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February 6, 2004
Are we behind on green issues?
Judaism offers a balanced and reasoned approach to the environment.
RABBI YOSSI IVES SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
As a boy of six, I was walking to shul with my father one morning
and I unthinkingly tore some leaves off the hedge we were passing.
In disapproval, my father told me the Chassidic tale of how Rabbi
Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch as a young boy carelessly ripped a leaf
of a tree and was told by his father, Rabbi Sholom Dovber, that
God had his intention for that leaf and he was not to damage it
unnecessarily. An almost identical story is told by Aryeh Levine
about Rav Kook: "As we were walking, I plucked some flower
or plant: he trembled and quietly told me that he always took great
care not to pluck, unless it were for some benefit...." (Lachai
Ro'i, p. 15)
The Torah proscribes wanton destruction (Deuteronomy 20:19), even
at a time of war. So writes Rabbi Aaron Halevi of Barcelona, "This
is the way of the devout and those who seek good deeds ... they
never destroy even a grain of mustard and are upset at any destruction
they see." (Chinuch, 529)
Scriptural writings are full of natural imagery and are steeped
in respect for nature, while biblical and later rabbinic law provide
comprehensive legislation on issues such as conservation, animal
welfare, species preservation, sanitation and pollution.
The Torah orders the creation of green belts around cities (Numbers
35:4) and the laws against grafting diverse seeds and cross-breeding
animal species (Leviticus 19:19) can be understood in modern terms
as concern for biodiversity. (See Nachmanides on Leviticus 19:19
based on Jerusalem Talmud Kilayim 1:7.) Shabbat is a weekly rest
for humans, animals and the natural world. (Horeb, Samson Raphael
Hirsch) We are called upon in halachah (Jewish law) to offer
blessings for all manner of natural phenomena (rainbow, lightning,
shooting stars, the first blossoms of a tree, etc.). A most dramatic
ecological gesture is Shemita, the seventh year rest for
the environment, when all fields lie fallow. Maimonides declares
that meditating on nature is a one of the key ways a person can
fulfil the commandment to "love God with all your heart."
(Mishne Torah, Yesodei Hatorah 2:2)
There are dozens of exhortations in rabbinic writings to learn self-improvement
from natural phenomena and non-human life. Cruelty to animals is
repeatedly prohibited in the Torah, the Talmud and later codes –
and notably is considered one of the seven Noahide Laws incumbent
on all humankind. Hunting is seriously frowned upon, more likely
banned, in Judaism, while sensitivity to animals is a frequent motif
in talmudic and Chassidic literature. One notable example: Rebbi,
the great codifier of the Mishnah, had his 13-year illness attributed
to a single act of minor insensitivity towards a goat. (Talmud,
Baba Metzia 85a)
Justice and fairness, especially towards those vulnerable, is a
theme running through scripture. Every seven years, all debt would
be cancelled – an interesting model for the issue of Third
World debt in our era.
Two thousand years ago, the Talmud (particularly Baba Batra, Chapter
2) extensively covered the regulation against atmospheric, water
and even noise pollution and, arising from Deuteronomy (23:12),
issues of waste disposal.
We may therefore ask why Judaism, which comes with first-class environmental
credentials, appears to be lagging behind in ecological consciousness.
At conferences and in rabbis' sermons, environmental issues are
rarely on the agenda. While most Jewish people I have spoken to
understand the problem of Third World debt and appreciate the fundamentals
of fair trading, there doesn't seem to be a clear, never mind vocal,
Jewish response on the issue.
A moral consciousness based on Torah values would surely see merit
in the argument for ethical investments, to ensure that monies are
not invested in companies that use child labor, create environmental
degradation or are socially irresponsible. After all, "Justice,
justice you shall pursue." (Deuteronomy 16:20)
While Judaism does not endorse animal "rights," it comprehensively
legislates for animal welfare. While we need to vigorously combat
any efforts to ban shechita (ritual slaughter), we also need
consider the moral legitimacy of intensive farming practices. If
shechita, as the Rambam and other leading authorities insist, is
legislated out of compassion to animals, doesn't that raise a question
of battery-farmed chickens? And shouldn't that afford rabbis a clearer
line on the undesirability of the fur trade in our fair climates,
now that its cruel practices are public knowledge.
The basics of environmentalism are Torah law. Psalms declares, "To
the Lord belongs the Earth and all it contains." (24:1) Yet
it is not often that I am informed by a Jewish organization of their
environmental policy. So says a Midrash: "When a fruit-bearing
tree is chopped down, a voice is heard from one end of the world
to the other but it is not audible." (Pirkei D'Rabbi Elazar,
34) This should make us conscious of wasting paper products and
other natural resources that are being depleted.
As a rabbi, I feel guilty for not doing more to present an authentically
Jewish perspective on matters such as reforestation, recycling or
globalization. Judaism has a balanced and reasoned approach that
could be a source of pride to Jews and a source of inspiration to
the non-Jewish world. More importantly, it could lead to positive
action, and "action is the principle thing." (Ethics of
the Fathers 1:17)
I think part of the reason is that in the minds of many people,
environmentalism has been hijacked by "eco-fascists."
Animal welfare is discredited in the eyes of many Jews for its hostility
to shechita and its denial of basic human rights even as it champions
those of animals. But these objections, while correct in my view,
don't delegitimize the morality of environmental responsibility
and compassion towards animals respectively. Rabbis can raise the
issue in sermons, communal organizations could adopt environmentally
friendly policies, Jewish charities can invest ethically and individual
Jews can buy with a social and ecological conscience.
Judaism, with its rich heritage and history of respect for nature
and non-human life, is in a perfect position to articulate a better-adjusted
and more balanced environmental ethic. It would be in keeping with
our tradition to do so. We would be turning a blind eye to our own
values if we choose to say, "not my problem."
Rabbi Yossi Ives is rabbi of Richmond Synagogue in London,
England. This article is published as part of a Tu b'Shevat learning
campaign co-ordinated by Canfei Nesharim (On the Wings of
Eagles), an organization of Orthodox Jews working to educate the
Orthodox community about the ideas, inherent in halachah, which
today can be labelled as "environmental" in nature (www.canfeinesharim.org).
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