In the Haftara for Parshat Re’eh (Yishayahu 54:16), we read the following words:
Behold! I have created the smith who blows on a charcoal flame (esh pecham) and withdraws a tool for his labor, and I have created the destroyer to ruin.
God gave humans the wisdom and ability to become a blacksmith, a craftsman who makes metal objects, who fans the coals to forge a weapon. God taught the blacksmith how to blow on the charcoal fire to intensify the flames so that metal can be forged. God is the sovereign creator who fashioned the smith as well as the tools.
We learn in the Talmud, Brachot 28a:
Rabban Gamliel went to appease Rabbi Yehoshua. When he reached Rabbi Yehoshua’s house, he saw that the walls of his house were black. Rabban Gamliel said to Rabbi Yehoshua: “From the walls of your house it is apparent that you are a smith (or a charcoal maker).” Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: “Woe unto the generation whose leader you are, for you know not the suffering of Torah scholars, how they support themselves and how they are nourished!”
Rabban Gamliel didn’t realize that Rabbi Yehoshua had to do such difficult work in order to support his family. According to the Jerusalem Talmud, his craft was to make needles.
While God created us and gave us the power to make metal, it is up to us to do so responsibly.
Our ancestors who made charcoal in the Timna valley (Israel’s southern desert region) 3000 years ago caused damage to the environment that has still not been repaired. Researchers from Tel Aviv University studied charcoal samples that had been used as fuel in metalworking furnaces in Timna between the 11th and 9th centuries BCE. By examining the samples, they discovered that the types of wood used as fuel changed over time. In the earlier period, high-quality local wood from white broom and acacia thorn trees, which were easily available in the area were used. Later, however, the quality of the fuel declined, and the charcoal came from poorer-quality wood, along with timber that had to be brought in from distant regions.
In an article entitled “Our Ancestors Irreparably Damaged the Timna Valley Environment 3000 Years Ago” the researchers from Tel Aviv University explain that “the ancient copper industry at Timna was not managed in a sustainable manner, with overexploitation of local vegetation eventually leading to the disappearance of both the plants and the industry. Copper production was not renewed in this region until about a thousand years later, and the local environment has not recovered fully to this day.”
We must learn from history that although we have the power to create, we should do so responsibly so that the future generations will not have to correct our mistakes.
