that any house with an amah al amah left exposed opposite the door would be protected for generations. Rav Ben Moshe urged Rabbi Dwek to encourage his community members to adopt this practice in their homes, leaving an unfinished patch without paint or plaster in accordance with halacha.
The second reason for the fires, he continued, is rooted in the Gemara in Sanhedrin (92a) and quoted in Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De’ah (246:24): “Any home in which words of Torah are not heard at night will be consumed by fire.” Rav Ben Moshe explained that a home where Torah is learned—even a small amount—especially at night, is safeguarded from destruction. The Gemara in Eiruvin (18b) adds that such a home will never be destroyed.
He called on every member of the community to commit to a fixed time of Torah learning in the home—be it Chumash with Rashi, Gemara (such as Daf Yomi), halacha, or any area of Torah—insisting that the key lies in the consistency, not the quantity.
Concluding his letter, Rav Ben Moshe offered a heartfelt brocha: “May the Almighty, in His mercy, seal the breaches of His people, Yisroel, and protect all of our brethren from distress, anguish, illness, and suffering. And may the future bring only goodness and blessing. Amein.”
The letter, which has since been widely circulated among Rav Ben Moshe’s talmidim and followers, has sparked renewed efforts to strengthen both these areas of observance, as a shield against tragedy and a merit for Klal Yisroel.

{Matzav.com}