Lesson video

Hi everyone.

My name is Rabbi London.

And today we are going to learn about some Jewish ideas, around caring for the environment.

Please, take this moment to turn off any apps or notifications you might be receiving and end any conversations you might be in the middle of, if you're able to.

Try to find a place where you're going to have the least amount of distractions.

Today you're going to need to have a pen or pencil and some paper or something to write on and something to write with.

If you don't have these things with you right now, press pause, and gather all the things you might need and press play when you're ready to begin.

There isn't really one text within all of the Jewish text that says that a Jewish person should care for the environment.

But there are many Jewish texts that can be used to teach the Jewish obligation for the environment.

And today we're going to explore some of these texts and some of the ideas that come up through Jewish thought and Jewish law, that can be used to show that Jewish people should and can be taking care of the environment.

So, firstly we'll start with the Jewish holidays.

Most Jewish holidays are actually tied to an agricultural harvest.

Meaning that they're tied to a time when harvest used to take place, whether that was wheat or barley, or bringing of the first fruits to the Temple.

In some ways, when thinking about the harvests within the Jewish year, which happens all the time, it would mean that someone was always thinking about, what was being planted? When was the rainy season? When was it that there wasn't any rain? And actually feeling, what that meant when there wasn't water or if there was too much water and crops were not able to grow.

This allowed for a greater understanding of what was going on in the ecological system.

Another idea that can be shared about the how a Jewish person can think about taking care of the earth, is that the Torah talks about having a Sabbatical Year known as Shmita.

The Sabbatical Year, what is once every seven years according to the Torah, the land had to lie.

No one was allowed to work it, no one was allowed to plant crops or gather what was there.

There's this idea that with the stopping, whether it's on the Sabbatical Year or on Shabbat itself the seventh day.

That there's this recognition of needing to rest.

Some people will say that having this time of stopping allows them, to also take notice of what's going on around them.

Noticing what they have, noticing what they need, noticing the need to give rest not only to the land but also to the animals that are working the land, least during the time of the Talmud and the Torah.

And it also, in taking that time of resting and noticing, one was also able to give thanks to what one has, and recognise this connection with the land and with God.

Another way that some Jewish people connect with the land and God, is by saying blessings on food.

There are many Jewish people who will say a blessing on all foods that they eat, both before they eat it and after.

The essence of these blessings, the essence of the blessings are to recognise where the food comes from, mainly in traditional texts, God.

But when one sits down and thinks about all the places where one's food might've come from, one can think about the people who planted the food, or the grains that were then made into our food.

Those who harvested the grains, those who made the food, those who packaged it and to those who packaged it.

Putting all of these things together and taking that moment, right before and right after one eats, in acknowledgement of all that went in to having this.

And also giving thanks to the food that one is able to have, knowing well that there are many places within the world that, food scarcity is real.

I'd like you now to think about this following statement, and write down in complete sentences whether you agree or disagree.

Take about three minutes.

Statement is: 'Recognising where one's food comes from helps with protecting the environment.

' This is all in your opinion.

If you're able to try to think of the opposite opinion too, and write one or two sentences proving the other point.

So, press pause to complete this task and press play to resume when you're ready.

I would love to hear what your opinion is.

Sometimes I do think that in recognising where my food comes from, I have a greater appreciation, thinking about all the hard work that went into it so that I'm able to eat, or I'm able to have food in my refrigerator.

Another idea that gets spoken about when Jewish people are talking about environmentalism or social action and social change, is the idea called Tikkun Olam.

Tikkun Olam literally means to fix the world.

There are many, many Jewish people believe that they have the responsibility and the obligation to continuing to fix the world.

To notice where things might not be going as they should and to do everything in their power, to make the world a better place.

So, if we take this concept of Tikkun Olam into environmentalism, and to caring for the environment, that would mean that many.

some Jewish people will see it as their obligation to care for the world, to make the world a better place by following rules, to let waste less or to recycle.

Or thinking about where their foods are coming from.

An idea that we've spoken about before, is that many Jewish people believe that God created the world.

And God left the world, in Adam, in human's hands.

As it says in Genesis 2:15, "And God to Adam and placed.

"took Adam and placed him in Gan Eden, "in the garden of Eden, "to work and to guard it." God commanded Adam that it was his job not only to work the land and make sure that it was functioning, but to watch over it.

That to be the protector.

Now there's a story in a Midrash.

A Midrash is a form of commentary from the Rabbis to explain Biblical texts.

To sometimes teach another lesson and sometimes to make sense of something.

So, this part.

this verse and passage that we're going to read together is explaining what, what was this that God was saying to Adam? So it says in "Kohelet Rabba", that's the name of the Book of Midrasha.

When God created Adam, he led him around to look at all the trees in Gan Eden.

And said to him, "see how beautiful and praiseworthy they are.

"And all that I created, I created for you.

