The Good Fire on the Carmel

Fire and black smoke plumes over Mount Carmel. The media in Israel is playing the blame game: was it a selfish youth that started the fire? Did people not care enough about firefighters? Where was the government? A Rabbi is interviewed and hints that this is a punishment by god for the sins of Israel.

I am reminded of a previous time when the Carmel was up in flames. Back then Elijah challenged the other faiths and the fire and brimstone were materialized by god to light his alter on the Carmel.

While smoke from the Carmel still darkened the skies Elijah finds refuge in a widow's home. Although food was scarce and would not suffice even her family's apatite the kind widow offers her last loaf of bread to Elijah.

She gives to a stranger selflessly and her did is rewarded her " jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land. " (KINGS 1:17)

I am reminded of this story because one of the dead in this week's fire was a 16 year old boy with that same altruistic selfless spirit. This young man was a volunteer in Israel's fire brigades.  As news hit the waves that a fire had unleashed its flaming wrath on the pastoral communities of Mount Carmel, our protagonist dropped everything and ran to the rescue. He hoped to save the lives of strangers.

When the fire began the boy was attending his Civics lesson at school. He burst out of the classroom dramatically and headed towards the flaming horizon. This boy didn't need to attend a civics class to know what civic responsibility is all about. When he heard the call for help he felt a burning passion, a fire in his bones and in his heart and was willing to risk his life for the collective good. This type of good fire is what citizenship is all about.

In the bible, the benevolence of the gentile widow is contrasted with Israel's sinful collective and she serves as an example of a Good Samaritan. I hope young people in Israel today will remember this young fire fighter and that his flame will catch like a brush fire in all of our hearts so that we could become good smartens.