Tonight there is a great Midwestern thunderstorm in the sky. Lightning bolts are flashing, and the rain is pouring down. This has put me in a mood of wonderment at the awesome power of the Heavens, and has 'sparked' my curiosity regarding the relationship between electricity (lightning) and water (rain). While there can be rain without lightning and lightning without rain, the combination of the two is a fairly common occurrence lately, and provides a 'striking' illustration of the connections between these two powerful forces that are so critical to human existence. Unlike in thunderstorms, where water and electricity happily co-exist, humans current methods of energy production often use vast amounts of water, a rapidly dwindling resource. Let us take a look at some forms of energy production, and the water useage associated with each. We will then take a look at Jewish tradition for perspective on how water and energy are connected, and for guidance on how we should treat these precious resources.

Beyond thunderstorms, hydroelectric dams are another obvious symbol of the connections between water and energy. Hydroelectric dams use gravity to convert water into energy, by using the fall of the water to turn electrical turbines (engines). Hydroelectric dams, however, have the negative environmental side-effects of flooding arable lands and blocking the natural course of rivers, which upsets fish migrations. Hydroelectric dams also produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide and methane, and in some cases produce more of these greenhouse gases than power plants running on fossil fuels. For example, a 1990 study found the greenhouse effect of emissions from the Curuá-Una dam in Pará, Brazil, was more than three-and-a-half times what would have been produced by generating the same amount of electricity from oil. This is because large amounts of carbon tied up in trees and other plants are released when the reservoir is initially flooded and the plants rot. Then after this first pulse of decay, plant matter settling on the reservoir's bottom decomposes without oxygen, resulting in a build-up of dissolved methane. This is released into the atmosphere when water passes through the dam's turbines. Thus while hydroelectric energy does not destroy water in the way some other energy generating technology does, it still requires large amounts of water in order to function, and has other negative envirnomental consequences.

Thermoelectric power generation requires the use of vast amounts of water, through the use of steam-driven turbine generators. Production of electrical power results in one of the largest uses of water in the United States and worldwide. In 2005, about 201,000 million gallons of water each day (Mgal/d) were used to produce electricity (excluding hydroelectric power). Surface water was the source for more than 99 percent of total thermoelectric-power withdrawals. Thermoelectric-power withdrawals accounted for 49 percent of total water use, 41 percent of total freshwater withdrawals for all categories, and 53 percent of fresh surface-water withdrawals. U.S. power plants use seven times as much water each day as all home uses combined. And the largest single users of electricity? The nation's water treatment plants and water pumping stations. Thus, electricity and water are intimately linked in ways that we typically ignore.

Nuclear energy, too, is a huge user of water resources. One typical U.S. nuclear power plant uses 30 million gallons of cooling water an hour. The whole city of New York uses 46 million gallons of water an hour, so a single nuclear power plant needs water flow that would support a city of about 5 million people (about as many as live in the Washington metro area). And the U.S. has 104 nuclear power plants–more than any other country, a quarter of all plants worldwide. Water is one of the hidden, rarely discussed environmental costs of nuclear power plants. Water, in the form of steam, is typically what's used to turn the heat from the nuclear reaction into energy–with a turbine. Nuclear power plants also use water to help shield the reactor core from the rest of the facility, and the rest of the world. This is because water cannot be made radioactive. It simply won't absorb the waves of neutrons being put out by the reactor cores. It's in part why nuclear power plants use water right inside the reactor. It's why "spent" nuclear fuel is typically stored immersed in pools of water. The water keeps the fuel cool, but equally valuable, it is a great radiation shield.

Hydro-fracking is another water intensive means of generating energy that has rightly attracted the condemnation of environmentalists. Slick water hydrofracking is different from conventional natural gas drilling in a couple of ways. First, slick water hydrofracking uses significantly more water than conventional drilling, as well as a “slick water” mixture that is pumped into the shale to fracture the rock and release the gas. Second, there is an increased potential for toxicity and its long-term impacts. Finally, there is the environmental impacts of the drilling: surface and subterranean damage including forestland loss, multiple well sites, groundwater and surface water contamination, habitat and species disturbance, and likely an increased number of access roads to the well sites. Slick water hydrofracking involves a process that utilizes 6-8 million gallons of freshwater per fracking (though this varies with the depth of the shale and the gas deposits), and sand or other lighweight “proppants” (substances used to prop open the fissures caused by the well bore to allow the gas to seep through the pores in the shale). Following the injection of both the water and the proppant, several chemical-based additives are used to create a more efficient and economic process. Some of the chemical additives frequently used include: diesel fuel, biocides, benzene (an additive to gasoline and industrial solvent), and hydrochloric acid. Companies employing this method of natural gas extraction have resisted efforts to require disclosure of what chemicals and in what amounts they use, only assuring us they these chemicals are used in “small amounts”. However, “small amount” is generally unspecific, and some of these chemicals (especially benzene) are harmful at any level of exposure, even toxic at an exposure level of only parts per trillion. This matters because if any of these chemicals were to mingle with the water table, under which lies the shale with a layer of bedrock in between, it is likely that the water table would become contaminated, causing huge health consequences. Additionally, how companies are containing the slick water post-fracking varies from company to company, sometimes with a great potential for soil and groundwater contamination. It is pretty obvious that hydrofracking is an extremely water-intensive method of energy production. As I have written about previously, Israel is facing a critical juncture regarding whether or not to allow hydrofracking on its land.

You might think that solar power (being a 'green' and renewable energy source) would be a good source of energy that doesn't require large amounts of water. You would be wrong in this assumption. In fact, some of the most widely used and economical solar-energy technologies require significant amounts of water; as much as or more than the coal, natural-gas or nuclear power plants the solar projects are meant to replace. The sites most attractive for solar power plants — the wide open plateaus and deserts, are also some of the hottest, driest parts of the world. We can now see that the needs of human civilization for energy are inherently connected to the finite resource of water. Simply put, without water, we wouldn't have life or energy.

In fact, it is wind energy that uses the least amount of water than almost every other form of power generation technology. Other water-friendly forms of power generation include PhotoVoltaic solar power and wave power. These forms of energy production, while showing enormous growth and potential for future growth, are however still too new and small in scope to be able to provide for all our current energy needs.

Our Jewish tradition, in its infinite wisdom, recognizes water as the indispensable medium that connects humanity to the G-dly realm (of infinite energy). The Shema prayer (quoting Deut 11) reinforces the idea that if we act properly, we will be rewarded with rain (in the proper times and amounts), but if we disobey the commandments, we will be punished by a witholding of rain. The words of Torah are likened to water in Isiah 55:1, as it is written, "O all who thirst, come for water." Jewish tradition also equates the thirst of the Jews for water while in the desert of Shur to a lack of connection with the Torah, and thereafter instituted the tradition of reading the Torah on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, so that the Jewish people should never go more than 3 days without reading the Torah (Babylonian Talmud, BavaKama 82a). Additionally, when the Romans forbade Torah study after the defeat of the Bar Kochbah rebellion, Rabbi Akiva continued to teach Torah at the risk of his life. When a fellow Jew Papus asked him why he put himself in peril, Rabbi Akiva answered with a parable:

A hungry fox, standing on the riverbank, called out to the fish, "Fish, why do you subject yourself to such a dangerous existence? Don't you know that a little further down there are fishermen just waiting to catch you? Join me on the river-bank and you will be safe." Replied the fish, "What you say about the fisherman might be true. But if I am not immersed in the water, then surely I will die. My only chance to live is if I am in the water despite its peril."

