Jewish Ecology
There’s more to the world than the world we see. But the actions that we take in the world that we see enable us to see beyond our eye’s range.
No Wanton Destruction
Environmental concerns have been raised in recent years. As Jews we must ask ourselves, what is the Torah’s view on the environment? Do we have a responsibility to preserve the world’s scarce resources? Should we allow technology to forge ahead, and in doing so plunder the Earth? Or, perhaps, does Judaism advocate returning to the old pretechnological era?
This week’s Parsha specifically deals with the prohibition against destroying a fruit bearing tree even in times of war. From this commandment, our sages derive the law of Bal Taschis, that enjoins us to not wantonly destroy anything. This is certainly an environmental Mitzvah if ever there was one.
Similarities and Differecnes
But, while there is much in the environmental philosophy that is consistent with Torah, there are some differences as well. Let’s compare some of the similarities and differences.
Firstly, while it is true that Judaism does not give us the right to plunder the Earth and destroy its resources, this is not because Judaism views nature as something sacred or unique. In fact, the prohibition of Bal Taschis applies equally to manmade products. Judaism does not worship nature; it respects G-d’s desire in utilizing everything in His creation – natural or manmade – for a positive and productive purpose.
For example: Destroying a tree – a part of nature – to build a house is perfectly permissible.
In reality, the Torah does not consider the chopping down of a tree for that purpose destruction at all, provided the house will be used for good purposes.
Conversely, it can be argued that taking a good, useful chair and pulverizing it for use in a garden, is an unwarranted use of the chair and will violate the Bal Taschis imperative. This is so, despite the fact that we are taking a manmade product and returning it to nature. Jews do not view technological advances as an intrusion into (or an invasion of…) nature. Neither does it glorify nature. Our mission is to take all that exists – both natural and manmade – and use it in the most constructive and positive manner.
Since our mission is to find the positive in every aspect of creation, to ignore the potential good in modern technology would also be considered a form of Bal Tashchis. After all, man’s intellect and talent also come from G-d – so all inventions and advancements that come from the human intellect – whether in science or medicine, biology or chemistry – must be viewed as potentially helpful in our service of G-d.
“Think globally, act locally.”
Another important message from the environmentally conscious is that whatever we do in our personal lives has a far-reaching effect around the world. This attitude is summed up in the slogan: “Think globally, act locally.”
This idea is rooted in the Talmudic statement:
“Everyone should view the world as being equally balanced between good and evil. One good deed can tip the scales to the side of merit and save the whole world.”
In other words, one can never underestimate the power of even one solitary act. What we do in our part of the world affects the entire universe.
Jewish Mysticism takes this idea one step further. Not only do our actions affect the entire world, but, moreover, even the spiritual realms are affected by the Mitzvot that we do. When we do a mitzvah, the entire universe – physical and spiritual – becomes holier and more receptive to G-d’s presence, bringing the Redemption that much closer.
Open your Eyes and See the Larger Picture, A third – closely related – aspect of environmental philosophy is that there is more to the universe than what meets the eye. The fact that we do not see the effects of our actions does not minimize them.
Judaism takes this philosophy one step further. Kabballah teaches that not only is there more to this world than meets the eye, there are entire worlds of spiritual existence that are entirely beyond the grasp of the physical senses but impact on our world and vice versa. The fact that our physical eyes do not see these “other” dimensions should not detract from the fact that they are real.
And just as the environmental movement asks us to “open our eyes” and see the larger picture, similarly, we have been told by our Torah to “open our eyes” to the spiritual realities that exist alongside the physical. The knowledge that there are spiritual dimensions generates the desire within us to access them. This we can do by study of the mystical teachings of Judaism, Jewish meditation and contemplative prayer.
In this age of enhanced awareness of our surroundings, we should realize that the cumulative goodness of all the past generations have transformed the world to the point that it is ready for the ultimate Redemption through Moshiach. All that we need to do is “open our eyes” and appreciate that reality.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Shoftim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
