(טו) וַיִּקַּ֛ח ה' אֱ-לֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעָבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ׃
(15) Then G!d took the human being, and [G!d] placed [the human being] in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it.
Discussion Questions
a) What are the two verbs that the Torah uses to describe human beings' responsibility for the Garden of Eden?
b) What is the difference between these two verbs?
c) If you had to paint each of these verbs--using just one color each, what color would you choose for each?
(ב) ועוד הוסיף "לעבדה ולשמרה" שלא זכר בתחלה.
. . . .
והניחהו בה שיעבוד האדמה ההיא בנכוש ובעדור בירקות ובאילנות למאכלו, ולשמרה מחיות ומעופות כפי כחו . . .
(2) [The Torah] further adds "to work it and to guard it", because this was not mentioned at first.
And G!d placed the human there so that (s)he would work hard on the land--weeding and cultivating vegetables and trees for food, and guarding the land from animals and birds, to the best of the human's ability. . . .
Discussion Questions
a) How does the Radak explain the meaning of the two responsibilities of the human being in the Garden of Eden?
b) What can we learn from these two texts about our responsibilities for the Earth today?
The Stewardship Paradigm in the Torah Portion of Bereishit/Genesis
By Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
http://canfeinesharim.org/the-stewardship-paradigm-in-the-torah-portion-of-bereishitgenesis/
The first person is set in the Garden “to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15) The two Hebrew verbs used here are significant. The first– le’ovdah—literally means “to serve it.” The human being is thus both master and servant of nature. The second—leshomrah--means “to guard it.” This is the verb used in later biblical legislation to describe the responsibilities of a guardian of property that belongs to someone else. This guardian must exercise vigilance while protecting, and is personally liable for losses that occur through negligence. This is perhaps the best short definition of humanity’s responsibility for nature as the Bible conceives it.
Discussion Questions
a) Compare the commentary of Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks with that of Radak.
b) What do you notice about what Rabbi Sacks adds to his commentary?
c) What could it look like to teach our students about these Jewish responsibilities?
d) What could our students create that would demonstrate their own understandings of these responsibilities and would remind others of these responsibilities?
e) Where might we want to make this message more visible?
(א) ראה את מעשה הא-להים כי מי יוכל לתקן את אשר עותו - בשעה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את אדם הראשון, נטלו והחזירו על כל אילני גן עדן, ואמר לו: ראה מעשי כמה נאים ומשובחין הן, וכל מה שבראתי, בשבילך בראתי, תן דעתך שלא תקלקל ותחריב את עולמי, שאם קלקלת אין מי שיתקן אחריך. . . .
(1) Look at G!d's work - for who can straighten what G!d has twisted? (Ecclesiastes 7:13). When the Holy Blessed One created the first human being, G!d took and led the human around to all of the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to the human being: “Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! And all that I have created--for you I created it. Give attention that you do not ruin or destroy My world. For if you ruin it, there is no one who will repair it after you. . . .
Discussion Questions
a) How does this text connect with any of the above texts?
b) What other stories / movies / images (Jewish or not) capture aspects of this teaching?
כי הוו מיפטרי מהדדי א"ל ליברכן מר אמר ליה אמשול לך משל למה"ד לאדם שהיה הולך במדבר והיה רעב ועיף וצמא ומצא אילן שפירותיו מתוקין וצילו נאה ואמת המים עוברת תחתיו אכל מפירותיו ושתה ממימיו וישב בצילו וכשביקש לילך אמר אילן אילן במה אברכך אם אומר לך שיהו פירותיך מתוקין הרי פירותיך מתוקין שיהא צילך נאה הרי צילך נאה שתהא אמת המים עוברת תחתיך הרי אמת המים עוברת תחתיך אלא יהי רצון שכל נטיעות שנוטעין ממך
When they were about to part, [R" Nahman] said: Please, Rabbi, bless me. [R" Yitzhak] replied: Let me tell you a parable — To what may this be compared? To a person who was journeying in the wilderness; s/he was hungry, weary, and thirsty and s/he found a tree, the fruits of which were sweet, the shade of which pleasant, and which had a stream of water flowing beneath it. The person ate of its fruits, drank of the water, and rested under its shade. When s/he was about to leave s/he said:
Tree, oh tree, with what shall I bless you?
