Passover and Vegetarianism and Veganism
Passover and vegetarianism and veganism (veg*ism henceforth)? Can they be related? After all, what is a seder without gefilte fish, chicken soup, chopped liver, chicken, and other meats? And what about the shankbone to commemorate the paschal sacrifice. And doesn't Jewish law mandate that Jews eat meat to rejoice on Passover and other Jewish festivals? Yet, an increasing number of Jews are turning to veg*ism and they are finding ways to celebrate veg*an Passovers while being consistent with Jewish teachings.
Contrary to a common perception, ...
Applying Passover Messages Can Help Heal Our Imperiled Planet
There are many Passover-related messages that can be applied to help shift our imperiled planet onto a sustainable path:
1. Today’s environmental threats can be compared in many ways to the Biblical ten plagues:
* When we consider the threats to our land, water, and air, we can easily enumerate ten modern “plagues”. For example: (1) climate change; (2) depletion of the ozone layer; (3) destruction of tropical rain forests; (4) acid rain; (5) soil erosion and depletion; (6) loss of biodiversity; (7) water pollution; (8) air pollution; (9) an increase of ...
Jewish Environmental Teachings Useful for an “Environmental Shabbat”
This year, Earth Day (April 22) falls on a Saturday, providing an excellent opportunity to turn the day into an “Environmental Shabbat.” I am working with others to encourage rabbis all over the world to give sermons and/or classes on that day about Judaism’s splendid environmental teachings and how they can be applied to reduce current environmental threats.
Many relevant Jewish environmental teachings are presented below, but first here are some factors related to the planned Environmental Shabbat.
A list of ...
A Vegan View of the Biblical Animal Sacrifices
“Now we come to the great embarrassment.” Those were the opening words of a sermon delivered years ago by an assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Staten Island, referring to the biblical animal sacrifices discussed in Parshat Vayikra (Leviticus).
In his book, Jewish Law as Rebellion: A Plea for Religious Authenticity and Halachic Courage, Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Dean of the David Cardozo Academy, states: “Does Judaism really need animal sacrifices? Would it not be better off without them? After all, the sacrificial cult compromises Judaism. What does a ...
Freeing Ourselves at Passover From Diets That Harm Us and the Planet
Many Jews commendably go to extraordinary lengths before and during Passover to avoid certain foods, in keeping with Torah mitzvot. But at the same time, many continue eating other foods that, by Torah standards, are hardly ideal.
On Passover, Jews are prohibited from eating, owning, or otherwise benefiting from chometz, foods such as breads, cakes, and cereals, that are made from one of the five grains (wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats) that ferment from contact with liquid. These prohibitions are based on several Torah verses and are ...
Purim and Veganism
The joyous festival of Purim shares many connections with veganism.
According to the Talmud (Megilla 13a), Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, refrained from eating meat while she lived in the palace of King Achashveriosh. She was thus able to avoid violating the kosher dietary laws while keeping her Jewish identity secret.
During Purim it is a mitzvah to give mat’not evyonim (charity to poor people). In contrast to these acts of sharing and compassion, animal-based diets involve the feeding of ...
IS THE TREE OF THE FIELD HUMAN? Exploring the holy paradox at the heart of Bal Tashchit
Are we to avoid needless waste to protect our own personal interests, or to protect nature for its own sake?
The Fruits of Our Labor
Some trees take a very long time to bear fruit. Some things that we do will take a very long time to make a difference. We may spend a lifetime working towards results we will never see. And yet we still need to work toward them.
Everything you need to know about Tu B’Shvat
by Richard Schwartz
8 articles about Tu B'Shvat:
1. Why Is This Night Different: Thoughts on Tu B’Shvat
2. Tu B'Shvat and Vegetarianism and Veganism
3. Preserving the Sacred Environment: A Religious Imperative – A Tu B'Shvat Message
4. Lessons From Trees: a Tu B'Shvat Message
5. Celebrating Tu B'Shvat as if Environmental Sustainability Matters
6. Lessons From Trees that Can Help Heal Our Imperiled Planet
7. For Tu B'i'Shvat: 36 Jewish Quotations About Trees
8. Questions That Can Be Considered At a Tu B’Shvat Seder
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An Open Letter To Rabbis About Climate Threats
Shalom Rabbi,
Over my 88 years, I have had many positive interactions with rabbis. I have been impressed with their inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness, and openness to new ways to interpret and understand our Jewish scriptures. It is because of these and other positive attributes that I have written this open letter appealing to you and other rabbis to come out very strongly against a very common practice in the Jewish community (and others) that violates basic Jewish teachings and is the main reason the world is rapidly approaching a climate catastrophe.
