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Earth Etude for Elul 2: A Plan
by Judith Black
~When despair for my planet came ramming down my door, my heart, my hope, I stood crushed.
When despair entered my
bloodstream and resonated as cancer, I nodded toward death.
When despair began to drive
away friends, family, like a toxic odor, I kept belching it out.
Then Spring woke the earth.
It bloomed in every color imaginable. It smelt like the heaven of the very
good.
It started to grow cabbage
and weeds and insects and flowers. It lives.
If this mother of us all has
the resilience to wake up and give life, who am I to lose hope?
...
Earth Etude for Elul 1 — Of Happenstance and Wondering
by Rabbi Katy Allen
~ By happenstance of geography,
Eden--
gathering the fruits of the land
borne by dint of natural ecosystems,
ever-changing as the seasons progress--
is just a distant prehistoric memory
of Paradise.
From Eden straight into working the land we went--
by the sweat of your brow
you shall till the land.
No pauses with our new-found awareness
to experience
being fully integrated into the ecosystems
outside the gates of Gan Eden.
No longer were we part and parcel of Creation,
now we ...
Re-Turning, Turning Around, Turning Toward: What Does it Take?
by Rabbi Katy Allen
~ The Jewish month of Elul is almost here. It's meant as a beginning of our process of turning and re-turning and returning to G!d as we prepare for the most holy day of the year, Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. It is a time to turn away from that which is not good for us, others, and the world, and to turn toward healing, wisdom, blessing, and all that is good for us, others, and the world.
Common wisdom reminds us
that it requires 21 days - three weeks - of doing something in order to change.
Elul has 29 days. And then there are 10 more days ...
I want to invite you to BeLoved Shabbaton! Rosh Chodesh Elul Jerusalem Hills
B"H Shalom
I want to invite you to:
The FIRST EVER BELOVED SHABBATON: A Shabbaton Experience:
Celebrating SHABBAT & Commitment to the World!
Environmentally Friendly : Vegan : Wholesome : Halachic
Fresh Farm to Table
an Enchanting Shabbaton to reconnect to our Beloved.
a celebration of Eco Torah natural living, wellness, & sustainability
For Families, Individuals
Raw food foodies and vegan connoisseurs,
meditators
people who love praying, learning,
holistic natural living
Torah!
Learn Pray Sing Dance Meditate Eat Wholesome Holy Food Prepared ...
Rainbow Day is May 8-9 in 2021, in the week following Shabbat Behar-Bechukotai
Celebrate Rainbow Day and the Rainbow Covenant with all Life!
The first covenant in the Torah, when Noah leaves the ark, is a covenant with all creatures, and a covenant with the Earth itself, not just with humanity. There are so many ways you can teach about this covenant, the rainbow covenant, on the day it was established!
What is Rainbow Day?
On the 27th day of the second month, Noah, his family, and all the animals that were with them left the ark (Genesis 8). Exactly one lunar year and ten days before—one complete solar year—the flood began on ...
The Dead Sea Revival Project
Vision- Rehabilitation of the historical water flow to the Dead Sea from the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River.
Purpose
The Dead Sea Revival Project (DSRP) aims to become a leading NGO for environmental education and activism. We want to stimulate the growth of global support for “saving our water treasures” by exciting the imagination of individuals and groups.
About
The 'Dead Sea Revival Project has been recognized by CNN/VR, National Geographic, the Israeli mainstream news media in Hebrew and English, the Israeli Knesset’s “Committee for Saving the Dead ...
Changes necessary to Help Shift Our Imperiled Planet Onto a Sustainable Path
In a previous article, “What is the Main Cause of Climate Change” (http://jewcology.org/2019/01/capitalism-is-leading-the-world-to-a-climate-catastrophe/), I argued that capitalism’s need for continued growth and maximization of profits, with environmental considerations a secondary consideration, is leading the world toward a climate catastrophe. That we are on a very perilous path is indicated by the increasingly dire reports of climate experts and academies and by the increasing frequency and severity of heat waves, droughts, wildfires, storms, and ...
My six articles related to Tu Bishvat
My 6 articles related to Tu Bishvat are below. You can scroll down to read each one.
1. Why Is This Night Different?: Thoughts on Tu Bishvat
2. Preserving the Sacred Environment: A Religious Imperative – A Tu Bishvat Message
3. Lessons From Trees: a Tu Bishvat Message
4. Celebrating Tu Bishvat as if Environmental Sustainability Matters
5. For Tu Bishvat: 36 Jewish Quotations About Trees
6. Tu Bishvat and Veganism
(Suggestions very welcome)
1. Why Is This Night Different?: Thoughts on Tu Bishvat
One of the highlights of the Passover ...
Capitalism is leading the world to a climate catastrophe
It is becoming increasingly clear that the world is heading toward a climate catastrophe. Warnings from climate experts are becoming increasingly dire. Recently a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange by 91 of the world’s leading climate experts from 40 countries argued that the world has only until 2030 to make ‘unprecedented changes’ to avert frequent extreme climate events. The Bulletin of Climate Scientists argued that the IPCC report, as frightening as it is, was not sufficiently alarming, because it failed to give sufficient attention to the ...