Shall I say to you, ‘May your fruits be
sweet’? They are sweet already; that your
shade be pleasant? It is already pleasant;
that a stream of water may flow beneath
you? Look, a stream of water flows
already beneath you; therefore [I say],
‘May it be God's will that all your shoots
יהיו כמותך אף אתה במה אברכך אם בתורה הרי תורה אם בעושר הרי עושר אם בבנים הרי בנים אלא יהי רצון שיהו צאצאי מעיך כמותך:
shall be just like you. So too you - with
what shall I bless you. If with Torah - you
already know Torah! If with wealth - you
already have wealth! If with children -
you already have children! Rather, may it
be God's will that your descendants shall
be like you.
Discussion Questions
a) What is your favorite tree? In what ways do you resemble this tree?
b) What emotions do you see in this text?
c) How emotionally connected do you feel to this text in comparison to others you have studied here? What do you feel in studying this text?
d) How does reading this as a text about environmentalism miss the point?
e) In what ways does this text carry a strong environmentalist message?
f) Imagine expanding this and staging it as a short 1-act play.
>What characters would you want to cast?
>In what kinds of settings might you choose to stage it?
>How might you dress the characters?
>How would you direct the actors playing each part?
The Diary of Anne Frank
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and G!d. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that G!d wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
Discussion Questions
a) What emotions do you see represented in this text?
b) What is Anne Frank's advice? What is particularly striking about this advice coming from her?
c) Which of the emotions mentioned in this text have you experienced this week? Under what circumstances? Which have you seen in your students?
d) How emotionally connected do you feel to this text in comparison to others you have studied here? What do you feel in studying this text?
e) How does reading this as a text about environmentalism miss the point?
f) In what ways does this text carry a strong environmentalist message?
g) If you had to teach the message of this text without quoting any of the words from this text, would you prefer to teach it through music / song, play-acting, or graphic arts?
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone;
may it be my custom to go outdoors each day
among the trees and grass--among all growing things--and there may I be alone,
and enter into prayer, to talk to with the One to whom I belong.
May I express there everything in my heart, and may all the foliage of the field--
all grasses, trees, and plants--awake at my coming, to send the powers of their life
into the words of my prayer so that my prayer and speech are made whole
through the spirit of all growing things, which are made as one by their transcendent Source.
May I then pour out the words of my heart before your Presence like water, O G!d,
and lift up my hands to You in worship, on my behalf and that of my children!
- as translated by Rabbi Shamai Kanter
Discussion Questions
a) Describe how you felt as you read this text.
b) Often we think of prayers as falling into one of three categories--Praise / Request / Gratitude. Which category best fits this prayer? If you could use just one word to describe the purpose of this prayer what word would you use?
c) How emotionally connected do you feel to this text in comparison to others you have studied here? What do you feel in studying this text?
d) How does reading this as a text about environmentalism miss the point?
e) In what ways does this text carry a strong environmentalist message?
f) If you had to teach the message of this text without quoting any of the words from this text, would you prefer to teach it through music / song, play-acting, or graphic arts?
(ג) . . . .
אר"ש בן יוחאי: שלושה דברים שקולין זה כזה, ואלו הן: ארץ; ואדם; ומטר. אמר רבי לוי בר חייא: ושלושתן מג' אותיות, ללמדך שאם אין ארץ אין מטר, ואם אין מטר אין ארץ, ואם אין שניהם אין אדם:
. . . .
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said:
Three things are equal in importance--land, humanity, and rain. Rabbi Levi bar Hiyya said: and the three of them each have three letters, to teach you that if there is no land, then there is no rain, and if there is no rain there is no land, and without either of them there is no humanity.
Discussion Questions
a) What, specifically, about each of these three things is important? Take 45 seconds to brainstorm as many ways as you can that each of these things is important.
b) Compare and contrast your lists of "importances" for each of these three things.
c) Which was the easiest one to brainstorm for and which was most challenging?
f) If you had to teach the message of this text without any words from this text, would you prefer to teach it through music, mime, graphic arts, drama / team building games, some other way?