When I got the following email from four of my local Orthodox shuls on the same day, it definitely got my attention: “Halachic Guide to Wildfire Evacuation on Shabbat.” B”H, in our Pico-Robertson neighborhood, we did not need to put this information into practice. 

What can I tell you that you haven’t already seen or read about the fires in Los Angeles? Everyone has seen photos of buildings reduced to rubble and learned about the billions of dollars in losses, not to mention the loss of human life. So it occurred to me that I might just share some random scenes of what has been going on away from the front lines, the cameras, and the microphones.

For the first few days, black clouds filled the sky in many directions, sometimes blotting out the sun. In the early morning hours, the sun appeared as red as fire. Things felt quite surreal, unsettling. One woman worried aloud that “the apocalypse is now.” Everyone was wearing masks outside. We were told that N95 masks would be most effective in protecting us from harmful particulate matter; it felt like Covid-19 all over again.

With the abundance of luxury vacation packages now available to us, this might be a good time to review some of the more pertinent laws and customs pertaining to Pesach spent at hotels and resorts:

1) Although one may travel to ski resorts in Switzerland, Canada, and Colorado, it is preferable to celebrate the holiday in a warm climate, similar to that of Eretz Yisrael. It is proper, therefore, to participate in rabbinically supervised programs, such as “Torah, Torah in Bora Bora.”

2) In Hawaii, while it is customary to have a luau on the beach on the second night of Chol Hamoed, any other night is likewise permissible. Some make a sandwich out of roasted matza and pineapple.