Rabbi's Musings

Climate change is a major concern for most humans. What does Judaism say about caring and protecting our Olam (world)?

 - Elie Abraham

The ancient Rabbis told a story of God taking Adam around the Garden of Eden, showing all the beauty of the place, and then telling Adam: “All this I created for you. Take care that you don’t destroy it!” There is no question that our human record in this regard has been highly mixed. On the one hand, there are those who argue that our task is to use the earth’s resources any way we see fit. On the other hand, are those who say we should decrease our usage of the earth in any way possible. To me, the first path leads to the earth eventually being unlivable. The second path leads to a return to the prehistoric era. Neither looks good to me. Fortunately, there is another path.

Although ancient Jewish wisdom does not deal with the crisis of the earth on a global scale, we can extrapolate from the moral limited perspective of the ancient Sages what we might consider our mission as responsible stewards of the earth. The key concept from the Rabbinic world was bal taschit – do not destroy. It is based on Deuteronomy 20:19 which tells us not to destroy fruit-bearing trees when making war. The Rabbis extended this to include all cases where we waste things that can still be used. Hence, a rabbinic dictum in favor of recycling!

Remember that the ancient Sages were pragmatists. Sometimes a fruit-bearing tree needs to be cut down if the value of its wood is greater than the value its fruit produces. In our era, I would argue that if our energy needs continue to be massive, the answer is not to retreat to our caves but to make the best choices we can in a spirit of responsible usage and long-term sustenance. I believe The Woodlands was created by a visionary who tried to abide by this middle stance and it behooves us to continue this along this path.