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Judaism & Environment

Traditional Jewish texts are replete with environmental source material. The Torah and rabbinic literature discuss the problems and solutions to many modern day environmental concerns both on a philosophical level and in the legal realm. Few of these rich Jewish  texts have been fully researched, developed and explained and it has been mistakenly assumed that traditional Judaism has little to provide in clarifying ecological and environmental issues for the modern world.

In order to rectify this situation  Shomera encourages Jewish scholars to research, develop and teach Jewish environmental source material and provides a public forum where these materials can be accessed by students, scholars and the general public.

Commencing in February, Shomera for a Better Environment ran an essay contest on the topic of Judaism and the environment. The competition generated interest and a good level of response, and dozens of excellent essays were submitted to the judges. The writers wrote on a variety of topics. In the Judaism and the Environment evening, which took place last week (see above) the prizes were awarded to the following winner.

In third place there were two winners:
Writer:
David Aronovsky
Title: Water Quality and Preventing Its Pollution in Jewish Sources
The essay deals with the issue of polluting sources of water and included a review of Halachic literature, from 1500 years ago until the present that deal with this difficult dilemma. In the article it emphasizes that harm done to national water sources is much more serious than harm to a private or regional source, and thereby provides Halachic backing to the Knesset laws that currently exist to prevent pollution. In addition, there are rabbis who believe that in addition to the existing legal sanctions it is possible to require the polluter to pay monetary compensation for the pollution he has caused.

Writer: Aharon Ariel Lavi
Title: Man's Ownership of Hashem – The Question of Man and Nature through the Perspective of Judaism
The essay examines the questions of ownership and labor as the two main processes which have distanced man from nature, and as a consequence caused man to ruin nature. The writer's conclusion is that these two processes need to be remedied as part of the spiritual work that is required in other areas of life, and especially, in the area of improving one's spiritual attributes and the relationships between men; in reality, this is an expansion of them. In fact, these three areas of internal improvement, social improvement and environmental improvement all come together to create a single mass as part of the general framework for worshipping Hashem.

 2nd Place:
Writer:
Ora Grepstein
Title: "A [shared] pot among neighbors is neither cold nor hot": religious considerations in deciding the goals of a green zone surrounding the city
The essay establishes two issues – harm to neighbors and the city's plot – in a planning model of corresponding circles surrounding the city. In the inner circle (at least 25 meters surrounding the city) the principles of harm to neighbors must be applied, and introducing buildings and activities that harm the city or damage its beauty should be prevented. In the external circle (500 meters surrounding the city including the internal circle) the principle of city plots is applied, and it serves the residents of the city for "their domestic beasts, their property and all their animals", for air and beauty - basically, to provide quality of life. These principles match and even sharpen the planning thought process behind a green zone, which emphasizes the importance of openness in these  areas within the zone, and sets limits on the amount and type of construction that can occur inside it.

 1st place:
Writer:
Yehoshua Tsviel Lubitz
Title: The Difference between a Utensil and an ObjectThis essay utilizes Jewish sources to examine the problem of using disposable dishes that create long term environmental pollution. On the one hand the Halachic status of disposable dishes is explored while on the other hand, the cultural background of disposable dishes is examined regardless of a connection between man, his environment and his objects. In the article there was a captivating combination of focusing on an urgent environmental problem while developing a new viewpoint based on traditional Jewish Sources.

 We would like to thank the panel of judges who evaluated the articles:
Rabbi Ya'akov Warhaftig – Head of the Beit Ariel Beit Midrash, Rabbi for the Neve Nof Congregation, and presiding judge for financial disputes.
Rabbi David Zano – Rabbi of the town of Shalva, coordinator of the social leadership program for Mimizrah Shemesh
Rabbi Ariel Azriel – Rabbi of the town of Ateret, editor of the Tzohar newsletter.
Dr. Jeremy Benstein – Associate Director of the Heschel Center for Environmental Thought and Leadership.