קהלת רבה פרשה ז
בשעה שברא הקב”ה 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
Midrash Kohelet Raba 7:28:
When the Holy One of Blessing created the first human He took him and showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him ‘See My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. And everything that I created, I created it for you. Be careful not to spoil or destroy My world – for if you do, there will be nobody after you to repair it.’
According to this text, what did God do with Adam?
What is the message of the text?
What contemporary practices would this text criticize?
Before reading this, did you think those practices were okay from a Jewish perspective? Why/why not?
(ג) רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן רַבִּי סִימוֹן פָּתַח (דברים יג, ה): אַחֲרֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם תֵּלֵכוּ, וְכִי אֶפְשָׁר לְבָשָׂר וָדָם לַהֲלֹךְ אַחַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אוֹתוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בּוֹ (תהלים עז, כ): בַּיָּם דַּרְכֶּךָ וּשְׁבִילְךָ בְּמַיִם רַבִּים, וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר אַחֲרֵי ה' תֵּלֵכוּ. וּבוֹ תִדְבָּקוּן, וְכִי אֶפְשָׁר לְבָשָׂר וָדָם לַעֲלוֹת לַשָּׁמַיִם לְהִדָּבֵק בַּשְׁכִינָה, אוֹתוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בוֹ (דברים ד, כד): כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה, וּכְתִיב (דניאל ז, ט): כָּרְסְיֵהּ שְׁבִיבִין דִּי-נוּר, וּכְתִיב (דניאל ז, י): נְהַר דִּי-נוּר נָגֵד וְנָפֵק מִן קֳדָמוֹהִי, וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר וּבוֹ תִדְבָּקוּן, אֶלָּא מִתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם לֹא נִתְעַסֵּק הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶלָּא בְּמַטָּע תְּחִלָּה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (בראשית ב, ח): וַיִּטַּע ה' אֱלֹהִים גַּן בְּעֵדֶן, אַף אַתֶּם כְּשֶׁנִכְנָסִין לָאָרֶץ לֹא תִתְעַסְּקוּ אֶלָּא בְּמַטָּע תְּחִלָּה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם.
(3) Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon began: “You shall follow the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 13:5). Is it possible for flesh and blood to follow the Holy One blessed be He? The one in whose regard it is written: “Your way was through the sea, Your path through the mighty waters” (Psalms 77:20). And you say: “You shall follow the Lord”? “And you shall cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:5). Is it possible for flesh and blood to ascend heavenward and cleave to the Divine Presence? The one in whose regard it is written: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24), and it is written: “His throne was sparks of fire” (Daniel 7:9), and it is written: “A river of fire flowed and emerged from before Him” (Daniel 7:10). And you say: “And you shall cleave to Him”? Rather, from the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One blessed be He engaged only in planting first. That is what is written: “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden” (Genesis 2:8). You, too, when you enter the land, engage only in planting first. That is what is written: “When you will come into the land and plant.”
According to this text, how can we imitate God?
Why does this text identify planting as what God does?
(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׃ (כ) רַ֞ק עֵ֣ץ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדַ֗ע כִּֽי־לֹא־עֵ֤ץ מַאֲכָל֙ ה֔וּא אֹת֥וֹ תַשְׁחִ֖ית וְכָרָ֑תָּ וּבָנִ֣יתָ מָצ֗וֹר עַל־הָעִיר֙ אֲשֶׁר־הִ֨וא עֹשָׂ֧ה עִמְּךָ֛ מִלְחָמָ֖ה עַ֥ד רִדְתָּֽהּ׃ (פ)
(19) When you siege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by lifting an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that you would attack it? (20) Only those trees which you know are not fruit-bearing trees, those trees you may destroy and cut down, so you may build bulwarks against the city that you are fighting, until it falls.
What situation is being described and what is the rule?
What trees may be cut down and for what purpose?
What trees may not be cut down?
If this text teaches us a deeper principal, what is that principal and what would other applications be?
Rashi on Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 67B
נפט - כשמגלין אותו האור הולך ונמשך אליו ומבעיר.
Rav Zutra says, One who covers an oil lamp, or uncovers a naphtha lamp has violated ba'al taschit.
Rashi: doing either of these things causes the oil or naptha to burn faster and therefore uses up more fuel than is necessary to achieve your purpose (keeping the lights on.) It wastes energy, and according to Rav Zutra, that's ba'al taschit.
According to this passage, what is the definition of bal tashchit?
What would be a contemporary application?
ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר משום חילפא בר אגרא שאמר משום ר' יוחנן בן נורי המקרע בגדיו בחמתו והמשבר כליו בחמתו והמפזר מעותיו בחמתו יהא בעיניך כעובד ע"ז שכך אומנתו של יצה"ר היום אומר לו עשה כך ולמחר אומר לו עשה כך עד שאומר לו עבוד ע"ז והולך ועובד א"ר אבין מאי קראה (תהלים פא, י) לא יהיה בך אל זר ולא תשתחוה לאל נכר איזהו אל זר שיש בגופו של אדם הוי אומר זה יצר הרע
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says in the name of Hilfa bar Agra in the name of Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri: If one tears his garment in his anger, breaks his utensils in his anger or scatters his money in his anger, he should be in your eyes as one who is performing idolatry. For thus is the craft of the evil inclination: today it tells him "do this", and the next day it tells him "do this" until it tells him "perform idolatry" and he goes and performs it.
R. Avin says: what verse proves it? "There shall not be in you a foreign God, and do not bow to a strange God." (Ps 81:10) What is the foreign God in a person? Clearly this is the evil inclination.
What are the three actions the gemara lists that we should not do in anger?
Are you allowed to do them when not angry? Why/why not?
Does this expand our understanding of bal tashchit?
(ב) שרש המצוה ידוע, שהוא כדי ללמד נפשנו לאהב הטוב והתועלת ולהדבק בו, ומתוך כך תדבק בנו הטובה, ונרחיק מכל דבר רע ומכל דבר השחתה, וזהו דרך החסידים ואנשי מעשה אוהבים שלום ושמחים בטוב הבריות ומקרבים אותן לתורה, ולא יאבדו אפילו גרגיר של חרדל בעולם, ויצר עליהם בכל אבדון והשחתה שיראו, ואם יוכלו להציל יצילו כל דבר מהשחית בכל כחם, ולא כן הרשעים אחיהם של מזיקים שמחים בהשחתת העולם..
To love that which is good and worthwhile and to cling it, so that good becomes a part of us and we will avoid all bad and all destructive things. This is the way of the pious and people of action...not destroying even a grain of mustard in this world...if possible they will prevent any destruction thy can. Not so are the wicked..., who rejoice in the destruction of the world, and they are destroyers...
According to this text, what is the spirituality behind the mitzvah of bal tashchit?
Does this add anything to our understanding of what constitutes bal tashchit?
Lawrence Kahn Troster, "Ten Teachings on Judaism and the Environment"
The underlying idea of this law is the recognition that everything we own belongs to God. When we consume in a wasteful manner, we damage Creation and violate our mandate to use Creation only for our legitimate benefit. Modesty in consumption is a value that Jews have held for centuries. For example one is not supposed to be excessive in eating and drinking or in the kind of clothes that one wears (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Discernment, chapter 5). Jews are obligated to consider carefully our real needs whenever we purchase anything. We are obligated when we have a simchah (a celebration) to consider whether we need to have elaborate meals and wasteful decorations. We are obligated to consider our energy use and the sources from which it comes.
What examples does Rabbi Troster add to our understanding of what is bal tashchit?
What contemporary examples might he point to?
7. Rebbe Nahman of Breslav, Song of the Grass
דע לך שכל רועה ורועה יש לו ניגון מיוחד משלו.
דע לך שכל עשב ועשב יש לו שירה מיוחדת משלו.
ומשירת העשבים נעשה ניגון של רועה.
כמה יפה, כמה יפה ונאה כששומעים השירה שלהם.
טוב מאוד להתפלל ביניהם וביראה לעבוד את ה'.
ומשירת העשבים מתעורר הלב ומשתוקק.
וכשהלב מן השירה מתעורר ומשתוקק אל ארץ ישראל
אור גדול אזי נמשך ועולה מקדושתה של הארץ עליו.
ומשירת העשבים נעשה ניגון של הלב.
Know that each and every shepherd has his or her own unique tune.
Know that each and every blade of grass has its own unique song.
And from the songs of the grass, the tune of the shepherd is created.
How beautiful, how beautiful and fine when we hear their song.
It is very good to pray between them and to labor for God with awe.
And the song of the grass causes the heart to awaken and to long.
And when, from the song, the heart awakens and longs towards the Land of Israel,
A great light is drawn out and rises because it has the holiness of the land upon it.
And from the song of the grass the tune of the heart is fashioned.
Have you ever felt the spiritual power of nature that Rebbe Nahman is describing?
Are there any parts of nature you don't find spiritual?
Thinking about those parts of nature, how can you challenge yourself to see them as spiritual?