Ecology

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Preserving Life in Times of War

TANAKH

Even in times of war, the Torah commands us to preserve fruit-bearing trees, recognizing their vital role in sustaining life. Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Torah, includes a prohibition against destroying fruit trees during a siege, emphasizing their importance as non-combatants that provide sustenance.

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?

Deuteronomy 20:19

The Vital Role of Fruit Trees

JEWISH THOUGHT

The Torah emphasizes the protection of fruit trees due to their vital role as a food source and the long time they take to mature. Dr. Erica Brown, in her contemporary book of reflections on the weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, underscores the importance of preserving life and resources, even during conflict.

Trees and their fruit are a vital source of food and nutrition, especially in a country beset by famine, as we learn from the account of Abraham’s earliest days on the land. Making sure that these trees have their highest yield is a small but significant insurance policy against the ravages of drought and hunger. Protecting fruit trees is the focus of another Deuteronomic law, which demands that fruit trees not be destroyed during war. Trees were often chopped down on the battlefield, since enemies could hide behind them; a field cleared of trees made human targets more visible and vulnerable…

In the Narrow Places; Daily Inspiration for the Three Weeks, [Day Six] 22 Tammuz; With God in the Garden 6

The Universal Prohibition Against Destruction

HALAKHAH

The prohibition against cutting down fruit trees extends beyond wartime, emphasizing a universal principle of environmental conservation. In his 12th-century legal code, the Mishneh Torah, Rambam elaborates on the principle of "Bal Tashchit" (do not destroy), rooted in Deuteronomy, which forbids wanton destruction.

We should not cut down fruit trees outside a city nor prevent an irrigation ditch from bringing water to them so that they dry up, as Deuteronomy 20:19 states: 'Do not destroy its trees.' Anyone who cuts down such a tree should be lashed.
This does not apply only in a siege, but in all situations. Anyone who cuts down a fruit tree with a destructive intent, should be lashed.
Nevertheless, a fruit tree may be cut down if it causes damage to other trees or to fields belonging to others, or if a high price could be received for its wood…

Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 6:8

Guardians of the Universe

COMMENTARY

The dietary laws in Judaism are not just about what we eat, but also about our role as guardians of the Earth. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the ecological and ethical dimensions of the dietary laws in Leviticus, emphasizing our responsibility towards nature.

The fifth is about the dietary laws. What is their logic? The essay suggests that the existence of restrictions on what we may eat and what we may kill for food has to do with the integrity of nature and the fact that we, as humans, are not owners but guardians of the universe. The dietary laws are thus part of the ecological dimension of the Torah, rediscovered in our time.

Covenant and Conversation; Leviticus; The Book of Holiness, Shmini, The Eighth Day 4

Sabbatical Year - Embrace Renewal

TANAKH

The practice of leaving the land fallow every seventh year benefits the poor and the animals, emphasizing social justice and environmental sustainability. The book of Exodus elucidates the principles of the sabbatical year, or shemittah.

but in the seventh you shall let it rest and lie fallow. Let the needy among your people eat of it, and what they leave let the wild beasts eat. You shall do the same with your vineyards and your olive groves.

Exodus 23:11

Miraculous Ecological Renewal

COMMENTARY

The transformation of desolate and arid land into fertile and water-rich areas symbolizes a miraculous spiritual renewal in a future age. The biblical book of Isaiah imagines a future world whose redemption is expressed through physical and ecological renewal.

The scorched land will become a pond, and the parched land will turn into springs of water; and in the formerly desolate and dry abode where jackals lie, grass, which grows in arid areas, will become reeds and bulrushes, plants that grow in areas with plenty of water.

Steinsaltz on Isaiah 35:7

Restoring the Land's Bounty

MIDRASH

The restoration of ecological bounty in the Land of Israel is presented as a divine promise contingent on the behavior of the Israelites. Midrash Tanchuma, an early medieval midrashic work, reflects on the transition from the Israelites' time in the desert to their entry into the Land of Israel, emphasizing divine provision and the consequences of sin.

(Lev. 19:23:) “Now when you come into the land and plant any tree for food.” This text is related (to Zech. 8:11-12), “But now [I will not treat the remnant of this people] as in the former days…. For as the seed of peace, the vine shall yield its fruit, the earth shall yield its harvest […].” What is the meaning of “not as in the former days?” When Israel went forth from Egypt and was walking in the desert, He brought down manna for them, brought over quails for them, and raised up the well for them…

Midrash Tanchuma, Kedoshim 7:1

Stewards of Creation

COMMENTARY

Humanity has a unique responsibility to care for and preserve God's creation, as there will be no one left to repair it if we destroy it. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his essays, emphasizes the Jewish value of stewardship over the Earth reflected in the principle of "Bal Tashchit"(do not destroy).

When God made man, He showed him the panoply of creation and said to him: “See all My works, how beautiful they are. All I have made, I have made for you. Take care, therefore, that you do not destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one left to mend what you have destroyed.”

Covenant and Conversation; Deuteronomy; Renewal of the Sinai Covenant, Shoftim, The Ecological Imperative 19

Guardians of Creation

MUSAR

Humanity has a proactive responsibility to appreciate and protect the beauty and excellence of God's creation. In the 18th-century ethical work Mesillat Yesharim, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto illustrates this responsibility through the story of the Garden of Eden, noting God's warning to Adam not to corrupt or destroy the world.

Our sages roused us to this fundamental principle in Midrash Kohelet saying: "see the work of G-d." (Ecc. 7:13), "when the Holy One, Blessed be He, created Adam, He took him and led him to pass before all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: 'see how beautiful and excellent are my works. All that I have created, I have created for your sake. Be careful that you do not become corrupt and destroy My world.'"

Mesillat Yesharim 1:14

Relatedראו גם

Environment

Environmentalism

Environmental Justice

Waste Not (Bal Tashchit)

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