Just as fish cannot live without water, Jews can not survive spiritually without Torah. Jews need Torah as much as humans need water. By cherishing and sustaining Torah learning, we develop a connection to the divine realm. Similarly, water can be used to create energy. However, water is limited in abudance unlike Torah study, which is unlimited in its vastness. We must therefore only use water carefully and sparingly in energy production if we are to insure our water and energy needs for future generations. We must therefore cherish, protect, and preserve our water resources in order to physically survive on the Earth, just as we must retain our connection to Torah as the source of our spiritual survival. For if we continue to forsake our dwindling freshwater supplies in order to generate energy (aka 'power'), we would be as foolish as the fish in Rabbi Akiva's parable, had he listened to the tempting but deceitful promises of the fox. For true power comes only from the ultimate divine source, and not through selfish energy consumption that destroys our most precious gift of life-giving water.

One final fact that blows my mind – two teams of astronomers have discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever found in the universe. It’s 12 billion light years away, and holds at least 140 trillion times the amount of water in all the Earth’s oceans combined. Perhaps Earth is only a drop in the cosmic bucket. Nevertheless, I don't think its likely we will be accessing that water anytime soon, so we would do best to treasure the water we have been given here on earth. L'Mayim!

From an Environmentalist perspective, I am concerned about the fate of the Canaan dog, as I am for many native and indigenous species around the globe. Without continued introduction of genetic diversity into the breeding stock from wild sources, the future of the Canaan dog is imperiled. The choices we make as to which species we cultivate and which we attempt to eliminate have profound implications on the health of the ecosystem. Judaism teaches us that all species are to be preserved on the Earth. Nachmanides, in discussing Biblical prohibitions against mixing species ("Kilayim"), slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day, taking the mother bird when taking the eggs or young offspring, and castration, suggests that these laws emerge from a concern that all species be preserved and not disappear from this world. (commentary to Leviticus 19:19 and Deut. 22:6) This concern is given pragmatic rationale in the Talmud (Shabbat 77b): "Of all that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created in His world, He did not create a single thing without purpose…" There then follows a list of medicinal uses for even the lowliest of creatures such as snails, flies and mosquitoes. If all species are to be preserved, how much more so those native to the Holy Land and specifically named in Scripture, like the Canaan dog. Our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were sheepherders, and likely used the Canaan dog's ancestors to help manage the flocks. Canaan dogs are no less useful to us today, where they are used by the Israeli military as guard dogs and to detect bombs. One organization of note that fights on behalf of endangered and threatened species worldwide is the Center For Biological Diversity, who put out a great weekly listserve email, (and who also sell beautiful organic cotton t-shirts for only $12, which make great gifts). Another worthy project is the Israel Longhorn Project, which promotes the breeding of the more robust Texas Longhorn cattle with the more passive European breeds currently in production in Israel in order to create a breed better suited to Israel's desert climate.

From a Zionist perspective, I find it abhorant that the Israeli government should attempt to take the land from its current occupants over what is essentially a lack of a clear Land Title. Land titling is an extremely critical issue globally, as native peoples often passed land to their descendants without any legal documents. In Israel, the history of fluctuating governments in the area have made land titling an especially thorny issue. But in the case of the Shaar Hagai Kennels, is not 42 years of continuous occupancy ownership enough? Squatters have legal rights, often based on the improvements to the land that they have made over time. Adding insult to injury, the only plan that the Israeli government has for the kennel is to demolish it, and the government has been unwilling to enter into mediation to resolve the issue peacefully. Thus it appears that this eviction is a blatant land grab by the government, in total disregard for the rights of the people that have been living there, as well as the needs of the Canaan dog to survive. The actions of the Israeli government seem here to directly oppose our biblical enjoinder to settle the Land of Israel, as commanded in Numbers 33:53 "Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess" and Deut 12:10 "you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around so that you dwell in safety". The Israeli government is not living up to the religious and Zionist ideals of Settling the Land. Instead, they are doing the exact opposite — evicting and threatening to demolish Jewish homes, as was the case in Gush Katif, Gaza in 2005, as well as the eviction notice facing the settlement of Migron today. This is very sad indeed, and our voices need to be heard. THE LAND OF ISRAEL BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, NOT TO THE GOVERNMENT.

Clearly, there are many causes in the world, both environmental and political, worthy of our efforts and attention. There is much work that remains to be done in order to protect native species and the habitats that preserve them. There are also many people fighting against the injustices of wrongful evictions, whether in Israel, in America, or in the world at large. As a Zionist and as a Jewish Environmentalist, I feel it is my duty to share my concerns about the pending eviction at the Shaar Hagai Kennels with others in this community, so that we can collectively raise our voices in support of the kennel and the Canaan dogs. In this way, we can demonstrate our desire for an Israel and world more in line with our Jewish, environmentalist, and Zionist ideals. Together, we can create a better world in which people and animals have the right to dwell in the Land in peace, safety, and security.

The Exodus is not just a historical remembrance, it is a personal and immediate story as well; "And you shall explain to your son on that day, "it is because of what the Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt'" (Exodus 13:8). Thus, the story of the redemption from Mitzrayim serves as a national and historical template that should be applied on an individual and present level. This is the idea of biblical self-help — that the story of our past holds the key to our future. As Jews, it is our duty to contemplate the concepts of freedom and redemption as laid out in the story of the Exodus and apply these lessons to our lives on a daily basis. We must ask ourselves difficult questions, such as "In what ways am I enslaved?" "In what ways am I free?" "Where am I stuck (constricted in a narrow place) in my life?" and "How can I merit redemption?". These are not easy questions, and there are no easy answers. We must be brutally honest with ourselves and with each other in order to transform our state of exile into a state of deliverance. Indeed, most of us are enslaved in ways that we are not even consciously aware of. This is the deepest level of enslavement — when you don't even realize that you are enslaved. For once you are able to grasp and articulate what it is that holds you down, you have taken the first step toward freedom from its spell.

So it is that I find myself reflecting on the state of freedom in America, and have found, unfortunately, that it is in a sad state of affairs indeed. Since last Pesach, we saw the U.S. government commit murder of American citizens without charges or trial. Then we saw the passage of the NDAA into "law", which effectively ended the 700 year legal precedent of Habeus Corpus as laid out in the Magna Carta (as well as the much older Torah law, which also requires a trial in a system of Justice). Most recently, Mr. Obama signed an executive order entitled "National Defense Resources Preparedness", which gives the 'right' of the government to take any resources or personal labor it deems necessary for the national defense. The writing is on the wall for anyone who cares to read it. We are all prisoners in a system gone horribly wrong. That the curtailment of these liberties is done in the name of our own 'protection' adds irony and insult to the situation. Whether we acknowledge these uncomfortable facts or not is a question only of how much we are paying attention. We are not free, in any political sense of the word, and we seem to be losing what little freedoms that still remain at an ever accelerating rate.

Thus I find the message of Pesach speaks ever more poignantly, as the world sinks deeper into galut. We must remember that the Lord delivered us from Egyptian bondage in order to tie us to His Will, as laid out in the Torah values of tzedek, emet, v shalom (justice, truth and peace). We Jews are no strangers to coping in times where injustice prevails. During the Pesach seder, we tell the story of the Bnei Brak seder during the times of the Roman occupation of Israel. There Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaryah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon were reclining and discussing the Exodus from Egypt, illustrating that we must keep the memory of redeption alive even in the darkest hours. While we can no longer count on miracles like the parting of the Reed Sea, we fortunately have the holiday of Purim to prepare us for the redemption of Pesach. Purim reminds us that the Lord works through human actions as exemplified by Esther's bravery and courage in confronting the King regarding the injustice of Haman's plans. Thus we must work to bring the light of truth where darkness lies, and Justice to where tyranny reigns, on both physical and spiritual levels. Today is the Spring Equinox, the perfect balancing point between light and darkness. By remembering the lessons of the Exodus story, we push ever onward toward the light, where Justice and Righteousness shall prevail.

