Judaism and the Environment: A Sampling of Texts

ByDavid Schwartz

Jewish Living

תהילים כ״ד:א׳

(א) לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר לַֽ֭יהוָה הָאָ֣רֶץ וּמְלוֹאָ֑הּ תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל וְיֹ֣שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ׃

Psalms 24:1

(1) Of David. A psalm. The earth is the LORD’s and all that it holds, the world and its inhabitants.

Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Psalms. There is a psalm for every day of the week, and this is the psalm for Sunday. This is also what we sing as we return the Torah to the Ark on holidays and on Shabbat afternoon at the Mincha service.
If the earth belongs to G-d, and we are just using it for a few decades, what does that say about our responsibility for taking care of the earth?

בראשית ב׳:ט״ו

(טו) וַיִּקַּ֛ח יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעָבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ׃

Genesis 2:15

(15) The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to work it and guard it.

Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Genesis, from the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
If humans are put on earth to both work the earth and to guard it, what does that say about how we can and cannot take resources from the earth?

קוהלת רבה ז׳:י״ג:א׳

בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נְטָלוֹ וְהֶחֱזִירוֹ עַל כָּל אִילָנֵי גַּן עֵדֶן, וְאָמַר לוֹ, רְאֵה מַעֲשַׂי כַּמָּה נָאִים וּמְשֻׁבָּחִין הֵן, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָאתִי בִּשְׁבִילְךָ בָּרָאתִי, תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹא תְקַלְקֵל וְתַחֲרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ אֵין מִי שֶׁיְתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ.

Kohelet Rabbah 7:13:1

When the Blessed Holy One created the first human, God took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: “Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! And all that I have created, it was for you that I created it. Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: if you corrupt it, there is no one to repair it after you.

Context: This is from Kohelet Rabbah, a book of Midrash commenting on the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet in Hebrew).
What does this text have to do with climate change?

דברים כ׳:י״ט

(יט) כִּֽי־תָצ֣וּר אֶל־עִיר֩ יָמִ֨ים רַבִּ֜ים לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם עָלֶ֣יהָ לְתָפְשָׂ֗הּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִ֤ית אֶת־עֵצָהּ֙ לִנְדֹּ֤חַ עָלָיו֙ גַּרְזֶ֔ן כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ תֹאכֵ֔ל וְאֹת֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִכְרֹ֑ת כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה לָבֹ֥א מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃

Deuteronomy 20:19

(19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Deuteronomy, in the part where it talks about how to behave if somebody is attacking you and you need to bring the war to an end.
This text talks about how we use the resource of trees. How can we extend this thinking to other resources, like renewable/non-renewable energy, water, and so on?