“Our obligation is to expand the Torah, grant it splendor, and to include the ecological green line in the domain of Torat Yisrael as well… We as faithful Jews have a unique responsibility towards the ecological issue. We must be aware of anything that pertains to preserving the creation that God created, to prevent its destruction, to care more about the further generations”.
(Rabbi Yaakov Ariel) 1
The ecological approach contains a wide variety of phenomena and significance. The common denominator to all of them is that they present additional, diverse factors contrary to what man wishes to do right now. Against the natural desire “to do anything my heart desires” and the basic right “do with my property as I wish”, the ecological approach presents a series of values that one must take into account, all connected to our responsibility to creation.
It is possible, by generalization, to divide the types of issues it faces into four: man vs. world, present vs. future, individual vs. public, desire vs. control. Thus for example, when a person wants to use disposable dishware in order to save the energy required to wash reusable dishes, we are dealing with at first glance at an action that is within the bounds of doing as one sees fit with their property. However with an ecological viewpoint, he must answer four questions: will this action impact other people (such as by polluting the environment)? Will it harm other creatures in the world (such as animals that can swallow plastic and suffocate)? Will it endanger the future of humanity (by emitting greenhouse gasses through the process of producing the dishes and transporting them)? Does it express laziness or weakness of character? 2
Each of these pillars exists in global ecological worldviews and in halachic tradition. Despite this, there is significant difference between Torat Yisrael and other philosophies in terms of boundaries and characterization of these pillars, as well as the question of relative influence that each of them comprises. For example, the approach to nature itself, disconnected from its ramifications on man, assumes a relatively small portion of people who hold by Jewish philosophy, while the concern for the attributes and character of the individual’s soul actually takes a larger portion compared to other beliefs. 3 To contrast, while we have our responsibility to the world there are other core values to facilitate a faithful and moral society, and therefore there is a great cultural difference when engaging with the issue of what situations do we push aside environmental factors for more important values.
Jewish Sustainability – to the home page and table of contents
Notes - הערות שוליים
- Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Judaism and Ecology, Tzohar Lev (5768)
- Of course, one must also assess if there are better alternatives.
- Even global ecological philosophy has different streams, and there is a differentiation, amongst others, between “anthropocentric” ecology which cares for the survival of the human race and the “biocentric” ecology that cares for all life as an independent value. See Encyclopedia Britannica, “Environmentalism”; Yaron Unger, Environmental Conservation in Jewish Sources, the Knesset Center for Research and Science 5770.