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.”

The five fruits are thus grapes (vines), figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates (honey), while the two grains are wheat and barley. Other species that are associated with the holiday of Tu B’Shvat are almonds (whose trees are the first to blossom in the spring, right around the time of Tu B’Shvat) and the carob. In last month’s blog post I focused primarily on the olive and olive oil, and the hidden meanings behind these. This was especially relevant last month as olive oil plays an important role in the holiday of Hannukah.

There are, in fact, deeper meanings to all of the fruits and grains used to describe the Land of Israel. As this fascinating article points out (based on the teachings of the Lubovitcher Rebbe), each of the Seven Species corresponds to a different attribute found in all people. The wheat is said to be nourishment for the human spirit inside all people, while the barley is considered as nourishment for the animal spirit contained within us. Grapes correspond to Joy, because wine makes you joyous; "my wine, which makes joyous G-d and men." (Judges 9:13). The fig – involvement, the pomegranate – deeds, olives – struggle (because they must be pressed to make oil), and the date represents our capacity for peace, tranquility and perfection. Of course, these fruits and grains are mentioned in multiple sources in Tanach, thus adding depth of meaning and alternative associations with each species.

These 7 species provide a tangible reminder of the Holy Land to Jews living in the diaspora, and help us feel connected to the Land of Israel, especially when fruits grown in Israel can be found. As the Land of Israel is holy, the fruits that grow from its soil have a special connection to the land. When we eat the fruits we ingest the holiness of the land with the fruits.

Tu B’Shvat is also one of the 4 new year’s mentioned in the first mishnah in tractate Rosh Hashanah. This means that there are some similarities between Rosh Hashana (which falls on the first of Tishrei) and Rosh HaShana ha Ilanot (Tu B’Shvat). The Torah says that “man is like a tree of the field” (Deut 20:19). Therefore, said the Lubavitcher rebbe, this day reveals a special aspect of Rosh Hashanah. “The Rosh Hashanah of the trees adds a level of fulfillment above [and beyond] that associated with Rosh Hashana, the day of man’s creation . . . Since Tu B’Shvat is the Rosh Hashanah of the trees, it generates new life-energy for [all] those dimensions of a Jew’s [divine] service which are compared to trees.” Rabbi Yisrael, the rabbi of Ger, writes; “Tu B’Shvat, which is the new year of the trees, is also a new year [for people] and a time for self-accounting and repentance. . . A person should take stock of his life when the trees are renewing themselves and preparing to produce fruits. That is when each one of us should consider how to renew himself in the service of God, for: ”One hour of repentance and good deeds is better than all the life of the world-to-come” (Avot 4:22).

From these quotes we can see that Tu B’Shvat is an auspicious time of year not just for trees, but for people as well. May we be able to channel the energy of the fruits that we bless and eat on Tu B’Shvat toward living our lives in accordance with the Divine Will. May we feel a connection to the holy Land of Israel by eating of fruits which are grown there, or by eating of the 7 species to which Israel is compared. In so doing, we bring down divine blessing that our activities should bare fruit just as we pray for the trees to bare fruit. May this Tu B’Shvat be a sweet, joyous, and fruitful new year for us all!

As today is the first day of Chanukah, I think it a fitting time to reflect on the virtues of olives and olive oil; their benefits, and some of their hidden meanings.

The story of Chanukah is the age-old struggle of the Jewish people to remain Jewish in a non-Jewish world. According to the Talmudic legend, when the Hasmoneans recaptured and cleansed the Temple following their victory over the Syrians, they were able to find only a single vessel of oil sufficient for one day's lighting of the Menorah. But, as the story goes, a miracle occurred, and it burned for eight days. The nightly kindling of the Menorah with its increasingly brighter light has become a symbol for both our physical and spiritual resistance to tyranny and assimilation. Jewish tradition has preserved this twofold concept of resistance. The heroic Maccabean military triumph is counter-balanced by the words of the prophet Zechariah: "Not by might and not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord (4:6)."

The olive tree is unusual in having two flowers for each fruit, perhaps hinting at the idea that it takes both physical and spiritual strength in order to bear fruit. The Jewish people are compared to the olive tree by Jeremiah, who said;

"Why should My beloved be in My House? She has done vile deeds, many, and the holy flesh is passed from you; when you do evil, you rejoice. The Lord named you 'A leafy olive tree, Fair, with goodly fruit.' But with a great roaring sound He has set it on fire, and its boughs are broken. The Lord of Hosts, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because of the evil wrought by the House of Israel and the House of Judah, who angered Me by sacrificing to Baal" (11:15-17).

Rabbi Yohanan teaches: "Why are the People of Israel compared to an olive? To teach you that just as an olive does not give its oil except when crushed, so too the Jewish people do not repent and return to God except after being crushed by suffering" (Menachot 53b). The olive tree is not like other trees whose fruit ripens little by little. The fruit of an olive tree takes a long time to ripen; but then it ripens all at once, producing abundant fruit. So too, the Jewish people will finally repent in large numbers (Menachot 53b). Just as the purpose of the olive tree is fulfilled at its end, so will the Jewish people's purpose be fulfilled at the end. May we merit to repent in love and joy, out of expansiveness and with all good things, rather than through the ordeal of suffering. Rabbi Yehoshuah ben Levi said: "Why is Israel compared to an olive tree? Because just as the leaves of the olive tree do not fall off either in summer or in winter, the Jewish people shall not be case off, either in this world or in the world-to-come" (Menachot 53b). Thus, while Jeremiah's comparison of the Jewish people to an olive tree forbodes terrible suffering (in the form of the tree being set on fire and its boughs broken), there is also an element of eternal perserverance and eventual redemption inherent in its symbolism. The olive tree, a survivor in the extreme, thrives in conditions of poor soil, draught, and intense heat. This is indeed an apt metaphor for the Jewish people, who have survived harsh circumstances throughout our history, and who have been watered by the deep waters of the Torah.

The connections and contrast between olives and olive oil is also indicative of the transformation that occurrs through the process of crushing olives in order to make olive oil. The olive fruit is a bitter fruit, which cannot be eaten directly from the tree. Rather, it must be brined in order to be eaten, or crushed into olive oil. In contrast to the bitter olive fruit, olive oil is considered to be sweet in taste. The rabbis in the Midrash note about olives and olive oil that what began as bitter ends as sweet (Sefer HaShirim Rabbah 1:2). It is reported that the Seer of Lublin said, "the olive represents the high spiritual state where a person's devotion is so intense that he is absorbed into the divine nothingness, so that each moment he forgets and remembers nothing. Olive oil, said the seer, represents the state of drawing this exalted divine light down to where memory returns in the form of wisdom" (Rosh Hashanah LaIlanot, p.60). This comparison of olive oil to divine light is both metaphorical and very literal — for olive oil is litterally the fuel that was burned in the Temple lights. The rabbis taught: "Just as olive oil [used for lamps] brings light to the world, so do the People of Israel bring light to the world, as it says: Nations shall walk by your light'" (Isaiah 60:3) (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:2).

