Contemporary Jewish Issues Session 3

1. Contemporary Jewish IssuesSession 3 Judaism and Ecology: Sustainability in the Torah Mrs. Semadar Goldstein

2. Watch over the world, child Preserve vs. Develop How do you know what’s right (and what you should do about it) sustainability

3. Sustainability

4. ישעיהו מ:ז • כָּל-הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר, All flesh is grass • וְכָל-חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה. And all goodliness is as flowers of the field

5. תענית עב • יום אחד היה הולך בדרך, • ראה איש שהיה נוטע חרוב. • שאל אותו: מתי העץ יניבwill bear פירות?

6. ענה לו: לאחר שבעים שנה. אמר לו: וכי אתה בטוח שתחיה שבעים שנה?

7. אמר לו אותו אדם: אני באתי לעולם ומצאתי חרוב נטוע מניבפירות כמו שאבותי שתלו לי, כך אני שותל לצורך בני

8. דברים כ:יט כִּי-תָצוּר אֶל-עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתָפְשָׂהּ, לֹא-תַשְׁחִית אֶת-עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן— by wielding an axe against them כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל, וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת: and do not cut them down כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה, לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר

9. תהילים א:ג •  וְהָיָה--    כְּעֵץ, שָׁתוּל עַל-פַּלְגֵי-מָיִם:אֲשֶׁר פִּרְיוֹ, יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ • --וְעָלֵהוּ לֹא-יִבּוֹל; וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר-יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ. • And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, • That brings forth its fruit in its season, and whose leaves do not wither, and in whatever he does, he shall prosper.

10. Sustainability • Rabbi Abraham Isaac Ha'Cohen Kook (Chief Rabbi of Eretz Israel, 1921 - 35), in his well known article "Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace" (ChazonHatzimchonutVehashalom), also emphasizes that ruling over God's creatures is by no means intended as license for their destruction. "No rational person can doubt that the Bible, when it commands people to 'rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all living things that move on the earth', does not envisage a cruel ruler who exploits his people for his own desires - God forbid that such a detestable law of slavery (be attributed to God) who 'is good to all, and his tender care rests upon all his creatures'." (Psalms 145:9)

11. Choose a club for the wikiלעבדה ולשמרה • As Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary, it can take great pride in its many • environmental achievements. It is one of the few countries in the world with more trees today than a century ago. Israel is a leader in combating desertification, which contributes to the loss of biodiversity and increases the risk of global warming. The future strength of Israel will depend not only on security issues, but also on making sure that the coming generations of Israelis live in a clean environment. For this vision to • become a reality, we…must play a leading role in research and development efforts to save energy, reduce plant diseases that contaminate the environment, and promote “green” wastewater treatment, as well as advocating for strong laws to protect the environment. One such Israeli university working in all of these areas is Bar-Ilan University (BIU).

12. Multi-Media • The Secret Life of Paper - Project Inform: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU8WY8va5h8 • Paper is a great example of something that man “creates” from the creations of G-d, yet it involves cutting down trees and using huge quantities of water. The video highlights how we can be more responsible citizens of the planet. Additional video clips can be suggested for similar elemental topics. • “Shmor al haolam, yeled” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErJI6vzM2Mc. • A popular Israeli song. With pictures. With words of the songs, David Daor: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8t-YIJs7h0&feature=related • “Hashem gave you a gift,”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBp9fs427vY&NR=1 • This is a popular Israeli song about recognizing, appreciating and maintaining the beautiful world G-d gave us. • Bar Ilan article: http://www.policyarchive.org/handle/10207/bitstreams/15861.pdf