Religious School
October 2008
9/26/2008
ROSH HASHANAH & OUR WORLD-ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
In my Messenger articles I try to alternate months when I write about our schools and then write about a broader Jewish topic. This month as we welcome the High Holy Days I want to explore our theme at TBI and our religious school this year: Protecting the Environment.
At this time of year, we turn our thoughts inward to converse with God and ourselves about the kind of life we have lived in the past year. I would propose that we also consider turning our thoughts outward to the world around us. Let’s take an honest look at what we are doing to this planet which God has lent to us and think about what future actions to take.
In Judaism we think of Rosh Hashanah as the birthday of the world: “Ha Yom Harat Olam-Today the world was created”. In 2008/6769, what kind of present are we and our children going to give the Earth? The list of our past “gifts” are not spectacular: global warming; polluted water and air; renewable resources such as aluminum cans, packing materials and plastic water bottles just thrown in the trash; inefficient ways of feeding animals for meat; cruel and inhumane treatment of animals raised for food.
Yet, the point of this article is not to be “preachy”, because we all bear responsibility for what’s been done to date and can also rise to the occasion to make things much better with the gift we’ve been given by God. The point of our theme this year is to educate ourselves and our children that caring for the Earth is not just something that “good people” should do, but it is a Jewish thing to do. In fact as Jews—caring about the Earth and its creatures is a mitzvah—an obligation for us to carry out. The Torah and the rabbis of the past 2000 years have had much to say about our responsibilities to our world. At the core of Jewish teaching is the value known as Bal Tashchit—do not destroy. In Deuteronomy (Chapt. 20) there is a famous injunction against wanton destruction of trees for the purpose of warfare. Even though it might be helpful in war to destroy all the trees to better see the enemy, the Torah forbids the destruction. From this, Bal Tashchit becomes the term in Judaism by which we say that one should not wantonly destroy nature. The rabbinic concept of Bal Tashchit is further informed by the injunction in Genesis (Chapt. 2) that humans have a responsibility to till and to tend the earth: to be stewards of God’s world.
As Jews, we do NOT believe that the world is ours. In the beginning of the Torah we read that the world was not created by us. We do not own it. We believe that we are guardians who use our discerning minds to make the world a better place for all creatures. We may use the world’s resources, but we are not given permission to abuse them or overly consume them.
Indeed, there is much for us to do at TBI in the areas of Tikkun Olam/Repairing our World, and Protecting our environment. When Rabbi Kalev and I sat down this summer to look at ways to approach the topic of protecting our environment as a theme for TBI, it often seemed very intimidating as to where to begin with such a broad subject. We looked at the amazing work of our own Hesed committee and the types of social action mitzvot they perform every day. We were inspired to carry their work into our Hebrew High this year with study and activities that support the work of Hesed. At the Jewish educator’s conference that I attended this summer in Vermont, one of the main themes was how to bring “Eco Judaism” into your synagogue and school. There are several new and exciting organizations springing up that tie Judaism and environmentalism into curriculum and action projects.
In our school this year we will be focusing our teaching on Judaism and food: ethical ways animals can be raised; why we say brachot over foods and after eating meals; how we are to treat animals; kashrut and vegetarianism; raising food in sustainable ways. We will schedule one or two family education mornings centered on this topic with facilitators from organizations such as Teva, which bring children and parents together to think about nature and it’s relation to our Jewish heritage.
I hope you will agree with me that the best birthday present we can give our earth this Rosh Hashanah is to become more knowledgeable about our Jewish obligations towards repairing and preserving our world and then doing something about it!
My wife Deborah and I wish you and your family a Shanah Tovah U’Metuka—a sweet and healthy New Year.
IMPORTANT OCTOBER EDUCATION DATES:
Tue. Oct. 14: No School/No HS-Succot
Sun. Oct. 19: Sukkah City-11:30am
Rosh Hodesh 6th grade girls-12:15pm
Rosh Hodesh 8th grade girls-5pm
Family Room-4:30pm (offsite)
Tue. Oct. 21: No regular RS/HS classes. Special Religious School evening Simchat Torah program-TBA
Sun. Oct. 26: 7th-10th Grade Family Education morning: GROWING UP ONLINE-9am
Show Other Articles