There are many more meanings of olives and olive oil that I have not even addressed; the olive branch representing Peace, and the olive leaf in the mouth of the dove which Noah sent out symbolizing the regeneration of the earth following the flood. For more insights into olive oil and its many meanings, I recommend Cafe Neisharim's teaching on The Wisdom of Olive Oil. Then, too, there are the culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic applications of olives and olive oil which could fill volumes. Hardly a day goes by without a new scientific revelation regarding the benefits of olive products and their constituent ingredients for health and wellbeing. Heart health, skin benefits, immunity boosting powers, and anti-aging support are some of the most studied and widely cited applications of the olive tree. Whether as a food, for fuel, or as a metaphor for light, peace and perserverance, the olive cannot be beaten (but it can be crushed — pun intended). It is truly a miraculous fruit. Who knew that something so rich in taste was so deep in meaning as well! I hope you have an olive oil filled Chanukah, one in which the light from the flames shine out in contrast to the darkness of the Winter Solstice, and one in which the bitterness represented by the olive fruit is transformed into the sweetness represented by the olive oil.

Though a Sukkah exists on the material realm as a physical dwelling, there is also an element of Sukkot that transcends both time and space. As autumn leaves change color and fall to the ground, we are confronted with the stark realities of time and change. We read from Kohelet, who reminds us that, “A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven. A time for being born and a time for dying, A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted. . . “ When we sit in a sukkah we mark the changing of the seasons and the passage of time. By marking time in this way, we participate in rituals which bring us both back in history and forward into the future.

Sukkot is a remembrance of the Jewish people’s wandering through the desert after having been freed from slavery. During this period, we were a people without a homeland, wholly dependent on divine sustenance for our very survival. Yet Sukkot is also a remembrance of the Temple period, when the Jewish people were settled and prosperous in Eretz Yisrael. Having gathered in the harvest of the land, Sukkot was a pilgrimage holiday to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer thanks. There seems here something of an internal paradox of Sukkot’s meanings; it is both a remembrance of times of homelessness as well as times of settled prosperity. Add to this a third dimension of Sukkot’s symbolism, that of the future Messianic era when the whole world will be wrapped in the great Sukkah of the Leviathan, and the Sukkah becomes a place outside of our usual conceptions of the time-space continuum. Also consider that in addition to inviting friends, family, strangers and other guests into the Sukkah, we make special invitations and set chairs for our ancestors in the Ushpizin blessings, where we invite Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David in to dwell in the Sukkah with us. How outside of our usual paradigm concerning the nature of the time-space continuum indeed!

In short, I am entranced by this holiday with its myriad meanings and rituals. From shaking tree branches and smelling the wonderful fragrance of the etrog to sitting outside sharing meals with both old friends and people you just met, Sukkot is a holiday that gives me great joy. Despite the paradoxes of the holiday, or perhaps because of them, Sukkot is a time of great rejoicing. In our liturgy, Sukkot is referred to as Chag HaSukkot, zeman simchateinu, the Festival of Sukkot, the season of our joy. For in a world filled with seeming paradox, joy resides in recognizing the unity of all things. Thus we feel happiness and joy when we engage in Sukkot mitzvot, stepping outside the usual constraints of time and space into an other-worldly dimension which hints at the Messianic future of the world-to-come. Chag Sukkot Sameach!

Having previously examined the issue of Genetically Engineered Organisms and Kashrut, I'd like to focus this month's blog on what I see as the other two most harmful medical misconceptions of our age — water fluoridation and vaccinations. In both cases, the media and medical establishments have claimed that these practices will help humanity, when in fact they have caused tremendous harm. Additionally, it will be shown that water fluoridation and vaccinations violate the Torah principles of kashrut, pekuach nefesh, and ushmartem es nafshoseichem (taking proper care of one's health) and therefore ought to be considered as treif and assur.

Lets begin with the issue of water fluoridation. Water fluoridation was first put into use by the Nazis, who purposefully put sodium fluoride into drinking water in the ghettos and prison camps. The Nazi's of course had little concern about sodium fluoride's 'supposed' effect on children's teeth; instead, their reason for mass-medicating water with sodium fluoride was an attempt to sterilize and force the people in the concentration camps into bovine submission. (See for reference: "The Crime and Punishment of I.G. Farben" written by Joseph Borkin) You see, repeated doses of small amounts of fluoride will in time reduce an individual's power to resist domination, by slowly poisoning and narcotizing the body and brain (the pituitary and thyroid glands, primarily), thus making him submissive and sickly.

Did you know that fluoride is classified as a pesticide by the EPA? In fact, here is a LIST of pesticides derived from Fluorides. Did you know that sodium Fluoride is also one of the basic ingredients in both PROZAC (FLUoxetene Hydrochloride) and Sarin Nerve Gas (Isopropyl-Methyl-Phosphoryl FLUORIDE) In fact, Sodium Fluoride is nothing more (or less) than a hazardous waste by-product of the nuclear and aluminum industries. In addition to being the primary ingredient in rat and cockroach poisons, it is also a main ingredient in anesthetic, hypnotic, and psychiatric drugs as well as military nerve gas! Why then is it allowed to be added to the toothpastes and drinking water of the American and Israeli people?

Historically, fluoride was quite expensive for the worlds' premier chemical companies to dispose of and caused many health problems to both humans and animals. However, Alcoa and the aluminum industry – with a vast overabundance of the toxic waste sold our government on the insane (but highly profitable) idea of buying this poison and then forcing it into our water supply. Consider also that when sodium Fluoride is injected into our drinking water, its level is approximately 1 part-per-million (ppm), but since we only drink ½ of one percent of the total water supply, the hazardous chemical literally 'goes down the drain' and voila – the chemical industry has not only a free hazardous waste disposal system – but we have also paid them handsomely in the process!! Given the fact that such a small percentage of drinking water is actually drunk, the claim that water fluoridation improves dental health seems even more spurious.

It does not take a Talmud Chacham to recognize that drinking poison is not a kosher thing to do. It should be obvious to any rabbi with a shred of scientific understanding that fluoride is not a kosher substance to be ingesting. The Torah commands us to protect human life, preserve our health, and to be fertile and multiply. Sodium Fluoride ingestion is contrary to these most basic Mitzvot. I urge readers of this column to seek out non-fluoridated sources of drinking water, such as spring water. Find a local spring if you can't afford to purchase spring water or a reverse-osmosis filter. Your health will thank you.

Now on to vaccinations. I have neither the space nor the time here to illucidate every problem with our current vaccine mentality. Suffice it to say that the myth that vaccines are beneficial to health is even more widespread than the myth that fluoride is good for oral health. Without going into a more extensive cost / benefit analysis of whether vaccines do more good than harm (perhaps for another post), let me point out a few of the more obvious problems with vaccines and Torah laws.

Vaccines are often composed of non-kosher ingredients, such as diseased monkey kidneys (Polio Vaccine) and cow pus and blood (small pox). Vaccines also involve extensive animal testing, which clearly violates the principle of tzar balei chaim (cruelty to animals). Vaccines also contain dangerous adjuvants such as aluminum and mercury (in the form of thymerisol), which have absolutely no place in the human body, much less being injected directly into the bloodstream. The use of vaccines has also had the exact opposite effect of that which it claims to do. Vaccine advocates claim that diseases (such as polio) have been wiped out thanks to successful vaccination campaigns. In fact, vaccines have actually caused certain diseases, and allowed others to persist or mutate when they would have otherwise died out. General improvements in sanitation and hygene are the true cause of the decline in polio rates, and new diseases such as cancer, MS, autism, and meningitis are becoming ever more widespread as vaccines reak their havoc on the world.