"Make sure you don't ruin and destroy My world.

"For if you destroy it, "there is no one that will fix it after you." So, according to this Midrash, God takes Adam and walks him around the garden, they see the trees, and God makes Adam sit and stop and notice the beauty and wonder of the trees.

And then God warns Adam and says, "it is up to you to guard "and watch over this land.

"And for you not to destroy this, "because if you destroy it, "there is no one that's going to come and fix it.

"This is the only world, "and this is the only earth." Now many Jewish people might see this text as a proof that, one is, a Jewish person is obligated to make sure to protect the world and to make sure that the world is not destroyed by humans.

With this knowledge that the world that we have is the only world, that we're ever going to get.

But I'd like you to do now, is to complete the following explanations.

And they're going to be based on the two verses that we just read.

So, the first verse is from Genesis 2:15.

"And God said to Adam, "and took Adam and placed him in garden, "the garden of Eden, "to work it and guard it." And then from "Kohelet Rabba".

"See how beautiful and praise worthy they are.

"And all that I created, I created for you.

"Make sure you don't ruin and destroy my world.

"For if you destroy it, "there is no one that will fix it after you." So, complete the following sentences.

These two verses teach.

According to the verse from Genesis.

And according to the passage from "Kohelet Rabba".

Please pause the video to complete this task and press resume when you're finished.

Let's check the answers.

So, these two verses teach an idea of why some Jewish people, believe they are obligated to care for the world.

According to the verse from Genesis, God commanded Adam to work the land and to guard it.

And according to the passage from "Kohelet Rabba", God warns, if humans do not care for the land, there is not going to be a replacement.

Another concept that gets spoken about is this idea of not wasting.

Or in Hebrew is known as Bal tashchit, not to waste.

Now, this comes from a verse in Deuteronomy.

"When you go to war, do not cut down the fruit trees.

"You are not allowed.

"You are allowed to eat from those trees, "but you shall not cut them down." What this verse in Deuteronomy is teaching is that, one shouldn't be wasteful with the trees that are able to produce food.

We shouldn't waste them for no reason.

And it's clear here that even.

That the Torah is saying that even if you go to war, right? So, a person or a nation is going out and has to fight.

One shouldn't ruin things just for the sake of ruining them.

Now, this idea gets passed down throughout the Rabbis and generations, to teach the laws of not being wasteful.

This can be seen even clearer in a passage from a book called "Sefer HaChinuch".

"Sefer HaChinuch" was written by an anonymous author in 13th century Spain.

The purpose of the book was to discuss all 613 mitzvot.

It's one of the books that lists all, what are the 613, and then discusses what do they actually mean? How does one fill them? So, the "Sefer HaChinuch" writes.

"The root of the mitzvot of 'do not waste', "is to teach the soul to love what is good and cling to it.

"They will not even waste "a single mustard seed in the world, "and feel pain when they see things going to waste.

"And if they're able to save something, "they will do everything they can." So, "Sefer HaChinuch" is saying that not being wasteful, one is a commandment, it's one of the 613 mitzvot.

That, the goal of this is actually broader than not wasting what one has, but it's actually to teach the soul, what is good.

And then the "Sefer HaChinuch" gives an example of those who have really encompassed this mitzvot and brought it into themselves, will actually feel pain if they're wasting anything.

So much so if they'll waste a tiny little mustard seed.

Mustard seeds are really, really itty-bitty.

And these people who are able to really encompass this mitzvot in their lives, they're going to say, if they're able to save something they are going to do so.

They're going to look at the world and their belongings and use everything to its full capacity so that nothing should go to waste.

I'd like you to pause the video to complete the following task.

Complete the explanations below.

Look at the following text.

"When you go to war.

do not cut down the fruit trees.

"you are allowed to eat from those trees, "but you shall not cut them down.

." This verse says.

It teaches that a Jewish person.

And the Rabbis later teach.

So, press pause to complete this task, and press play when you're ready to begin again.

Let's look at an answer together.

This verse teaches, that one should not destroy fruit trees for no reason.

It teaches that a Jewish person should not waste.

The Rabbis later teach, that the root of 'do not waste' is to teach the soul to love, one should try not to even waste a mustard seed.

You did a wonderful job today.

We learned a number of ideas of Jewish texts and Jewish thoughts, around caring for the environment.

From the ideas of, Jewish holidays and their connection to the harvest season.

To, what does stopping and having a Sabbatical or a Shabbat do for ourselves and for the land.

To the commandment that God made to Adam, that he is meant to not destroy the world, and that we're never going to get another world, or looking at a commandment from Deuteronomy, saying that one shouldn't waste.

And that is part of many Jewish people's lives.

I'd like you to take a moment and write down three things that you learned today.

Try to share that with a parent, or carer, or friend, or teacher.

And don't forget to take the end of the lesson quiz.

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I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day and happy learning.