"Green Living" and “Ecology” are Not New to Judaism

Ecological awareness, commonly referred today as “going green”, is a Jewish concept that the Torah has instructed its people to practice for thousands of years. It is an old tradition, for example, to plant trees in honor of new borns or in memory of those we have lost.

Since biblical times, Jews are commended to give approximately 10% of their earning to Tzedakah (charity) in order to help the less fortunate, and to take care of the Land. JNF (Jewish National Fund) is sponsored by Tzedakah they receive each year from organizations around the world. Their mission is to plant trees, to preserve the water and to promote a “greener” world.

Thanks to JNF, the one arid land in Israel can now be described as a “ desert bloom”.  By doing so, JNF truly fulfilled David Ben-Grunion’s (Israel’s first prime minister) dream:  “for those who make the ‘desert bloom’ there is room for hundreds, thousands, and even millions."  

At Judaic Studies by Nomie, we are celebrating this week a unique Jewish holiday called Tu-BeShvat- the birthday of trees. It occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, which this year falls on February 8th. The name of this holiday is simply a date: In Hebrew “Tu” is 15 and “Shvat” is the month that falls between the end of January and the beginning of February. In ancient Israel, this date marked the cut-off date for calculating the age of a fruit-bearing tree, and helped the farmers figure out when the agricultural cycle began or ended each year. The ancient Israelites were primarily farmers and relied heavily on agriculture. Their primary concern related to the harvest and so, their prayers asked for rains and winds to come on time so their crops will be safe. This aspect is still very much a part of the tradition Jews follow today all over the world. 

We can find many references of the historic connections Israelites shared with nature, as well as the various laws and blessings that relate to the Earth and trees. The first book of the Torah-Genesis, states that man was created from the earth. The word man in Hebrew is Adam; which shares the same three-letter root (Alef, Daled, Mem) with the word for Earth or ground, Adamah.

According to Genesis,G-d placed Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden to take care of it (“to till and to tend it” ), but they were both kicked out of the Garden for disobeying G-D’s request -not to eat from the forbidden tree. In a latter episode of the Torah, we learn that after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites wandered in exile for forty years before reaching the promised land-Israel. It is not a coincidence that they underwent the most spiritual formative era in Judaism-in the wilderness. Nature was the perfect setting for their transformation from slaves to free people.  

That is when they received the Torah and they were introduced to the laws of nature among others. Moreover, the most important holidays such as Sukkot, Shavuot and Passover (referred to as the Shalosh Regalim) originated in nature and celebrates the nature and therefore illustrate a clear connection to nature from biblical time. 

Judaism was perhaps the first religion to establish laws concerning land ownership and how to take care of the it, as well as how to treat fairly the animals and their space. Jews are even commanded to give the land a rest every seven years, similar to the commandment to rest on the seventh day of the week- Shabbat.

Can you imagine an Earth where all of it’s inhabitants gave it a break once every 7 years? Perhaps let a few plants grow back? I’m not a biologist, geologist, or expert of natural sciences… but it doesn't take a scientist to understand how the idea would be beneficial to the environment we live in. Similarly, the Torah also commands Jews to leave a “Migrash”, which in Hebrew translates to a field, greenbelt, or nature reserve around cities for the animals. This was instructed not only for the sake of the animals, but also to beautify the cities by the surrounding of uninterrupted nature. What a wonderful idea! Instead, we continue to invade our ecosystems with little regard to the nature we are harming. Call me a dreamer (I’m not the only one), but perhaps these laws can serve humanity as a road map to a brighter, “greener” future. 

The bond between nature and the divine are repeatedly mentioned throughout the stories of the Torah. When the Jewish people first reached the promised land, the land that was flowing with milk and honey, the land was also blessed with seven, lesser known attributes: barley, wheat, pomegranate, olives, dates, figs & grapes. It is from this story that the Tu Beshvat Seder originated. The Seder symbolizes the appreciation of these 7 plants and attributes, and special blessings are recited for each.

As the many stories and songs (such as Etz Chaim) are taught and sung at Hebrew schools around the world this year, remember the positive role Judaism commands us to play in regards to the environment and on taking care of the Earth. Remember how, in almost every Torah portion, there is some mention of nature and its meaning. Remember how the Israelites were among the first and most loyal observers of “green”, eco-friendly living.

In fact, remember that Jews are founders and leaders of major “green” movements and organizations around the world such as:  COEJ, Big Green Jewish Org, JNF Org and hundreds more.... Even minimally observant Jews find it a moral necessity to continue these beautiful  biblical traditions! Today, however, we have simply extended what was once a narrow concern to a wider array of topics including: global warming, deforestation and pollution.  

Can you imagine what a greener place the world would be if these laws were observed by everyone? 

Here's a little tale in honor of all those trees out there we read at JSN:(click this link)

Honi Comes Full Circle (A Tale for Tu B'shvat)  

                                       Now get out there and hug a tree!

Nomie Azoff

Director of JSN

818-625-1621

jsnbynomie@me.com

http://www.jsnbynomie.com/jsnbynomie.com/About_JSN.html

PS. Come join JSN on Jan 29th at the  5th annual Tu B’Shevat Nature Fest in Malibu. Connect with nature, climb walls, plant a tree in the organic garden, hike in the nature and visit the eco fair garden.