For anyone who cares for their health or who takes the Torah mitzvot of pikuach nefesh and kashrut seriously, it would seem a no-brainer to avoid vaccinations Unfortunately, there has not been condemnation of vaccines on religious grounds by any Jewish authorities or by any Jewish communities at large, as far as I am aware. I find this troubling, although I understand (but strongly disagree with) the rationalle behind this general acceptance of vaccines by the Jewish community. To a large extent, the Jewish community has usually embraced new medical technologies that claim to help people live longer, healthier lives. In a similar fashion to mainstream acceptance of GMO's and water fluoridation, Jewish leaders have been loathe to oppose medical 'advances', perhaps out of a fear to seem 'anti-progress' (like Scientologists or the Amish), or perhaps out of scientific ignorance. For medical 'advances' are not really advances if they do more harm than good.

The harm caused by water fluoridation and vaccines are indeed very great, and their potential benefits unclear and unproven. And yet, no significant cost / benefit analysis has been done by any rabbinic scientific authority, as far as I am aware. To the degree that rabbis have allowed vaccines despite the presence of non-kosher material present in them, this has been based on the principle of protection of life taking precedence over other mitzvot. This is a slippery slope argument, and one that I do not find particularly convincing. For if non-kosher ingredients are acceptable to be ingested under the pretense of preservation of life, then what about supplements such as Krill oil, glucosamine, and gelatin capsules? If some shoddy science were to come out that pork chops were good for our health, would the rabbis allow Jews to eat them? Of course not!!! Why then would the rabbis allow Jews to be injected with diseased monkey kidneys, preserved in aluminum??? Something is very wrong here indeed.

It is high time the Jewish community examine the water fluoridation and vaccination issues, for our collective health and fertility are truly at stake. From both a Jewish and a health freedom perspective, the issues of water fluoridation and vaccinations represent extreme dangers to our health and to carrying out the mitzvot of the Torah, and ought therefore to be opposed and avoided on these grounds.

Many critics of the Federal Reserve banking system blaim Jews aka "Zionists" for creating the financial system we have today. They cite as evidence the huge political and economic influence of the Rothschild family, and the role of Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke, both Jews, in chairing the Federal Reserve. Granted, these Jews have undoubtably had a large influence on the course of finance and banking, and therefore have influenced people's lives in countless ways. Whether they were acting in a way that is in fact either "Jewish" or "Zionist" I am highly skeptical about. In fact, the Torah has many prohibitions against charging interest when lending money to other Jews, and even when charging interest to non-Jews, there are mechanisms for debt forgiveness such as the Shmitah and Yovel years (which I have blogged about previously). Thus, most bankers activities should rightly be called "Anti-Jewish" and "Anti-Zionist", or at least called out as not in accordance with Torah law.

The bible speaks of gold and silver many times, both as forms of currency and as metals used to make the furnishings of the ark of the covenant and the vessels of the Temple. In fact, the Menorah, which once stood in the Temple in Jerusalem was made of pure gold, and was carried off to the Vatican, where it likely still remains. Offerings were often made in the form of silver and gold coins, or 'talents', which illustrates that gold and silver have been used as money since anciet times. How ironic that today we no longer consider gold and silver to be money, but rather 'assets'. This point of contention was recently discussed between Ron Paul and Ben Bernanke during a recent House Financial Services meeting in July. Other examples of gold in the Torah include the infamous "Golden Calf" incident, where Aaron fashioned a golden calf out of the Israelites gold earings, which upset Moses so much that he smashed the tablets he was carrying and had to go back up the mountain for a second set. Clearly, it is important not only to have gold, but to use it in ways which elevate the world rather than bring the world down into idol worship. As an interesting side note, the story of how the Israelite slaves were given the gold by the Egyptians shortly before their departure is also worthy of further examination. As this fascinating blog post points out, there is a strong connection between Biblical Prophesy and the precious metals market, in that both "subjects are quite related in that they focus on what the future will bring, and both subjects require a dedicated search for the truth."

Gold, silver and precious metals are also important beyond their traditional roles as money and as jewelry. Both are conductive of electricity, and have many industrial applications. Gold and silver also have important health uses, especially when the size of the molecules is broken down to colloidal size or smaller, in order to be absorbed by the body. According to Ayurveda, gold is spoken of alchemically as solidified sunrays, for its effects on living organisms are like those of the sun. Wearing gold purifies all energy entering the body, improves the skin and the body's overall beauty, and strengthens the joints and the beings overall energy. Silver has many antibacterial and anti-viral applications, being natures most powerful anti-viral agent, as well as one that has proven impossible for bacteria and virus to develop resistance to. Colloidal silver is therefore being explored as a natural cleaning alternative, showing greater success and lower costs than conventional chemical cleaners. It is thus quite natural for the prices of gold and silver to be skyrocketing, given the instability of other financial instruments and the inherant value represented by these metals. However, the environmentalist in me is concerned.

Gold is usually mined with the help of cyanide, a heavy metal that is quite toxic. Gold mining sites often results in the destruction of large amounts of land and water. An example is the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska which threatens to destroy vast swaths of land and pollute the Bristol Bay, which would decimate native salmon populations as well as the people who derive their livelihood from fishing. The environmental destruction that accompanies mining operations is often even worse in poorer countries, where lax laws, weak environmental standards, and illicit mining literally threaten to collapse whole mountains and destroy the environment in the process. In short, the precious metals, while extremely valuable and useful, are also extremely bad for the environment. And due to their value, the rate at which they are being brought out of the ground is likely only to increase in the future. How then do we balance our need / desires for these materials with our need / desires to live in a healthy and sustainable world? Once again, we must look to the Torah for guidance. For if we desire gold and silver only for the wealth and power such possesions represent, are we not worshiping a golden calf? Let not our lust for silver and gold and our desires for wealth and power lead us down the path toward idol worship. For then we would be truly lost.The Torah calls upon us to elevate the material world by putting it to use in the service of a higher spiritual calling. It is only by elevating the material world that we can bring about true healing to the world, Tikun Olam. Let us therefore acquire wealth and gold not for their own sake, but only as means to the end of furthering truth, justice and righteousness in the world.

I have worked myself up into a state of near-frenzy lately, driven by my concern for the state of the world and its inhabitants. Despite my best efforts to remain calm, it seems to me that Chicken-Little’s call of, “The Sky is Falling” rings truer every day. From widespread environmental destruction to pending economic collapse to illegal and unconstitutional U.S. military aggression, the future of the humanity is looking gloomier on a daily basis, headed, it seems, for a catastrophe of biblical proportions. This is perhaps an appropriate feeling for this time in the Jewish calendar, as we have just entered the period of semi-mourning known as the “three weeks” between the 17^th of Tammuz and the 9^th of Av.

However, never one to be paralyzed by fear or cave into feelings of impotence and apathy, there is a brighter side to the coin as well. To give in to feelings of doom and gloom would be to give up in the fight for truth, justice, security, and sustainability. My committment to these principles, shared by many others around the world, dictates that we will never give up fighting for a more just and equitable society. This determination is one reason I still retain hope. The Torah enjoins us in Deut.16:20 “Tzedek, Tzedek tirdof” (Justice, Justice shall you pursue). While we may never achieve complete Justice, this is not an excuse for failing to pursue it. Additionally, to give in to feelings of depression, fear and apathy would be to demonstrate a lack of faith in Hashem, and a corresponding lack of faith in humanity. We should always remember that when one door closes, another opens. Thus, our current state of impending crisis will open up new opportunities for humanity that were previously unknown or ignored. Just as these three weeks of mourning will be transformed into days of celebration once the Moshiach arrives, so to can concern for the future be transformed into healing action in the present.