...
Should Jews Be Eating Meat Today? A Book Review
Israeli Rabbi Asa Keisar is on a mission. He wants to increase awareness of Jewish teachings about compassion for animals and how far the realities for animals on modern, intensive factory farms are from these teachings. To accomplish this, he has given away about 35,000 complimentary copies of the Hebrew version of his book, Before the Blind, mostly to students at yeshivas and other schools throughout Israel. Now the book has been published in English and Rabbi Keisar is continuing his efforts to get his book to as many people as possible. He is considered by many as ...
Chanukah and Plant-based Diets
By Richard Schwartz
Many connections can be made between vegetarianism and veganism (henceforth veg*ism) and the Jewish festival of Chanukah:
1. According to the Book of Maccabees, the Maccabees lived on plant foods since they were unable to get kosher meat when they hid in the mountains to avoid capture.
2. The foods associated with Chanukah, latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried donuts) are vegetarian foods (and would be vegan foods if egg substitutes were used), and the oils that are used in their preparation are a reminder ...
How a Climate Catastrophe Can Be Averted
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented climate catastrophe, so severe that all of human life would be very negatively affected and possibly even eliminated before the end of this century, unless major positive changes soon occur.
This article discusses why the situation is so serious and then the one possibility of averting the catastrophe and shifting our imperiled planet onto a sustainable path.
Climate groups have been issuing increasingly dire warnings of the ...
Why Jews Should Not Support Republicans in the US Midterm Elections
There are many reasons why Jews should not support Republican candidates in the potentially very consequential US midterm elections. They include:
1. Republican politicians have become like a cult, supporting former President Trump’s “big lie” that he won the 2020 presidential election and his many other lies, misrepresentations, and conspiracy theories. They contend that Trump won despite the very strong evidence to the contrary, including: (1) all of the pre-election polls, including those conducted by Fox News, showed Joe Biden with major leads, (2) ...
Can Climate Change Be a Decisive Issue for Democrats in the US Midterms?
The many very severe climate events this summer and the increasingly dire warnings of climate experts have made people more aware of the seriousness of climate threats. Yet, polls have shown that the climate issue is way down on the list of people’s concerns when deciding how to vote in the midterm elections.
The Democrats can gain greatly in these very consequential elections by emphasizing the seriousness of climate threats and why they are likely to soon become far worse and the potential harm if Republicans regain power due to ...
Do Republicans Support the Truth or Donald Trump?
Most Republicans running for office in the US midterms are claiming that Donald Trump won the US 2020 presidential election, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And many other Republicans who may not believe that big lie are supporting politicians who do. Trump constantly repeats his assertion that he won the election and polls indicate that about 70 percent of Republicans believe him.
Democrats running for office can gain significantly by asking their opponents whether or not they believe that Trump won by a landslide, as he has ...
Earth Etude for Rosh Hashanah: 5783
by Rabbi Katy Allen
The Eternal came down in a cloud. וַיֵּרֶד ה’ בֶּֽעָנָן (Ex. 34:5)
Clouds,
you change,
from minute to minute,
from day to day,
from season to season,
from year to year,
growing,
shrinking,
even sometimes seeming to disappear,
doing whatever is necessary,
whatever is needed,
to fit the conditions,
never losing your key identity,
as a cloud.
In this new year, may we find what is needed
...
Earth Etude for Elul 29: Chasing Sunrise
by Sarah Chandler
The rolling fog
Invites me
To stretch my neck
To peek at a new perspective
It’s
Not quite bright enough
To squint
~
My eyes wide across the valley
Trying not to wait
For something else to be
~
Just when I think
My orientation is eastward
The clouds above the mountain
Tickle the sky
Spreading north across the orange glow
These trees form a frame
Filled with smaller frames
So that each frame of light
Can shine through
On me
~
It’s the light in front of me
That allows me to ...
Earth Etude for Elul 28: When One Door Closes, Another Opens
by Joan Rachin
Like many of a certain age, my husband and I had decided to downsize, but unlike many others, ours was less a choice and more a necessity following his stroke two+ years ago. We loved our town, neighborhood, and street and had been making plans to “age in place” before life intervened.
As I began to survey the overwhelming task ahead, it was clear that my obsession with helping preserve what pristineness remained in nature had become disconnected from my personal behavior of “littering” our home. My husband gently commented that the books ...