Resacralization of nature is a term used in environmental philosophy to describe the process of restoring the sacred quality of nature. The primary assumption is that nature has a sanctified aspect that has become lost in modern times as a result of the secularization of contemporary worldviews. These secular worldviews are said to be directly responsible for the spiritual crisis in "modern man", which has ultimately resulted in the current environmental degradation. This perspective emphasizes the significance of changing human perceptions of nature through the incorporation of various religious principles and values that connect nature with the divine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resacralization_of_nature
It is the secularized worldview that reduces nature to a purely material domain cut off from the world of the Spirit to be plundered at will for what is usually called human welfare, but which really means the illusory satisfaction of a never-ending greed without which consumer society would not exist.
— Seyyed Hossein Nasr quoted in Sarah Elizabeth Robinson, Common Ground in Sacred Nature: Unearthing Ecological Solidarity between Nasr and Ruether, 2014
Nature has been already sacralized by the Sacred Itself, and its resacralization means more than anything else a transformation within man [sic], who has himself lost his [sic] Sacred Center, so as to be able to rediscover the Sacred and consequently to behold again nature's sacred quality.
— Seyyed Hossein Nasr quoted in Sarah Robinson-Bertoni, Key Thinkers on the Environment, 2017
Seyyed Hossein Nasr (/ˈnɑːsər, ˈnæsər/; Persian: سید حسین نصر, born April 7, 1933) is an Iranian-American philosopher, theologian and Islamic scholar. He is University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seyyed_Hossein_Nasr
(יז) וּלְאָדָ֣ם אָמַ֗ר כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֘עְתָּ֮ לְק֣וֹל אִשְׁתֶּ֒ךָ֒ וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֲרוּרָ֤ה הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲבוּרֶ֔ךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙ תֹּֽאכְלֶ֔נָּה כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃
Cursed be the ground because of you;
By hard labor shall you eat of it
All the days of your life:
"Primal Bond Ruptured"
Commentary from the Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox
One may observe significant links to the garden story. Once again human beings are given a choice; once again disregarding the warning leads to death and estrangement from God; and once again the primal bond between humanity and the soil is ruptured. Chapter 3 is directly recalled by the use of specific wording: God echoes the curse he had put on the woman (3:16) in his warning to Kayin (4:7), and “Where is Hevel your brother?” (4:9) brings to mind “Where are you?” (3:9), which had been addressed to Kayin’s father.
(א) כִּי־יִמָּצֵ֣א חָלָ֗ל בָּאֲדָמָה֙ אֲשֶׁר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ נֹתֵ֤ן לְךָ֙ לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּ נֹפֵ֖ל בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖ע מִ֥י הִכָּֽהוּ׃ (ב) וְיָצְא֥וּ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְשֹׁפְטֶ֑יךָ וּמָדְדוּ֙ אֶל־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר סְבִיבֹ֥ת הֶחָלָֽל׃ (ג) וְהָיָ֣ה הָעִ֔יר הַקְּרֹבָ֖ה אֶל־הֶחָלָ֑ל וְלָֽקְח֡וּ זִקְנֵי֩ הָעִ֨יר הַהִ֜וא עֶגְלַ֣ת בָּקָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־עֻבַּד֙ בָּ֔הּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־מָשְׁכָ֖ה בְּעֹֽל׃ (ד) וְהוֹרִ֡דוּ זִקְנֵי֩ הָעִ֨יר הַהִ֤וא אֶת־הָֽעֶגְלָה֙ אֶל־נַ֣חַל אֵיתָ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־יֵעָבֵ֥ד בּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א יִזָּרֵ֑עַ וְעָֽרְפוּ־שָׁ֥ם אֶת־הָעֶגְלָ֖ה בַּנָּֽחַל׃ (ה) וְנִגְּשׁ֣וּ הַכֹּהֲנִים֮ בְּנֵ֣י לֵוִי֒ כִּ֣י בָ֗ם בָּחַ֞ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹ וּלְבָרֵ֖ךְ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהֹוָ֑ה וְעַל־פִּיהֶ֥ם יִהְיֶ֖ה כׇּל־רִ֥יב וְכׇל־נָֽגַע׃ (ו) וְכֹ֗ל זִקְנֵי֙ הָעִ֣יר הַהִ֔וא הַקְּרֹבִ֖ים אֶל־הֶחָלָ֑ל יִרְחֲצוּ֙ אֶת־יְדֵיהֶ֔ם עַל־הָעֶגְלָ֖ה הָעֲרוּפָ֥ה בַנָּֽחַל׃ (ז) וְעָנ֖וּ וְאָמְר֑וּ יָדֵ֗ינוּ לֹ֤א (שפכה) [שָֽׁפְכוּ֙] אֶת־הַדָּ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְעֵינֵ֖ינוּ לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ׃ (ח) כַּפֵּר֩ לְעַמְּךָ֨ יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־פָּדִ֙יתָ֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה וְאַל־תִּתֵּן֙ דָּ֣ם נָקִ֔י בְּקֶ֖רֶב עַמְּךָ֣ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְנִכַּפֵּ֥ר לָהֶ֖ם הַדָּֽם׃ (ט) וְאַתָּ֗ה תְּבַעֵ֛ר הַדָּ֥ם הַנָּקִ֖י מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ כִּֽי־תַעֲשֶׂ֥ה הַיָּשָׁ֖ר בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ {ס}
(1) If, in the land that your God יהוה is assigning you to possess, someone slain is found lying in the open, the identity of the slayer not being known, (2) your elders and magistrates shall go out and measure the distances from the corpse to the nearby towns. (3) The elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall then take a heifer which has never been worked, which has never pulled in a yoke; (4) and the elders of that town shall bring the heifer down to an everflowing wadi, which is not tilled or sown. There, in the wadi, they shall break the heifer’s neck. (5) The priests, sons of Levi, shall come forward; for your God יהוה has chosen them for divine service and to pronounce blessing in the name of יהוה, and every lawsuit and case of assault is subject to their ruling. (6) Then all the elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi. (7) And they shall make this declaration: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. (8) Absolve, יהוה, Your people Israel whom You redeemed, and do not let guilt for the blood of the innocent remain among Your people Israel.” And they will be absolved of bloodguilt. (9) Thus you will remove from your midst guilt for the blood of the innocent, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of יהוה.
