Jewish Sustainability:
Environmental Responsibility From Theory to Practice
In 1967, the economist and ecologist Garett Hardin coined the term “Tragedy of the Commons”, describing a simple and clear tragedy: in situations where a certain action creates personal profit with public deficit, the result will be “the Tragedy of the Commons”. Hardin demonstrates the term using a pasture open to all, where shepherds raise cows to graze in the communal grasslands. Each shepherd has a personal interest in adding another cow to the common pasture, for the profit of the cow belongs to the shepherd and the cost of grazing is distributed amongst all. Therefore, it is clear that with time, most shepherds will want more and more cows. Since each ecological system has a specific carrying capacity, the result will be destructive, for at a certain stage the pasture will not be able to regenerate itself. It will be consumed and cease to exist. The issue of the commons turns the issue of environmental conservation into a much more complex one. The goal of sustainability is to ensure that the pasture – Planet Earth – continues to exist for future generations and that we do not use up all of the planet’s resources.
The idea of sustainability is anchored strongly in Jewish philosophy. Adam HaRishon is already commanded in the Creation Story regarding the Garden of Eden “to tend and protect it” (Bereishit 2:15). The famous midrash in Kohelet Rabba also comments on the verse “see the works of God for who can fix that which is warped” recounts that “from the moment the Holy One, Blessed Be He, created Adam HaRishon, he took him and showed him all of the trees of the Garden of Eden, and said to him: ‘see My works how beautiful and exalted they are, and all that I have created, I have created for you, take care that you do not ruin and destroy my world, for if you ruin it there is no one who will fix it after you’…” (Kohelet Rabba 7:13). Even the halachic literature beginning with the Mishnah developed halachot related to environmental conservation, such as the obligation to distance work that produces foul odors from the city and the development of the prohibition of bal tashchit. Alongside this, in light of the fact that the essence of the topic of sustainability and its urgency are relatively new developments, there is not yet a wide array of halacha and philosophic work on these issues.
How can one protect the common pasture long term? The response to this can be found on a number of levels: first, in-depth and detailed explanation and elucidation. However, this is not enough. Education and elucidation cannot engage with someone who believes that the theory of pasture destruction is incorrect and cannot engage with someone who refuses to consider the needs of the public and acts with force. Second, creating economic incentives that will decrease the individual benefit from adding cows to the pasture, such as charging usage fees or enacting taxes based on the number of cows that each shepherd places in the pasture. Despite this, even economic incentives can at times not be enough, for the economic benefits can be varied between shepherds and it is possible that for certain shepherds it would be worth it to pay an economic “fine”. Therefore, a third and additional level is required: regulation that will limit the use of the pasture and ensure that it will not be destroyed. Regulation must obviously be backed by effective enforcement, otherwise it will not accomplish its goal.
In the corporate world over the last few years, another aspect of investing developed beyond the desire to achieve earnings for one’s investment. The “responsible investment”, termed in short ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), seeks to consider factors connected to environmental conservation, social factors, and factors associated with corporate rule that the body wishes to invest in.
The Pheonix Group is the institutional body that manages the largest array of properties in Israel. As these lines are being written, the properties managed by the Pheonix Group are worth more than half a trillion shekels. This investing power places responsibility on us to do everything in our power to protect the pasture for future generations. In light of this, the investing policy of the Pheonix Group determines that when choosing investments, the group takes sustainability and environmental conservation factors into account as well.
Consideration of factors of sustainability when deciding where to invest belongs to the second level of creating economic incentives to tackle the obligation to preserve the pasture. However, as stated, creating economic incentives is not enough. With the understanding that Judaism has an impact on the domain of education and public awareness, and for those who are observant, its influence is even more, we turned to the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization with the request to arrange a study in the field of sustainability that will compile an obligatory halachic framework; research that will not remain theoretical but engage in the practical halachot of the field of sustainability.
Fortunately, the Ethics Center at Tzohar Rabbinical Organization rose to the challenge and compiled a team led by Rabbi Yuval Cherlow in conjunction with Rabbis Uriel Ganzel, Avraham Stav, and Yaron Moskowitz. The result of their research – “Jewish Sustainability: Environmental Responsibility from Theory to Practice” – lays before you. This research integrates analysis and study of primary sources and practical conclusions on three dimensions: the individual, the community, and the state.
I want to express thanks to the Ethics Center at Tzohar Rabbinical Organization and its researchers for their hard work and its final result, which are groundbreaking in the sense that this research does not remain on the theoretical level but is within the bounds of “learning that leads to practice”.
We believe that this research is a perfect example of the fact that the State of Israel is a Jewish and democratic state and that Judaism is relevant for engaging in and guiding us through crucial, global topics on the public agenda. We hope that this compilation will increase awareness and the importance of the issue for broader communities and will be part of the difficult struggle to conserve the planet, so that we will not fall prey to the Tragedy of the Commons.
Manny Ne’eman
Deputy CEO, Pheonix Group
