Ecological Morality?
That's very nice, but it's too hard to recycle/smog-proof
the car/pick up the garbage in my neighborhood.
Too bad. Jewish law says that even in a war, man is not
free to do as he pleases with nature. In the last book of
the Torah, when the Israelites are preparing to enter the
Land of Israel, they are commanded not to destroy trees
in the midst of war:
"When you besiege a city a long time while fighting
to capture it, do not destroy its [fruit] trees, by taking an ax to them. You may eat of them,
but you must not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man that you should besiege
him. . . ?" - Deuteronomy 20:19
Man's compassion is elicited by stressing the tree's vulnerability. A man can run away, or defend
himself, while the tree is dependent upon Man's proper conduct for its safety. Even in an extreme
and brutal situation such as war, people have to retain their sensitivity, to the point of considering
the rights of trees.
Ba'al Tashchit - Don't Destroy!
This commandment concerning trees in wartime is the
source for the law, "Ba'al Tashchit" - don't destroy.
Examples in peacetime include:
"Not only cutting down fruit trees, but also
breaking vessels, tearing clothing, destroying a
building, stopping up a water source or wasting
food intentionally. . . ." - Maimonides, Mishnah Torah
The rabbis explained that the law's perameters clearly show that any wanton destruction or waste
is wrong. The message is clear: you have been given a world of plenty - take care of it properly.
Our Role
It's worthwhile to take some time to consider how
each of us can improve the quality of our
environment. Check out Community Projects you
can start to fulfill our role as "workers and
guardians" of the garden called Planet Earth.