Dear Friends,
I recently came across a sermon I delivered at Rosh Hashanah more than two decades ago. In the days that followed I received a number of notes and calls. They tended to fall into one of two camps.
The comments from the first camp were along the lines of, “I was hoping to hear something relevant from you, but sadly, that didn’t happen. With so many important issues facing us I don’t know why you chose to talk about THAT.”
The comments from the second camp felt a bit more pointed. “How in the world did you think environmentalism was relevant for Rosh Hashanah?” they asked. “It’s not even a Jewish topic.”
More than two decades later the climate crisis is more critical than ever. And more than two decades later I am even more convinced that seeing ourselves as caretakers of the environment is a central Jewish value.
As an 8th century rabbinic teaching states,
“God led Adam around all the trees of the Garden of Eden. And God said to Adam: ‘See My works, how good and praiseworthy they are?! And all that I have created, I made for you. [But] be mindful then that you do not spoil and destroy My world – for if you spoil it, there is no one after you to repair it.'” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah 7:13)
More than a thousand years ago our ancestors understood that striking a proper and respectful balance with nature is central to our survival. And yet…
—Earlier this week my friend in San Angelo, TX reported that temperatures hit over 118 degrees. That is the highest temperature ever recorded there. And it is only June.
—Two weeks ago we were locked in our homes or forced to don masks once again as smoke from wildfires degraded our air quality in an unprecedented manner.
—A recent EPA survey found that about half of US rivers and streams and more than one-third of our lakes are polluted and unfit for swimming, fishing, and drinking.
—And we are seeing increasing numbers of crops, including Georgia peaches and wild blueberries, impacted by extreme or changing weather patterns.
For decades we were warned that unless we changed our policies and behavior, we would begin to experience the negative impact of our human activity on the environment. We largely ignored those warnings and it would appear we are beginning to see their veracity. Scientists now tell us we must cut climate pollution in half by 2030 to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
In other words, while individual changes in behavior are meritorious, the experts who study the impact of human activity on the environment are clear that national and global policy changes are the only thing that can slow the negative impact we are seeing.
Our Reform movement has taken note and recently launched “Power for Purpose,” the URJ National Climate Justice Campaign. One of its goals is to lobby the current Administration to adopt strong standards limiting pollutants released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil, and gas.
The campaign is clear to note that, since pollution and climate change disproportionately impact historically marginalized communities, this is as much a social justice and equality initiative as it is an environmental one.
As part of this effort, we are serving as the host congregation for an important virtual meeting this Tuesday, June 27th at 7:30pm. During the session we will explore the Jewish mandate to become better caretakers for the environment, discuss what we can do currently to address the climate crisis, and organize a campaign to urge the EPA to tighten pollution standards. As TSTI member and campaign organizer Barbara Schwartz notes, “We know that large oil and gas companies will use their resources to keep pollution standards weak, but we must balance that with a moral voice, especially to protect our most marginalized communities.”
Jewish tradition teaches that, “Anyone who derives benefit from this world without a (prior) blessing is guilty of misappropriating sacred property.” It is past time for us to offer a blessing of gratitude for the remarkable planet we call home. But, if real change is going to happen, we need to “pray with our feet” and offer our blessing in the form of action.
Tuesday’s gathering is one small step toward that goal. You can register to attend here.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Daniel Cohen