Rabbi's Blog

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The Torah tells us the earth is God’s wonderful creation and gift; scientists say it's the precious blue dot in the universe that is our home. Our mystical tradition reveres the earth as is the dwelling place and revelation of the Shechinah, the divine presence. This concept finds its parallel in modern Gaian philosophy, honoring the earth, Ha-Aretz הארץ as a living, sacred system.

The Torah calls the first person Adam, the human, because he was taken from Adamah, the soil. This teaches us that we are linked to the earth, a part of it and not a-part from it.

Although some people blame the biblical ethos for the idea that human beings are the masters of nature, in fact a closer look at the book of Genesis shows us that the Torah’s emphasis is on stewardship. Adam is put into the Garden of Eden and told le-ovdah, u-le-shomra, to serve and con-serve this wonderful garden. If we care for our planet, it can remain a garden of Eden, but exploiting it as if all its resources are mere commodities for our benefit could lead to our own destruction.

Therefore, each Shabbat we are to remember that God created the world. We take a weekly day of rest and are told to refrain from doing anything that exploits nature, but just to take a day to be, just to enjoy and treasure creation. You can call Shabbat the original Earth Day.

In the Midrash, God shows Adam all around the Garden of Eden and then gives him a warning not to mess it up: “Behold my works, how pleasant and how beautiful they are. And I created it all for you! Be aware and don’t ruin or destroy my world, for if you ruin it, there is no one to come and fix it up after you.” These words were shared some two millennia ago, but they are more relevant than ever. 

If you want to get involved in Jewish environmental activities, consider joining our Green Team led by SJC member Robert Weintraub from our Social Justice committee. You can also explore Adamah (formerly Hazon), a great Jewish environmental organization with whom we are partnering on our greening efforts. Another Jewish environmental I support is Tikkun Hayam, devoted to marine and beach conservation.

My photo from the fishing pier at Cape Henlopen State Park.