I take some solace from the visionary works of two genius inventors – Buckminster Fuller and Nicolai Tesla. Both of these men had groundbreaking technological breakthroughs that were revolutionary for their times. Unfortunately, and for a variety of reasons, both men have been marginalized to a degree, so that neither their names nor inventions have received the public attention or widespread application that they deserve. Tesla is perhaps the greatest inventor of the modern age, known primarily for his work on alternating current (AC) systems and motors. Less well-known is Tesla’s unfinished (and since destroyed) Wardenclyffe Tower project, which aspired to the goal of intercontinental wireless transmission of industrial power. Had this project been completed, we likely could have avoided the peak oil crisis we find ourselves in today, due to an unlimited, free, and non-polluting source of energy being readily available to all. However, the project’s funder, J.P. Morgan, pulled the plug on the experiment, allegedly claiming that if the project proved successful, there would be “nowhere to put the meter.” Buckminster Fuller’s life was a self-described “experimentto find what a single individual could contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity”. Fuller’s work concentrated on the fullest utilization of resources in order to benefit all humanity, of “doing more with less”, and focussed primarily in the fields of housing, transportation, and energy systems. Most successful of his ideas were geodesic domes, which take the least amount of materials in order to cover the largest amount of space. This concept was later applied on the microscopic level with the naming of “Fullerines” and “Bucky Balls,” which are the basis for carbon tubing and nanotechnology.

The works of these two men show that there is very little that we can’t accomplish, technologically speaking, should we set our minds to it. However, the fact that both men died in poverty and relative ignomy illustrates that good ideas are not always utilized by humanity in the ways that they should be. Nevertheless, the inventions of Fuller and Tesla do show that there is indeed a way out of the environmental crisis we find ourselves in today. In fact, these solutions have been in existence for a long time, only there was not the same urgency then that there is today. Just as electric vehicles were first used in the late 1800’s, then fell out of fashion, and only recently have enjoyed a comeback, so too can we look back on history in order to re-examine good ideas which have not yet had their day in the sun.

As an example of how quickly technology and new discoveries can change humanity’s situation, we need only look at Israel in the past year. Previously, it was thought that Israel had no real energy reserves to speak of. Golda Meir once quipped that G-d led the Jewish people to the only place in the Middle-East without oil. However, that situation is rapidly changing, with the discovery of a huge deposit of natural gas off the coast of Haifa and even more recently, the discovery of oil shale in the Shfela Basin. Of course, these resources could prove to be an environmental catastrophe or an economic boom, it really depends on how they are utilized. If this article can be believed, new heating technologies can be used to extract the shale oil with clean water resulting as a byproduct of the process. In sharp contrast to this method, fracking is currently an environmentally risky and extremely water-intensive process. While I remain skeptical about the claims that fracking in Israel can be done in ways that are neither environmentally risky nor water-intensive, it is encouraging to see that new technologies are being examined to solve the energy problems of the future without sacrificing the environment of today.

The Jewish people find themselves at the nexus of a unique and critical juncture in history. As living embodiments of Torah values, we must shine the light of truth into the darkest corners of the universe. Above all, my faith in technology and in humanity stems from my faith in G-d almighty. For humans were created in the divine image, and our technological developments all stem from the natural world that G-d created. Thus, to lose hope in the face of humanity’s many challenges is ultimately a loss of faith in Hashem. And while it is right to question the choices that society makes and to keep a keen eye on the direction that humanity is headed, it is equally important to retain our faith in G-d. For without faith, we are truly lost. With faith, however, humanity can be redeemed from our imminent crisis and instead we can create a better and more just world. It all depends on Emunah – Faith in G-d. This Emunah must rest only in G-d and not in man, the psalmists repeatedly warn us. Nevertheless, G-d has endowded mankind with great technological capabilities and has allowed humanity to utilize technology for our material purposes. Thus, technology has the potential to benefit or to destroy humanity, it all depends on how it is utilized. Fortunately, we have the Torah as the moral compass to guide us, entreating us to always remember that technology should be used only to help mankind in their duty to serve and praise G-d, not to construct a Tower of Babel for self-serving interests. We must keep our Torah values in the forefront of our minds at all times when examining the role that technology plays in our lives, lest it be a stumbling block rather than a step-up towards fulfilling humanity’s destiny.

Throughout Jewish liturgy, the number seven represents the natural cycle. Thus, the week is composed of seven days, and many Jewish holidays are seven days long. By counting seven periods of seven, we are reminded that the natural order of the universe is based on a base of seven. However, by marking the 50^th as the pinnacle commemoration beyond the seven periods of seven, we recognize Hashem as the ultimate power above and beyond all of nature. This 50^th day is celebrated as the holiday of Shavuot, and the 50^th year as the Yovel year. These holidays mark the primacy of G-d over the natural world.

Torah requirements for the yovel year

1) We perform no agricultural work in Eretz Yisrael in the last year of every seven years, that we consider all produce which grows (by itself) that year ownerless and allow the poor and the animals to take it;

2) We cancel all loans between Jews in this seventh year;

3) We treat the last year of every fifty years just like we treat a seventh year, abstaining from agricultural work etc.;

4) We free all Jewish slaves in this fiftieth year;

5) We return to the original owners all land which has been sold in the past forty-nine years.

Lets look at the effect of these mitzvot on us: they shatter the illusion we might otherwise begin to believe that the 'reality' of earning our bread is the real reality and that worshipping HaShem is a nice addendum but is not part of the hard-nosed real world. There is perhaps nothing more hard-nosed and real than shmita and yovel. Imagine if this were to happen next week, the government announces that all work is to stop for the next year, all food which grows is deemed ownerless, all debts are canceled, all land returns to the people who owned it half a century ago. Sound like a recipe for economic chaos and disaster? Exactly! By mandating this behavior, the Torah punctures our illusion of reality and shoves it aside before a more real reality: we are forced to recognize that we own what we do only by the generosity of HaShem and that the economy is completely instrumental; it is not at all important in any axiological sense, it is there only to facilitate our service of HaShem.

This lesson is so important that it is followed by a series of warnings about what will happen if we do not keep the mitzvot of shmita and yovel: the blessings and curses^[105]. The fact that the blessings and curses is aimed primarily at reinforcing our observance of shmita and yovel is supported by several features of the text. Most basically, the Torah's placing the blessings and curses immediately after the mitzvot of shmita and yovel intimates that the warnings apply most directly to these mitzvot.

The connection between shmita / yovel and the blessings and curses is strengthened further by the 'bookends' with which the Torah surrounds the section on shmita and yovel and the blessings and curses. We note that the Torah begins the parasha with the news that what we are about to learn was delivered by HaShem to Moshe at Sinai. Then come the mitzvot of shmita and yovel. Then comes the, and just after the blessings and curses, the Torah places another bookend, reporting that what we have just read was what HaShem communicated to Moshe at Sinai. (Another such bookend appears at the end of Parashat BeHukotai, sealing Sefer VaYikra.) What the Torah may be hinting again by placing bookends before shmita / yovel and after the blessings and curses is that these warnings are aimed at neglect of these mitzvot in particular.

