Rosh Hashanah Day I 5768 (2007) “The Original Earth Day”

Rosh Hashanah Day I 5768 (2007)

“The Original Earth Day”

Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan, Congregation Beth Israel, Chico, CA

There was once a Jewish fellow who didn’t own a watch. Whenever he wanted to know the time, he would ask a coworker. Finally someone snapped at him, “Why don’t you buy a watch?” “Why should I, when I can just ask?” “Well,” retorted the coworker, “what do you do in the middle of the night?” “I use a shofar!” “A shofar!” “Yes. Whenever I want to know the time, I go to the window, I blow the Shofar, and all my neighbors start yelling, ‘What are you doing? It’s two in the morning!’”

Rosh Hashanah is the day that we blow the Shofar and awaken ourselves to improve our world. Rosh Hashanah is different from most Jewish holidays. Its does not commemorate any event in Jewish history. It is not about the Exodus from Egypt, like Passover, or the dedication of the Temple, like Hanukkah. Rather, Rosh Hashanah has a universal theme: it commemorates the creation of humanity, and is called, Yom Harat ‘Olam, “The Birthday of the World.” The blasts of the shofar are likened by some to the cries of a new-born baby, a new born world. This is considered a day of judgment for all mankind. The Alenu prayer that we say at the end of every service first originated on Rosh Hashanah. Its theme is universal; we pray “l’takken ‘olam bemalchut shadai,” to repair the whole world as the kingdom of the Almighty.”

Yom Harat ‘Olam-the birthday of the world. With its universal themes and concern for the entire planet, Rosh Hashanah could be considered the original Earth Day. According to ancient Jewish tradition, this is the anniversary of the day on which the first human beings were created. The first man in the Bible is called “Adam,” from the word, “Adamah,” or earth. Human beings are intimately connected with the earth and the planet. In Rabbi Arthur Waskow’s felicitous translation, the Adam, “human being,” is shaped from the “humus” of the ground. While some have pointed to the commandment in Genesis to “fulfill the earth and subdue it” as a license to exploit the earth, authentic Jewish tradition sees it quite differently. Indeed, Adam and his wife Havah, meaning, “mother of the living,” are designated as stewards in the Garden of Eden, representing pristine nature. According to an ancient Midrash, G-d shows Adam and Eve the natural beauties of the Garden, and then says, “take good care of my world and do not mess it up, because it’s the only one you are going to receive.”

The Torah contains two types of commandments, “Mitzvoth she-beyn Adam la-Makom,” mitzvoth between a person and G-d, and “Mitzvoth she-beyn Adam la-chavero,” commandments between one person and another. To these I would add a third category, mitzvoth between a person and the planet. In fact, tradition already recognizes these. From the book of Deuteronomy, we have the mitzvah of “Bal Tashchit,” that one must not destroy fruit trees, even when laying siege to a city. This mitzvah was greatly expanded in later Jewish law to mean that it is forbidden to be wasteful in any way. The book of Leviticus has the laws of the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee, in which the land was allowed to lie fallow and nature and human freedom were restored. The second section of the Shema, v’haya im shamo’a, warns us that failing to live in harmony with divine law will result in climate change and our exile and alienation from nature, but that living in harmony with divine law will result in long days upon the earth.

Shomrei Adamah, meaning “Guardians of the Earth,” a Washington, D.C. area Jewish environmental group, notes 10 modern-day plagues that human beings have perpetrated upon the planet: water pollution, air pollution, toxic pesticides and agricultural chemicals, other toxic chemicals, acid rain, ozone destruction, soil erosion, deforestation, loss of biological diversity and destruction of habitat, and finally, the overarching issue of global climate change or what Rabbi Waskow calls “global scorching.”

So what is the Jewish way-and the human way-to respond to this man-made crisis? The Coalition for the Environment and Jewish Life set up the following principles to address the issues of climate change and pollution: we must recognize our responsibilities to future generations, honor the integrity of all Creation, strive for a more equitable distribution of responsibility, protect the vulnerable, and work vigorously toward national energy independence. While developing nations such as China are big polluters as well, our own national economy is “highly dependent on fossil fuel use that has affected the entire globe and must therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a manner which accounts for its share of the problem.” We must also recognize that the poorest people of the earth are often the most vulnerable to the dire effects of climate change, as we saw in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The hopeful note is that people seem to be slowly awakening to our responsibility to steward the earth for coming generations. But are we doing too little, too late?

Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Philadelphia-based Shalom Center has pioneered the Green Menorah program and asked congregations to sign on. Rabbi Waskow writes that “The ancient Temple Menorah was a Tree of Light, symbolizing the unity of nature’s “tree” with the “light” of human spiritual and ethical search, and calling us to reunite them. The Menorah also echoes the ancient Hanukkah tale in which one day’s worth of oil-energy-met 8 days needs. That sets a target for radical conservation and using sustainable sources of energy.” We must respond on two levels: on the personal level of our own lifestyles and on the policy level for our nation. The 7 branches of the Green Menorah stand for “the earthy experience of household and congregational change,” while the 7 lights “correspond to outreach and advocacy for policy change, as the Jewish tradition teaches that the Hanukkah lights are intended to proclaim the miracle of change in a public way.” The seven paths of the green menorah are: taxing ourselves for carbon-emitting energy in order to support the growth of sustainable energy, supporting low-carbon energy sources such as solar power and using energy efficient light bulbs and appliances, green building and building improvements, greener transportation, responsible land use, wisdom and education (including greener life cycle events), and the observance of Shabbat and restful time as ways to use less carbon-emitting energy.