#2491 חָלָל chalal {khaw-lawl'}
—Hebrew Word Study (Transliteration-Pronunciation Etymology & Grammar)
n m 1) slain, fatally wounded, pierced 1a) pierced, fatally wounded 1b) slain adj 2) (CLBL) profaned 2a) defiled, profaned (by divorce)
—Brown-Driver-Briggs (Old Testament Hebrew-English Lexicon)
-- pierced (especially to death); figuratively polluted:—kill, profane, slain (man), X slew, (deadly) wounded.
—Strong's (Hebrew & Chaldee Dictionary of the Old Testament)
http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/2491.html
The Connection Between Chol and Challal
"....... the key word here is chol which connotes “mundane”-ness or profanity in the realm of time (a & b) and matter (c,d, & e). It appears that the simple form of the word (chol, chullin) merely speaks of a de facto state of the ordinary while the alliterative double lamed (challal, chillul) connotes a profaning of preexisting sanctity.
Equally clear is the notion that whenever we speak of chol, sanctity (kedusha) is lurking in the shadows. Thus one of the gravest sins is called chillul Hashem – profaning the name of God . For commensurate to the degree of sanctity is the depth of profanity. Is it not interesting to consider that the word for a human corpse in the Torah is called challal , implying a vacating of the great sanctity that is humanity?"
Rabbi Asher Brander
https://www.ou.org/life/torah/brander_matot_words/
Abarbanel
“What is the point of this mitzvah and its reasons? And if it was to cleanse the innocent blood, how does the blood of the eglah arufa atone for the iniquity of the blood of the murdered man? And if Yisrael were not guilty in this matter, why was this action needed?
The eglah arufah ceremony was meant to shock the people living in the cities surrounding the murder site. By gathering together and then decapitating the calf, the city elders thereby interrupt the normal routine of everyday life."
Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel (Hebrew: יצחק בן יהודה אברבנאל; 1437–1508), commonly referred to as Abarbanel was a Portuguese Jewish statesman, philosopher, Bible commentator, and financier.
"Our Hands Have Not Spilled this Blood" Professor Nechama Leibowitz
“We see then that responsibility for an evil act does not fall only on the perpetrator and not just on the abettor. The crime does not only involve cooperation, but also negligence, omission, and inattention. One who sits in his quiet corner and ignores the rest of society and its corrupt ways and “with dualists do not mingle” (Mishlei 24:21) and guards his soul with every safeguard – and sees oppression and theft and robbery but does not arise and does not move and does not struggle and does not protest – he also cannot say, ‘Our hands have not spilled this blood.’”
Nechama Leibowitz (Hebrew: נחמה ליבוביץ׳; September 3, 1905 – April 12, 1997) was an Israeli Bible scholar and commentator who rekindled interest in Bible study
(29) When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his clothes. (30) Returning to his brothers, he said, “The boy is gone! Now, what am I to do?” (31) Then they took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a kid, and dipped the tunic in the blood. (32) They had the ornamented tunic taken to their father, and they said, “We found this. Please examine it; is it your son’s tunic or not?” (33) He recognized it, and said, “My son’s tunic! A savage beast devoured him! Joseph was torn by a beast!” (34) Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and observed mourning for his son many days. (35) All his sons and daughters sought to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, saying, “No, I will go down mourning to my son in Sheol.” Thus his father bewailed him. (36) The Midianites,meanwhile, sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his prefect.
(כה) וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּ מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ (כו) וַיַּגִּ֨דוּ ל֜וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ר ע֚וֹד יוֹסֵ֣ף חַ֔י וְכִֽי־ה֥וּא מֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּכׇל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַיָּ֣פׇג לִבּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י לֹא־הֶאֱמִ֖ין לָהֶֽם׃ (כז) וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו אֵ֣ת כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֤י יוֹסֵף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֲגָל֔וֹת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥ח יוֹסֵ֖ף לָשֵׂ֣את אֹת֑וֹ וַתְּחִ֕י ר֖וּחַ יַעֲקֹ֥ב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ (כח) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֛ב עוֹד־יוֹסֵ֥ף בְּנִ֖י חָ֑י אֵֽלְכָ֥ה וְאֶרְאֶ֖נּוּ בְּטֶ֥רֶם אָמֽוּת׃
Encountering the Void
Rebbe Nachman of Breslav wrote much about the "challal hapanui," the void out of which creation occured and into which we all might fall through doubt and despair. (See Likkutei Moharan 64.) "כִּי־יִמָּצֵא חָלָל," should one find oneself peering into a spiritual abyss, parshat Shoftim teaches us, take action, take responsibility, or take pause.
Dr. Erin Leib Smokler, Parshat Shoftim
https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/414160.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
Resources:
- Breaking the Heifer’s Neck: A Bloodless Ritual for an Unsolved Murder Dr.Yitzhaq Feder, https://www.thetorah.com/article/breaking-the-heifers-neck-a-bloodless-ritual-for-an-unsolved-murder
- Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, https://fore.yale.edu/Religion
- Joseph and the Eglah Arufah, by Ruth Walfish, Jewish Bible Quarterly https://jbqnew.jewishbible.org/assets/Uploads/401/jbq_401_eglaharufa.pdf