by Rabbi Ron Stern
Up until the establishment of kibbutzim in the land of Israel the words Jew and farmer seemed incongruous in a sentence; unless describing what a Jew is not! However, the return to the land not only resulted in Jewish farmers but also a fierce commitment to preserving the precious land of Israel so that its natural beauty exists for all generations. In fact, Israeli technology stands among the world’s leaders achieving environmental efficiency and clean technologies.
This acute awareness of the world’s resources is reflected by our ancient sages in the establishment of the holiday of Tu b’Shevat – the Jewish New Year for trees. They decreed that every fruit bearing tree must live for three seasons before its produce is used and on the fourth, the first fruits are gifted to God. This profound acknowledgement of a natural cycle that is both independent of us and upon which we depend was truly the beginning of the Jewish commitment to the responsible stewardship of our natural resources.
And yet, we are among the first generations to realize that not only might the resources in our world be depleted, but irresponsible use of those resources can actually irreversibly damage earth’s eco-system. Our ancestors never imagined polluted waterways, unhealthy air, depleted forests, chemical contamination of our own bodies. They couldn’t imagine that a vast world could be decimated by human activity; it is hardly possible for us to conceive of that possibility as well, and yet we know it is real.
As Tu b’Shevat, 2018 (January 30th) approaches, Judaism asks us how we, personally, are stewards of our world. Do you recycle diligently? Is your car efficient? Have you reduced your water use? When will you install a solar roof? Do you conserve energy in your home? Quite simply, have you done all that you can to insure that you are a responsible steward of this precious earth so the next generations might benefit from it as we have? The task is daunting and might fell overwhelming, but the Jewish New Year for trees reminds us that each us has a role in sustaining our world.