Editor’s note: Welcome to Nati Passow of the Jewish Farm School and Teva Learning center.
Shalom and welcome to a Tu B’Shevat edition of Tikkun Tips, a monthly nugget of eco-Jewish thought from your friends at the
For the first time in the group’s history, it asserted with 90% certainty that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from human behavior were the main causes of the global warming trend since 1950. The 20 page summary, released today, warns that the world is already committed to centuries of warming and shifting weather patterns, but that the warming can be substantially stymied by prompt and decisive action that would bring us away from our current patterns of burning coal and oil.
So here we are, about to celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the New Year for the trees, and we are faced with a daunting reality. While most in the environmental movement have been preaching the perils of global climate change for many years, there is now further mainstream scientific support for this perspective. This, in my opinion, mandates that we shift our focus from convincing people that there is a problem, to working on practical, tangible and achievable solutions.
In the past we have written about calculating your personal carbon footprint and making your travel, business and family events and other activities carbon neutral. These actions are extremely beneficial and eye opening, and in addition, I would like to offer a short, but what I believe to be a profound teaching that can help guide our actions in the year to come.
The concept of Bal Tashchit, Do Not Waste, is at the foundation of the Jewish Environmental movement. This idea originates in the Torah, in the book of Deuteronomy, 20:19. The passage forbids cutting down fruit trees while besieging a city during a time of war. From this text the Rabbi’s extrapolated the prohibition against any unnecessary destruction or waste.
In reading up on this month’s holiday I came across the teachings of Rabbi Jacob Zevi Mecklenburg who lived in the 19th century and wrote the book Haketav ve-haKaballah. In his text he explains that the essence of the prohibition in Deuteronomy is that it is not proper to use any of God’s creations for the opposite of that which it was intended. A fruit tree, which is intended to feed and sustain people for many years, should not be used in a siege which is enacted to defeat one’s enemies by starving them. (This is similar to some explanations of the prohibition against cooking a kid in its mother’s milk, turning the life force for the baby animal into its cause of death.)
This struck me as a profound teaching, despite its initial simplicity. Everything that has been given to us has its place and its purpose. Even if we find innovative ways of utilizing the earth’s resources, that does not inherently mean that this constitutes proper use. Sadly, far too often in our attempts to celebrate God and our traditions, we waste and destroy the very objects of God’s creation. We use disposable plates for our Passover Seder, make far too many photocopies of handouts for various events, or buy too much food for our Tu B’Shevat celebration, only to see much of it end up in the trash (or, at the very least, the compost).
So in addition to taking simple actions to reduce our own environmental footprint, I encourage us to use this holiday as an opportunity to reevaluate the manner in which we choose to manifest our religious beliefs. Just like Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on our behavior from the past year, Tu B’Shevat offers us the same chance. If we could consistently ask ourselves what the intention of our actions is and weigh it against the actual impact of these actions, we may be surprised to see how often we miss the mark. And just as each Rosh Hashanah we have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, Tu B’Shevat affords a similar opportunity.
May this year be one in which the growing awareness of our environmental challenges translates into definitive and effective action. Chag Sameach!
Nati Passow is a carpenter, educator and writer living in
Action ideas:
Shalom Center’s Beyond Oil Campaign.
The Carbon Tax Center offers many resources, reports and the “Krazy Karbon” fact of the day.
Contact your elected officials regarding today’s report.
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