Another relevant Jewish concept is “Eco-Kashrut,” a term coined by,Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi to describe the expansion of kosher laws beyond mere dietary rules to a greater awareness of ethical consumption. The Conservative movement is pioneering the use of the “hekhsher-tzedek,” a new “kosher” “certificate of righteousness” that will indicate that the food certified was produced under conditions that include fair wages and benefits, health and safety, training, corporate transparency, animal welfare, and environmental impact.” The “Jew and the Carrot” Eco-Kosher website gets about 300,000 hits a month from people wanting to learn about the “new Jewish food movement.” (I have asked our webmaster to put links to this and the Shalom Center Green Menorah onto our CBI website).

Our own congregation has begun to respond to environmental issues through our Social Action committee under the leadership of Al Abrams. Al and Sandy have long been committed to the environment in their business and personal lives, and Al spearheaded a resolution, adopted by our board, for CBI to become a “Green Congregation.” This Green Congregation policy includes reducing waste, greening our building and transportation, recycling, educating our members and responding to environmental issues. People are encouraged to reduce their “carbon footprints” and make a tzedakah offering to offset them. One of our first activities has been a comprehensive recycling program started by Bat Mitzvah Shaelyn Howard and her mother Laurie. We have also installed a bike rack and will soon have new energy efficient windows. We have cut back on the use of disposable cups for Kiddush. Although it’s not a congregational policy, hybrid vehicles seem to be the new car of choice among our members. We have long had a number of conservationists, organic gardeners, birders, campers, and bicyclists among our membership. On a totally different note, our new Jewish cemetery section at Skyway memorial will allow us to conduct greener burials when we are 120. These are all modest steps, but they are a good beginning.

Many CBI members are involved in environmental issues. CBI board member Irv Schiffman is a local environmental leader in his chairmanship of River Partners, an organization that restores local riparian habitats. Our younger generation is leading the way toward a more sustainable future. We are happy to welcome new members Amy and Jeremy Miller. Amy is Sustainability coordinator for associated students, and Jeremy, who is leading our youth camping trip, writes a Sustainable Chico blog for the ER and is an educator and grant writer for the Chico Community Environmental Gardens. Young adults who grew up in our congregation are pursuing environmental careers: Aaron Halimi has started a company that offers sustainable green development, and Ari Frankel is pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Urban Real Estate. Michael Leitner and daughter Arielle Leitner are environmental leaders at Chico State, and active in the area of encouraging bike transportation. I’m sure that many other members are involved in environmental causes and Al Abrams and I would appreciate knowing what you do so that you can share your expertise with our community. I would personally like to recommend joining groups like the Sierra Club that not only lobby for environmental laws, but also encourage appreciation and enjoyment of our natural wonders.

Living in a setting like Northern California, we know that protecting the environment is not just about fighting destruction. It is essentially about preserving and caring for the spectacular beauties and wonders of God’s creation that surround us so that people can enjoy them for generations to come. Last Rosh Hashanah we spoke of the spiritual sense of wonder and awe that are at the heart of the conservationist spirit. It’s just not a liberal or conservative issue. Think about it-what can be more conservative than conserving the very planet G-d gave us? Environmentalism has crossed party and religious lines as some evangelical Christian groups have taken on the issue in the name of stewardship of G-d’s creation. This is an issue that should unite all religions and all people.

Locally, CSU Chico has made Sustainability one of its top priorities and aims to be a flagship school in this area. There will be a Sustainability Conference the first weekend in November, during which I will participate in a panel discussion on Religion and Sustainability along with Christian, Buddhist and Native American speakers. Irv Schiffman, Michael and Arielle Leitner, and Amy Miller will also speak at the conference.

All of this growing awareness is heartening, but we must not become complacent because we use a recycling bin or a cloth shopping bag. These are good steps that do add up, but only first steps in the right direction. Modern issues such as destructions of ecosystems and climate change have made the ethical category of “shemirat ha’adamah-caring for the earth,” into a matter of “piku’ach nefesh,” an urgent need to save lives. The Pirke Avot tell us, “lo alekha ha-melacha ligmor ve-lo atah ben horin lehibatel mimena,” it is not up to you to complete the whole work, but neither are you free to desist from it. We need to work for environmental improvement on the individual, congregational, and public policy level. It is up to each and every one of us to become “shomrei adamah,” guardians and stewards of the planet for future generations. Responsibility for the future vitality of our planet is inherent in the message of Rosh Hashanah…the original Earth Day.