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Earth Etude for Elul 22 – The Wonder of Life
by Maggid David Arfa~
If I had influence with the good fairy... I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life. --Rachel Carson, Women’s Home Companion Magazine 1956
Awareness of a mystery is shared by all..., yet, as we have seen they usually mistake what they sense as being apart from their own existence, as if there was only wonder in what they see, not in the very act of seeing, as if the mystery were merely an act of observation….The mystery is not apart from ourselves, not a far ...
Rosh Hashanah Message: Is God’s ‘Very Good’ World Approaching an Unprecedented Climate Catastrophe?
Richard H. Schwartz
Rosh Hashanah commemorates God’s creation of the world. The “Ten Days of Repentance” from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur is a period to evaluate our deeds and to do teshuvah (repentance) for cases where we have missed the mark. Sukkot is a holiday in which we leave our fine houses and live in temporary shelters (sukkahs) to commemorate our ancestors journey in the wilderness. Hence, the upcoming weeks provide an excellent time to consider ...
Earth Etude for Elul 21 – Eco-Kaddish
By Judith Felsen, Ph.D.~
Master of the Universe, Lord of All Worlds
May I know You
when I see a tree
feel the wind
gaze at stars
touch the ground
smile at flowers
May I see You
in all cycles of life
through and around me
May I sense You
with every breath
footstep, touch, thought and feeling
knowing You are near
and we are always One.
This Elul
may I join with You
becoming One
in nature’s presence
never to leave.
© Judith Felsen, Ph.D.
Judith Felsen holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, certificates in ...
Inconsistencies Between Animal-Based Diets and Rosh Hashanah-Related Teachings
Rosh Hashanah is the time when Jews take stock of their lives and consider new beginnings. Perhaps the most significant and meaningful change that Jews should consider this year is a shift away from diets that have been having devastating effects on human health and the health of our increasingly imperiled planet. While many Jews seem to feel that the holiday's celebration can be enhanced by the
consumption of chopped liver, gefilte fish, chicken soup, and roast chicken, there are many inconsistencies between the values of Rosh Hashanah and the realities of animal-cente...
Earth Etude for Elul 20 – In the Hands of Billionaires
by Mirele B. Goldsmith, Ph.D.~
Recently I had the opportunity to hear a presentation about the UN Sustainable Development Goals by Jeffrey Sachs, the world’s best-known economist. Sachs emphasized that poverty and climate change are interrelated. He focused on the financial cost of a “just transition” to a world of decent livelihoods and renewable energy for all. Sachs explained that the cost of this transition could easily be financed if the world’s 2,043 billionaires contributed a mere 3% of their annual income.
I find this analysis to be very encour...
Earth Etude for Elul 19 – Keeping Agreements as a Spiritual Practice
by Rabbi David Jaffe~
I am a people pleaser. On the surface that may sound just fine. I get along well with people, care about people and want to give them what they want. But the motivations for my people pleasing reveal its dark underside. I don’t like conflict, so I will do whatever is necessary to make sure people like me. For example, I will say yes to things I know I will never do, sacrificing my integrity to avoid the momentary discomfort and hard feelings of saying no.
I am not sharing this publicaly to self-flagellate. Rather, my own condition is ...
Earth Etude for Elul 18 – Searching for the Tree of Heaven
by Rachel Aronson~
Despite its nickname, “the tree of heaven,” the ailanthus is not universally beloved. It is not planted in garden beds, on streets, or in parks. There are 22 types of permitted street trees in New York City, where I live, and the Tree of Heaven is not one of them.
The Tree of Heaven is most famous for being the titular Tree that grows in Brooklyn:
“There's a tree that grows in Brooklyn. Some people call it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed falls, it makes a tree which struggles to reach the sky. It grows in boarded-up ...
Rosh Hashanah: A Time to Start Shifting Our Imperiled Planet Onto a Sustainable Path
Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of the creation of the world, is a good time to assess how we are doing in fulfilling our mandated role of being co-workers with God in preserving the environment.
When God created the world, He was able to say, "It is very good." (Genesis 1:31) Everything was in harmony as God had planned, the waters were clean, and the air was pure. But what must God think about the world today?
What must God think when the rain God provided to nourish our crops is often acid rain, due to the many chemicals emitted into the air by industries and ...
Earth Etude for Elul 17 – Spiritual Charity and the Tale of Two Seas
by Rabbi Ziona Zelazo~
This post emerged during a summer stay in Israel. I heard the story from my friend Dalia, about her nephew, who got killed in a terrorist attack. In his death he donated his organs to save lives. And so he already enabled a man to regain his vision with the donated retina. I was thinking how amazing it is to be able to give to others. But in particular, I was thinking that there is no one way to give to others. People can choose to be givers in many shapes and forms.
And here is another Israeli hint for the idea of giving:
There are two ...
Earth Etude for Elul 16 – Ram in the Bushes
by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen~
And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham;” and he said, “Hineni, here I am.” And he said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you.” (Gen. 22:1-2)
We are being tested.
But not by G!d.
We are being tested by the world in which we live.
We are being tested by the actions of humans past and present.
