The Environmentally Conscious Jewish Home
For Jewish families, caring for the environment could be part of a wider
consciousness of living in a world that is a divine gift.
By Deborah Rubin Fields
The author's view is
that the practice of running a household that is conscious and cautious in its
impact on the environment flows naturally from principles of Jewish law and
ethics. She argues furthermore that such a lifestyle can be incorporated into
the cycles of Jewish life with benefit both for the environment and for Jewish
consciousness.
Alongside the obvious benefit of sustaining the planet, the
environmentally conscious home provides its occupants with a sense of
accomplishment and even pride in personally doing something that will maintain,
even better, one's world. For the believing Jew, this feeling of wellbeing
should be all the more gratifying, for preserving the planet is not an end in
itself, but part of a greater plan that encompasses the whole of one’s
existence. This greater plan is laid out in Jewish law, based in the Torah. One
may feel doubly rewarded by the overall satisfaction of living a life of mitzvot [commandments], and, within this
context, living an environmentally sound existence.
Guiding Principles
Four principles guide those living in an environmentally
conscious Jewish home. These principles reflect this modern day reality, where
is no such thing as a free lunch, for the planet does not have an endless
supply of resources.
The first principle originates in Shabbat observance: The
Fourth Commandment, which begins "Remember the Shabbat day and keep it
holy," deals with the issue of limited resources and the need for
restraint. Shabbat is the day when G-d called a halt to His creative exertions.
Just as God ceased His exertions on that day, so you shall cease yours. Just as
at the end of the first week, God stopped expending His energy, so you will now
do likewise.
In essence, the Jew remembers Shabbat by mirroring or
copying God's restraint. Importantly, this "remembering" is an active
rather than a passive process. Thus on Shabbat, the traditionally observant Jew
actively reduces his/her "energies" by not driving and by not turning
on electric lights. Significantly, the obligation is not limited to the
individual; but rather is incumbent upon all those who would be home on the
Sabbath -- family members and servants and work animals alike.
While the Sabbath is celebrated for one day, it is not meant
to be an isolated point in time and space but rather a frame of reference for
the entire week. This notion that Shabbat's influence is to be felt throughout
the entire week is clearly seen in the opening of the Song of the Day (recited
daily during the morning service): "Today is the first, second, third day
of the Shabbat." The Song of the Day emphasizes that what one does on
Shabbat is but an example of what one will do during the entire week.
Just as one cuts back on using electricity, gas and oil on
Shabbat, so should s/he continue to do so during the rest of the week. Stated
differently, the Sabbath is not an end, but a means for getting the Jew to
reduce his/her use of energy-consuming products and services. Refusal to follow
God's lead in reducing our demands on the world is fraught with dire
consequences: "See My works, how fine and excellent they are! Now all that
I have created, for you have I created it. Consider this and do not destroy and
desolate My world, for if you corrupt it, there is no one to set it right after
you"(Midrash Ecclesiastes
Rabbah 7: 13).
The second principle is that to take responsibility for our
health and well being. (This is how rabbinic midrash [commentary]
interprets the words "Take utmost care and watch yourselves
scrupulously" in Deuteronomy 4:9). For, example, the consumer is required
to know how household products affect well being and act accordingly.
Third, as an integral part of accepting responsibility for
one's wellbeing, one likewise accepts the need to think of future generations:
"One day while walking on the road he [Honi the
Circle-Drawer] noticed a man planting a carob-tree. Said Honi to the man:
"You know that it takes seventy years before a carob-tree bears fruit; are
you so sure that you will live seventy years and eat therefrom?' 'I found this
world provided with carob-trees,' the man replied. 'As my ancestors planted
them for me, so I plant them for my progeny.'"(Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 23a).
The assumption of a future means preparing one's children,
(meaning the next generation) to take up the reins. Thus, in the daily
recitation of the
Sh'ma, the
declaration of the oneness and uniqueness of God, the Jew is told that whenever
opportunity knocks--when one wakes up in the morning, when
going for a daytime walk or when getting ready for bed at night -- one must
"teach [the] children." Clearly implied in the Sh'mais the idea of incorporating teaching
into home life.
Finally, Jewish law addresses the question of how to dispose
of still usable items. This question is dealt with in the concept of bal tashhit that is, the idea of
"you shall not destroy" (Deuteronomy 20:19-20). It implies, for instance,
that household products of value that are no longer being used should be shared
with others (especially the needy) who can use them. To destroy something is
considered to be a kind of theft.
A few examples
will perhaps help readers to either change or expand on their environmental
consciousness. These examples (which readers will recognize as including some
of the "R's" of the environmental movement) may be categorized into
four groups: 1) use, 2)
re-use, 3) reduction and 4) recycling.
Use
First of all, one should look at the products found in the
home. Are there safer alternatives that one may use? For example, one may use
baking soda instead of scouring powder that might adversely affect one's water
resources.
Re-use
Newspapers make great cleaning rags for
windows, mirrors, and chrome surfaces. For these cleaning jobs, one should use
old newspapers instead of paper towels. While on the subject of cleaning, one
may likewise effectively clean floors by using either plain boiling water or a
vegetable-based floor soap. The water left from the washing is rich in plant
nutrients. Once cooled, the gray water may be poured into the garden.
Reduction
One must accept that there is a change in the seasons, both
inside and outside of one's home. In the winter, it might be nice to walk
around one's home in a short-sleeved shirt, but it is energy wasteful. One
should instead put on a sweater and lower the thermostat. Surprisingly, this
notion of dressing right for the weather is dealt with in Proverbs 31: 21, in the
passage known as Eshet hayilor "Woman of Valor":
"She is not worried for her household because of snow, for her household
is dressed in crimson.[wool]."
Recycling
Like the activities mentioned in the Woman of valor,
composting has been practiced since ancient times. It is a simple and natural
process of letting organic matter (pareve foods, without dairy or meat
products, along with leaves, grass, etc.) break down until it forms humus, a
product that helps all plants to grow. Obviously, composting is not just good
for growing plants; it is also an excellent way to deal with waste.
Being environmentally conscious is an integral part of
Jewish home life. It is a lifestyle based on doing, a lifestyle designed to
impress examples upon one's children. Perhaps the motto of Israel's
"Compost 2000" plant best sums up the environmentally conscious
Jewish home. That motto is: "We did not inherit the world from our
forefathers; we received it on loan from our children."
Deborah Rubin Fields
is a children’s writer based in Jerusalem.
She publishes both fiction and non-fiction for very young children on
upward to adolescents. Currently, she
is finishing an elementary school workbook dealing with Judaism and the
environment.