Further and more explicit evidence of the connection between the blessings and curses and shmita / yovel can be found in the text of the blessings and curses itself. As the blessings and curses begins, it sounds like a general warning about neglecting any of the mitzvot: (26:14-15) "If you do not listen to Me, and do not do all of these mitzvot; if you despise My laws, and if your souls revile My statutes, by not doing all of My mitzvot, thereby abrogating My covenant . . . ." However, as we move toward the end of the blessings and curses, it seems clearer that the phrase "all of these mitzvot" refers not to the mitzvot as a whole, but to "these mitzvot" which have just been discussed: shmita and yovel. After the Torah describes how the rebellious nation would be driven out of its land:

"Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths [=shmita years], all the days of its abandonment, with your being in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths! All the days of its abandonment, it shall rest the rests it did not rest during your Sabbaths [i.e., during the years that were supposed to have been shmita years], when you lived upon it!" (26:34-35).

"The land shall be abandoned of them, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths in its abandonment from them, and they [the nation] shall expiate for their sin, since they despised My statutes and their souls reviled My laws" (26:43).

We commit sins, unnamed at the beginning of the blessings and curses, but by the end it seems apparent that the abandonment of the land and the consequent cessation of its cultivation through agriculture atones for the sins. The best conclusion: the sins referred to by the blessings and curses are the neglect of shmita and yovel. Our not ceasing working the land during shmita requires our exile from the land so that it can rest on the Sabbaths we have denied it; our not canceling loans during shmita requires that we become impoverished and powerless; our not returning land to its owners during yovel requires that we be denied ownership over even our own land; our not freeing Jewish slaves during yovel requires that we ourselves be taken captive and sold as slaves by those whom HaShem sends to conquer us; midah keneged midah, measure for measure.

MEETING THE CHALLENGE:

The Torah knows how difficult it is to keep shmita and yovel. It is certainly a tall order to take a forced sabbatical, to resist the urge to try to make the maximum profit by planting during this year, and to trust that HaShem will provide enough food to compensate for this year's lack of harvest. It is a tremendous challenge to forgive all loans to Jews every seven years. It is certainly no simple matter to release one's hold on one's real estate empire and return the parcels of land to their owners, and in a society which accepts slavery, it is almost 'unrealistic' to expect that slave owners will release their Jewish slaves in response to a Divine command. But this is what shmita and yovel demand.

The Torah prepares us for the challenge of shmita and yovel in various ways. One way is the blessings and curses, a warning of the dire consequences of neglect: disease, destruction, disaster, death. Other indications that the Torah expects these mitzvot to run into resistance, and other ways in which the Torah tries to strengthen us, are amply provided by the text itself. First, the Torah anticipates our fear that if we do not plant in the seventh year, we will starve:

Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:20-21 If you shall say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year? After all, we shall not be planting or gathering our produce!" I shall command My blessing for you in the sixth year, and it will provide produce for three years.

Next, the Torah anticipates that canceling all loans to Jews will prove a very unpopular mitzva, and duly warns and encourages us:

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 15:7-10 If there shall be among you a pauper, from among your brothers, in one of your gates, in your land, which HaShem your God is giving to you–do not harden your heart and do not close your hand to your poor brother; instead, completely open your hand to him and lend him enough to provide whatever he lacks. Beware lest there be an evil thought in your heart, saying, "The seventh year, the year of shmita [literally, 'cancellation'] is approaching," and your shall look ungenerously upon your poor brother, and you shall not give to him, and he shall call out against you to HaShem, and there will be sin in you. You shall surely give to him, and let your heart not be bitter when you when you give him, for because of this thing HaShem, your God, shall bless you in all of your works and in all of your efforts.

Yovel hints to the geulah (redemption). In the 50th year, the shofar is blown and all slaves are set free. In the same way, the Bnei Yisrael will be set free from our slavery in galut (exile). There is a second way that yovel hints to the geulah. The word yovel is just like the word yovilu. The word yovilu is written in Tehillim (76:12): all the nations "yovilu shai" — will bring gifts to HaShem when the geulah comes. Thus, the mizvah of Yovel has the potential to bring about the redeption of the world.

As our environmental, political, and economic situation seems to be rapidly deteriorating, our tradition provides the recipe to repair these broken systems and create a radically new relationship between humankind, G-d, and the world. On a daily basis, we are reminded of the world’s growing “Debt Crisis” and fed false political solutions such as “Austerity Measures” that are met with growing protest by people who would be harmed by such actions. It is high time we remember that other solutions are possible. The counting of the Omer with its culmination in Shavuot on the 50^th day and the counting of seven groups of seven years with their culmination in the Yovel year provide the prototypes for how we can heal the various ailments afflicting us in order to attain the ultimate fulfillment of the world. It is my sincere hope that we may merit to fulfill these mitzvot speedily and in our days, thus liberating humanity from its current state of galut (exile).

Perhaps this is heretical talk for an environmental blog, but I have always been skeptical of Global Warming alarmists. From the start, I have felt this issue was a distraction from the more pressing environmental issues of our time. What does it matter if sea levels are going to rise decades from now, I thought, if there is already no healthy food to eat, no clean water to drink, few rainforests left in which to preserve rare & endangered species, and the air and land have all been poisoned with toxins and radiation. In other words, I have always felt that Global Warming diverted people’s attention from more immediate and pressing environmental causes. Second, I have serious reservations about the term “Global Warming” to begin with. I believe this phrase is both misleading and innacurate. The term “Global Warming” posits that the globe is getting warmer, when in fact the global temperature over the past 13 years has been in a cooling trend. Third, global warming believers also posit that it is man-made actions that have led to global temperature change, when in fact there are many diverse factors that play into global temperatures, including very powerful natural forces such as sun-spots, ocean currents, etc. Thus, the term “Man Made Global Warming” posits a simplistic view of weather patterns (ignoring natural causes of weather) as well as factually innacurate descriptions (“warming” when in fact we are in a period of cooling). There is also the scientific critique of global warming advocates which should be examined. Most weathermen have a hard time predicting the weather next week, let alone years or decades down the road. Global Warming advocates have played all sorts of statistical tricks, such as the “Hockey Stick” effect, to get the data to conform to their pre-determined conclusions. Global Warming advocates have also manipulated historical temperature data to hide evidence contrary to their position, such as downplaying past Ice Ages and the Medieval Warm Period, which indicate that temperatures have greatly fluctuated on Earth way before the burning of fossil fuels by humans.

Let me be clear. I love the Earth and want to protect it. I do not support wasteful consumption habits and I oppose all types of environmental pollution, including that which results in wasteful emmissions into the atmosphere. That being said, true environmentalists need to revise and refine their message so that it can appeal to a broader base of support. Rather than focussing on “Man-Made Global Warming,” environmentalists would have a much broader appeal if they were to keep their focus on “wasteful consumption of resources”. For instance, rather than telling an SUV driver that they should give up their vehicle because it will cause flooding on some remote Pacific Island 20 years from now, we would do better to emphasize that car emissions are responsible for a rise in asthma rates in the city in which they live. Once people realize that their SUV’s not only cost a lot to fill up, but also are giving their friends, neighbors, and their children asthma, they will be more likely to modify their actions.

I believe we need to explore our Jewish worldview in order to gain a clearer understanding of this debate. Judaism views G-d as the ultimate controller of all things. Our liturgy is filled with reminders that when we act righteously, G-d rewards our actions with rain, good harvests, and environmental bounty. When we act in ways that violate our covenant with G-d, we are punished with harsh weather conditions, lack of food, and environmental scarcity. The second paragraph of the Shema prayer, taken from Deut 11: 13-21, makes this abundantly clear. Ultimately, G-d is in charge of the environment, but our actions play a role as well. The Jewish view of climate change, then, is really quite simple – “Act well and the environment will be well, act badly and the environment will act badly.” For all the debate on climate change going on in our society today (often with political pursuasion playing a role in that debate), we are loosing touch with this basic truth – that our actions DO have an effect on the environment around us. However, this effect is difficult to measure, and may not work in the mechanistic manners in which we previously thought. Whether the earth is warming or cooling, and whether this is an effect of human actions or divine “natural occurrences” is really a distraction from the most basic issue. As things stand today, we are not acting righteously, and therefore we are being punished (i.e. taught) that we must reform our actions in order to prevent environmental and human catastrophe.