We are being tested by the changing ...
Earth Etude for Elul 15 – Wasting Food
by Scott Lewis, Ph.D.
~When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them, for you may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. (Deuteronomy 20:19)
The mitzvah of Bal Taschit, do not waste, helps frame Jewish environmental concerns. While most Jewish environmental activists recognize the importance of Bal Taschit for prohibiting wasting energy and polluting the earth, we might easily overlook the commandment’s important connections to Food Waste.
Our sages ...
An Acclaimed Documentary That Can Help Save the World”
Our planet is imperiled as perhaps never before by climate change and other environmental threats. It is urgent that steps be taken immediately to avoid the unprecedented catastrophe toward which the world is rapidly heading.
Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), now named Jewish Veg, has produced a major documentary about how Jewish teachings can help address current environmental crises.
While this one-hour documentary -- entitled "A SACRED DUTY: Applying Jewish Values To Help Heal the World" -- is especially suitable for synagogues, temples, JCCs, Jewish ...
Earth Etude for Elul 14 – Time to Rest
by Tali Anisfeld~
Night summoned day again this morning, and the dawn told me to rest. This surprised me. Isn’t it the setting sun – rather than its rising companion – that usually coaxes us into rest? But then again, maybe she was hinting at something about rest that comes with motion (the reach and stretch of the day), rather than with stillness (the hushed retreat of night).
It is time to rest; it is time to be awoken in prayer and to laugh with the tickling grasses. To climb and jump and run and let the sweat of your body mix with the rain of the ...
Earth Etude for Elul 13 – Displaced Trash
by Nicci Meadow
Misplaced anger
causes me to
displace trash
from where I find it
to another place
where it ought
not to be;
Then,
picturing it clearly,
startles me,
helping me to see
what I too
have become,
acting out unintentionally
or carelessly.
Not very Jewish or Buddhist
of me.
It's time for a change.
Nicci Meadow is a mother, artist-photographer, "do-gooder" and seeker. www.niccimeadow.com.
Earth Etude for Elul 12- Returning to Diversity
by Rabbi Michael Cohen~
The opening chapters of Genesis not only include the account of the creation of the earth but over and over tell us of the importance of diversity. All of creation is called "good," reminding us of the value of the multiplicity of the world that we live in. The text also teaches us, by describing everything that is created before humans as "good," that all things have intrinsic value in and of themselves beyond any value that we may place on them. Once humans are created, "very good" is the adjective applied by the text. An anthropocentric ...
Earth Etude for Elul 11 – The Shemittah Cycle
by Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin~
Do you know where this new year falls in the shemittah (seven-year) count? Or when the next shemittah year will be?
Even those of us who were deeply engaged in celebrating the last shemittah year may have difficulty remembering if it was 2 or 3 years ago. (It was 3 years ago – 5775, 2014-2015.) Yet shemittah, like Shabbat, is more than a slice of time. It is a presence, always with us. It is a practice, an attitude, a social, economic and spiritual ethic that guides our lives.
In the biblical era, this was evident, and the air of the ...
Earth Etude for Elul 10 – I Can Do Something
by Joan Rachlin~
I recently retired and have since been immersed in climate change related activities. I once heard it said that most working folk are "denatured," so one of my post-retirement goals has been to “renature.” With this kavannah in heart and mind, I have been trying to more actively appreciate the boundless gifts nature offers us daily.
Most specifically, I’ve begun to notice, appreciate, and more consistently support those who produce the food that sustains my family and me. Through the physical labor of farmers we are given the gift of nourishm...
Earth Etude for Elul 9 -Natural Awe and Artistic Representations
by Rabbi Steve Altarescu~
When we stood at Mt. Sinai, the mountain was described as ablaze with fire and the people heard the sound of God from out of the fire but did not see any form or shape.
We learn that since we experienced God without a form or shape it would be wrong for us to make a likeness, a resemblance of anything in nature. Why does Moses repeat this prohibition four times?
For the Torah there is power to an image, whether it be a sculpture, a painting or any other art form that stands in contrast to feeling the power of God.
For me, there is a ...
Earth Etude for Elul 8 – Where Are We Now?
by Rabbi Dorit Edut~
These narrow, dark cobblestone streets still echo with the click-click of many shoes, sandals, boots…. of the modern tourists, flamenco dancers and local yuppies who now populate these gentrifying neighborhoods where once there stood a Jewish ghetto – Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Granada… Small tiles with the words” Chai” in Hebrew or the Menorah symbol can be found scattered on the sidewalks. A Magen David is discovered above a balcony window, etched in the stone wall. The synagogues are now museums or churches or convents. Even ...
Earth Etude for Elul 5 – Where Are We Going
by Thea Iberall, Ph.D.
A while ago, I started writing a book that contained everything I had learned about love, life, Jewish ethics, and about making peace with the past. And I made up a science fiction world of bad things happening. And one day, my sister Norrie said, “You don’t have to make it up. There’s bad things happening already.” I asked what she meant. She sat me down in front of her computer screen and showed me some charts. How the carbon dioxide is rising and with it the temperature in the air and in the oceans. She showed me how the ...