JEWISH PERSPECTIVES ON CONSERVATION

By Joel Ban

Simplifying our lives through the appreciation of the natural world is one way we can fend off the constant messaging in our society to consume. At the same time, our lives are completely intertwined with nature, since the resources that sustain us are wholly derived from nature. Of course, we all must consume some natural resources, but its clear that we as a society have taken from nature too quickly, and in too large of quantities. We all must question consumption. This idea is not new, and is one that Judaism has a lot to say about. In Judaism, consumption is premised on the idea that g-d is responsible for all creation. This is why when Jews eat anything we are required to thank g-d for giving us this food. The Talmud explains that to fail to do this is akin to stealing.

At the same time Judaism stresses balance in life. The Sabbath is the day of rest, which means that on this day no “work” is to take place. Rest is defined with conservation principles in mind since all use of electricity or a car is prohibited. Any type of work, such as farming, that would transform the natural world is banned. Just like the one day we rest out of a seven-day week, every seventh year in Israel the fields are to lie fallow so that the earth may rest as well. Balance in terms of distribution of wealth requires Jews to leave a corner of their fields unharvested for the poor.

It is this balance that commands a certain level of restraint in terms of consumption. Passages of the Bible command such restraint and rabbinic commentators throughout time explained the practical effect of these commandments. The Bible states: “[the king] shall not keep many horses or send people to Egypt to add to his horses....And he shall not have many wives, lest his heart go astray; not shall he amass silver and gold to excess” (Deut. 17:16-17). The main biblical passage that formulates the basis of Jewish Law on consumption/conservation is the concept of bal tashchit. Bal Tashchit, Aramaic for “do no destroy”, is derived from Deuteronomy, and is thought by many to be the fundamental aspect of Judaism's concern for the environment. It states:

When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city? Only trees that you know do not yield food may be destroyed; you may cut them down for building siegeworks against the city that is waging war on you, until it has been reduced. (Deut. 20:19-20).

Some may think that this passage's relevance may be limited to times of war, which obviously does have modern implications, but the passage's main idea, wanton (wasteful or needless) destruction, is relevant to all usage of natural resources. According to this passage, trees are innocent bystanders during a time of war. More specifically, it is fruit bearing trees that are never to be destroyed.

The Jewish tradition is not strictly based on biblical text as later rabbinic commentators and philosophers expounded upon this text giving it a modern context. Among the giants of Judaic commentary, and among all medieval philosophers, was Moses Maimonides (commonly known as the Rambam), a 12th century Egyptian rabbi, philosopher, and physician. The Rambam interpreted the above passage concerning fruit trees as an outright prohibition of wanton destruction of natural resources. Highlighting the importance of bal tashchit during medieval times was the prohibition of covering an oil lamp because it would cause the lamp to burn less efficiently. Maimonides said that, "and not only trees, but whoever breaks vessels, tears clothing, wrecks that which is built up, stops fountains, or wastes food in a destructive manner, transgresses the commandment... ."

Clearly, these ideas have as much or more relevance today then they did in the past. For the wanton destruction or waste of natural resources not only environmentally degrades our communities and planet, but morally degrades our society as well. After all, how can we justify the extreme inequities in usage of resources, here in the U.S., as others in this country and throughout the world struggle to simply live, based on the barest levels of natural resource consumption. Our environmental crisis undoubtedly has a moral angle and it is for this reason that faith based initiatives are an important part of addressing this monumental problem. Judaism, as one faith, provides ample justification for conservation of scarce resources. It is this prohibition on wanton destruction that comprises the basis of Judaism's environmental ethic. Of course, the definition of “wanton” changes through time. We as a society realize that the need to conserve has never been greater then it is now, and so we realize what is wasteful now may not have been wasteful in the past. Certainly any form of needless waste should be prevented since efficient technologies have become widely prevalent, and also because it is a moral imperative to prevent such waste.

Joel Ban is a local solo-practice attorney representing local citizen and environmental groups in environmental and public records matters.