(13) Chana Silverman, 30/10/2007
It hit me what I should take
We just missed being evacuated by 2 streets here in North East San Diego County. I did load up my car just in case - clothes, papers of importance and a few books. Blankets and pillows and a few of my developmentally disabled daughter's favorite toys. Just in case. Pictures - no - they are already in my memory and heart and most of my other grown children already have them all anyway.
This disaster really shook me up and shook me out of my complacency, boredom and self-pity laced with depression.
I clung on with all my heart to HaShem asking - help me do what is necessary no matter whatever happens - help me to not grieve to much if I lose everything and help me trust You will provide the basics. Big prayers of protection for my 34 year old Autistic daughter I take care of. "Whew" so glad the worse is over and so happy to have left behind my self-pity and depression.
Life seems so precious now and everything is beautiful and I am re-energized to do the tasks at hand. I am once again grateful.

(12) Chanah Johnson, 30/10/2007
The value I place on pictures..
Shalom Rabbi,
My husband and I have lost so many family members to include our only child. So I thought long and hard on your question and decided. We have each other and our 4 rescued dogs. I would then take the scrapbooks of my father, my husbands father and most importantly, the scrapbook put together for us of our child Joshua. We can always start over, but I would truly be seriously depressed if I lost those books. I keep pictures of our family with us always, but those scrap books are to valuable to lose. What are your feelings on this Rabbi?
May G-d bless you and your family always,. Chanah

(11) Chaya, 30/10/2007
What I would take.
My new European, multidirectional sheitel and a checkbook.

(10) Tamar, 30/10/2007
What is the message in the event?
There are two perspectives in viewing catastrophic events like this, the spiritual and the physical perspectives. Both are mentioned in this commentary, in fact the spirtual importance/message is mentioned first, and yet in the comments only the physical aspect of what "I am going to take" is of concern. I wonder if the message of the event is being missed?
What is the message here? Why did God allow this to happen? That is what I think is important to consider and to
"take with us" so to speak.

(9) Anonymous, 29/10/2007
What would I take???? My torah!
When I was in college, the dorm was awakened with an alarm of a bomb threat. We were told, "GET OUT OF THE BUILDING. DO NOT STOP TO TAKE ANYTHING!" I grabbed my purse and ran to the door....stopped, turned around and left my purse and took my Bible that I had spent hundreds of hours studying and making notes.
I have recently thought of that question: What would I take? Still, after the human beings, I'd take my Bible that I have spent thousands of hours studying...and a portion of a 300-year old Torah scroll that was smuggled out of Iraq. That's what is most valuable to me and irreplacable.

(8) leah, 28/10/2007
Heaven forbid!
I pray something like this does not happen again. If, however I had to make this choice, I would of course wake my whole family and make sure they got in the car and the like. I would immediately(with my husband and children), grab all of the seforim from the shelves so that Hashem's name would be spared form destruction and that we would be able to preserve learning. I would take documents that are useful and valuable, some clothes, and I believe that would probably be it.

(7) Chaim Lobel, 28/10/2007
Divrei Kedusha
After human life is safe: Tefillin, Mezuzas, Tallis, Megillas Esther etc...
everything else is secondary.

(6) Eva, 28/10/2007
donation
I have clothing I was going to give to tzedaka but now because of the fire I want to donate them there. Where can I contact?

(5) Alison, 28/10/2007
husband, cat, books
I've thought about this often. I would take my husband, my cat, my sidur and any other holy books. If I had time, I would want to take my wedding album too.

(4) Chana, 28/10/2007
Pets, books, and my computer.
Well, I think about this often because I live in an earthquake fault zone area. I would grab my cat, any books I could take and last, but not least, my computer!

(3) Giacomo, 28/10/2007
We had to make those decision!
We were woke up at 2.00 a.m by fire brigade who gave us only two minutes to clear our house already engulfed with smoke. What we managed to saved were only our pets, living beyond every thing else. We had to go first in the morning shopping for clothes with our pyjamas and sleepers. If we would have had a bit of more time we would have saved our photos. For months we could not take our minds off of what did happen. Our sympathy goes with all the people who had to go through that shocking experience.

(2) thomas, 28/10/2007
valuables
of course sitting here in texas w/clear blue skies it is hard to imagine what I would run out of the house grabbing as I went.Would it be my wedding ring that sits up on the ledge above the kitchen sink,would it be our small statch of money we have tucked away for emergencies or would it be family pics? Those are what came to my mind as I pondered the Rabbi's question.Clothes came later,water and food later in my mind. A very good question to really think about.I hope I would think as a survivorist.A giving survivorist.

(1) Rosen, 28/10/2007
prophecies
For only 5 minutes upon evacuating from a burning house, it's important to grab the essentials, similar to how we Jews fled Egypt immediately after the Pharoh granted it to Moses after he said, "Let my people go!", but then the pharoh had 2nd thoughts and raced after the Jews...As for Rabbi Solomon not mentioning that he wasn't a prophet, he did mention a couple weeks ago that he was a decendent of King Solomon of Israel, so at least Rabbi Yaakov Solomon is smart and wise, however, if he claims that family lineage, where is the breakdown on unity between the generations of Solomons?...All in all, with the raging wildfires out in California, it is certainly a sign that global warming is abundant.