Dvar Torah for parashat Sh’mot: Compassion to Animals – a Test for Leadership
Parshat Sh’mot begins the story of Moshe (Moses), the greatest Jewish leader, prophet, teacher, and inspiration. It is instructive and important to consider why he was deemed fit to lead the Jewish people. After all, when he was chosen, unlike other leaders, he was not a military hero or leader, a major legislator, or an eloquent speaker - actually he initially had difficulty speaking and he had to rely on his brother Aaron for help in communicating.
So why was he chosen? The following midrash, rabbinic commentary on the bible, provides some insight:...
Which Economic System Is Most Consistent With Judaism?
The pursuit of profit has led to the condition where the great treasures of natural resources are accumulated in the hands of the few individuals who, because of further profits, have brought to tens of millions of human beings pain, hunger and want. Does this not show clearly the wickedness of the present capitalist order, which is in glaring contradiction to the religious ethical tendencies of Judaism? ... The fight for Socialism is the fight for human liberation.... Moral rebirth and not mere economic reconstruction. The fight for Socialism ... must be firstly a fight ...
Climate Change: An Existential Threat to the U.S., Israel, and the World
The greatest threat to humanity today is climate change. The world is on a path that could lead to an uninhabitable world by the end of the century unless major changes soon occur. And it might happen much sooner because of self-reinforcing positive feedback loops (vicious cycles) that could result in an irreversible tipping point when climate change spins out of control.
An outrageous exaggeration, like those in the past that predicted an end to the world? Not according to science academies worldwide, 97% of climate scientists, and virtually all peer-reviewed papers on ...
Should Jews be Vegetarians: A Debate
This debate initially appeared in the Jerusalem Post on October 25, 1999, but it is still very relevant today.
====================
SHOULD JEWS BE VEGETARIANS? A DEBATE
(Richard H.Schwartz, PhD's debate with Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, which appeared years ago in the Jerusalem Report)
==========
Introduction:
In addition to its benefits for health, animals, and the environment, vegetarianism may be called for by some of Judaism's most cherished tenets. Is it time to reconsider our dietary traditions?
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, Rabbinic Coordinator of the Kashrut ...
Should Jews Be Vegetarians, or Even Vegans?
The consumption of meat and other animal products and the ways in which they are produced today conflict seriously with Judaism in at least six important areas:
While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, numerous scientific studies have linked animal-based diets directly to heart disease, strokes, many forms of cancer, and other life-threatening diseases.
2. While Judaism forbids tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, inflicting unnecessary pain on animals, most farm animals -- including those raised for kosher ...
The Huge Health Benefits of Vegetarian Diets
There is much evidence that vegetarian diets (and even more so vegan diets) have many health benefits and can reduce and in some cases reverse several life-threatening diseases.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly known as the American Dietetic Association, a valuable, respected source for health and nutrition information, states that, “well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, … are associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease, … [result in] lower low-density ...
Prevention: the Jewish Approach to Health
"Since maintaining a healthy and sound body is among the ways of
God . . . , one must avoid that which harms the body and
accustom oneself to that which is helpful and helps the body become
stronger." (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 4:1)
Contemporary western medicine has generally focused on the treatment of diseases, rather than on their prevention. Medical schools teach that prescription drugs are the most powerful tools doctors have for treating disease; diet and other lifestyle changes are seldom stressed as ...
A dozen links to reports and articles on climate threats and why shifts to vegan diets are essential to efforts to avert a climate catastrophe
1. Article by Richard Schwartz: Climate Change: An Existential Threat to the US, Israel, and the World
http://jewcology.org/2018/10/climate-change-an-existential-threat-to-the-u-s-israel-and-the-world/
2. Article about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s October 2018 warning :that the world has until 2030 to make major, unprecedented changes to avert catastrophic climate events by 2040
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/climate/ipcc-climate-report-2040.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
3. Report in November 2018 from ...
Chanukah and Moving Towards a Vegan (or Vegetarian) Diet
Jews can enhance their celebrations of the beautiful and spiritually meaningful holiday of Chanukah by making it a time to begin striving even harder to live up to Judaism's highest moral values and teachings by moving toward a vegan diet, or at least a vegetarian diet.
Here are eight reasons, one for each night of Chanukah:
1. Chanukah represents the triumph of non-conformity. The Maccabees stuck to their inner beliefs, rather than conforming to external pressure. They were willing to say: This I believe, this I stand for, this I am willing to struggle for. Today, ...
Vegan Connections to Chanukah
My article is co-authored with Daniel Brook, Ph.D.
Chanukah commemorates the single small container of pure olive oil — expected to be enough for only one day — which, according to the Talmud (Shabbat 21b), miraculously lasted for eight days in the rededicated Temple.
A switch to vegetarianism, and even more so veganism, would be using our wisdom and compassion to help inspire another great miracle: the end of the tragedy of world hunger, therefore ensuring the survival of tens of millions of people annually. Currently, from one-third to one-half of the ...
Chanukkah Chesed Challenge: Acts of Kindness
The evening of November 8 was the first of the month of Kislev, which means Chanukkah (there are many English spellings!) isn't far away - it begins on the 25th of Kislev and ends on the 2nd of the month of Tevet.
During these days, from today until the end of Chanukkah, I invite you to be part of the Chanukkah Chesed Challenge.
Chesed means "kindness," and the idea of the Chanukkah Chesed Challenge is to work consciously, every day, to do one act of chesed, or kindness, to someone you encounter throughout the day. This act should be something that does not ...