I believe the Jewish concept of Ba’al Tashchit (Do Not Waste) can provide the framework by which we can raise humanity out of its destructive practices. While originally only pertaining to not cutting down fruit trees during the siege of a city, Ba’al Tashchit was expanded by the rabbis to include all forms of waste, down to the prohibition against wasting food, tearing garments, and clogging wells. As Jewish environmentalists, we must promote the concepts of Ba’al Tashchit and “ethical behavior” as the precepts for healing the earth. A continued focus on man-made global warming will only confuse the debate and polarize people based on ideological, political and scientific disagreements. However, when the debate is re-framed into a debate on “Waste” vs “No Waste” and “Righteous Action” vs. “Immoral Action”, it is easy to see how people will become unified where previously there was dis-unity. Only through unified action in accordance with Divine Will will we be able to solve the many problems facing humanity and the world.

Already this year, my 6^th grade Sunday school class has covered a range of topics. We have discussed the laws of pe’ah, shmittah, yovel, bikurim and orlah. We have studied Jewish text on care for the Earth, treating animals with compassion, Ba’al Tashchit, and focused heavily on the role Trees play in Jewish liturgy in preparation for the leading of the Tu B’Shvat seder. We have also covered several texts from Tanach with an eye for environmental themes, including the books of Jonah, Esther, Ruth & Kohelet as well as Psalms and Proverbs. For most of my students, this was their first time being exposed to these texts, and they enjoyed the opportunity. Besides these text studies and environmentally themed discussions, the students have also done a fair amount of work in the garden, which functions as an outdoor experiential-learning classroom. The week before Pesach, the students dug up several large horseradish roots from the garden and brought these home to their families for use on the seder plate. The students were thrilled to get their hands dirty digging in the soil and to be able to bring home food that they grew themselves. I feel all these experiences have contributed to the student’s understanding of Judaism as a religion that requires us to care for the Earth and its inhabitants. Yet I wonder what kind of a lasting impact this will have on their lives as they grow up and how these experiences will shape their choices in the future.

As the temperature warms up here in Chicago, it is tempting to allocate more class time to gardening activities. The garden is currently blossoming with all types of colorful and fragrant bulbs, and the radish seeds we planted in April have sprouted, hopefully growing fast enough to be ready for harvest by the last week of school. Weeding, watering & planting needs notwithstanding, I am feeling conflicted that time spent in the garden not take away from the Jewish educational needs of the students. Ideally, I would like the students to leave my class not just with a stronger commitment to caring for the earth, but also with a deeper appreciation for and understanding of what it means to be a Jew. I would like them to make the connections that being a Jew means being a light unto the nations and that one way we can demonstrate this commitment is through proper stewardship of the Earth.

Perhaps due to the vastness of the Jewish liturgy, I am feeling that much remains for my students to have learned this year. I would have liked to cover the Shir Ha Shirim, Lamentations, and more of the prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Job. I would have liked to do a unit on Zionism and Israel, in order to help make the connections in the student’s minds that Eretz Yisrael is the Jewish people’s eternal homeland, and that our care for that particular land is particularly important to the future of humanity. I would have liked to have exposed the students to more of the siddur, so that they could have come to realize the emphasis given to moral conduct and its rewards of environmental prosperity. In short, there is much left for them to learn.

In fact, there is much left for all of us to learn, myself included. In this complicated age of technological advancement and impending environmental destruction, all of humanity is rapidly approaching a tipping point in which we will suffer dire consequences if we fail to learn the lessons of personal and collective responsibility. We are all in need of Tikkun, and this is reflected in the state of our society as a whole. The road ahead for all of us is uncertain and likely to be rough and filled with great challenges. In looking back on this year of teaching religious school, I can only hope that my student’s have learned to be proud of their Jewish ancestry, and to embrace Judaism as a sacred and unique way of life. My hope is that they now have a basic understanding of Judaism as a religion that enjoins us to pursue Truth, Justice and Loving Kindness and to be good stewards of the Earth. Once this basis is established, they will then have their consciousness sparked in order to continue down a path of lifelong Torah learning. With the confidence that comes from self-awareness and the Torah as a guide, we cannot fail to in our mission of repairing the world.

To quote Psalm 1:1-3

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Chapter 47 of Genesis provides a striking contrast between the fortunes of the Children of Jacob and the fortunes of the Egyptians and Canaanites who are suffering through a seven year famine. In this chapter, the famine in Canaan and the earlier revelation of Joseph’s position of power have led the Children of Jacob to emigrate to Egypt, where they are set up with food and land holdings in the Goshen area, which is described as the “best of the land.”

"Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents." (Gen 47:11-12).

Although not able to live in the land of their promised inheritance, the Children of Jacob enjoy a high standard of living and material comforts after moving to Egypt. “Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt,in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” (Gen 47:27) This position of enjoying great material comforts while living in Diaspora is not unlike the position many American Jews find themselves in today. American Jews certainly have risen to positions of influence and great material wealth that living in the world’s “greatest super-power” has provided. Just as Egypt was the super-power of that time and provided food for the rest of the world, so America has been the super-power of the 20^th century, and has provided the majority of the world’s grain supplies from the 1930’s onward, thus earning it the title of “Breadbasket of the World”.

In sharp contrast to this state of comfort and security, the other inhabitants of Egypt are reduced to a state of indentured servitude as a result of Joseph’s economic policies during the seven years of famine. Joseph had wisely advised Pharaoh to stockpile grain during the seven years of plenty in order to have enough in store for the seven years of famine that lay ahead. Now that the seven years of famine had begun, Joseph exploited these stockpiles of food in order to concentrate all wealth, land, and power into the hands of the Pharaoh. During the first year of the famine, Joseph sold the food for all the money in Egypt and Canaan. Once the money had run out, Joseph traded food for livestock and herds of animals. Once the money and livestock had all been concentrated in Pharaoh’s hands, Joseph then acquired all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, and made all the people into servants. Joseph then allowed the people to plant seeds, but mandated that 20% of everything they grew would belong to the Pharaoh, thus keeping them in a position of serfdom. (Gen 47:13-26). This story here described mimics what is happening worldwide today with regard to the consolidation of wealth, land, and power in the hands of a few over the welfare of the world’s population as a whole. Today, banks, multi-national corporations and corrupt governments have taken on the role of Pharaoh in ammassing enormous wealth at the expense of the world’s poor.

To be fair, Joseph did indeed save people from starvation, and for this the rabbis often praise him in his handling of the affair. However, Jospeh was also directly responsible for the poverty, enslavement and land appropriation of these people into the hands of Pharaoh. Could not a more equitable and egalitarian approach have been taken regarding planning for this catastrophe and its aftermath? What if Joseph had announced to everyone that there would be 7 good years proceeded by 7 years of famine, so that the people could stockpile food for themselves? What if Joseph had sold the food at a lower cost so that people would not starve but also would not be bankrupted? Perhaps this would not have generated great wealth for Pharaoh, but it would have been a more compassionate approach towards those who were suffering from hunger.

The contrast between the material comforts of the Israelites in Goshen compared to the poverty and suffering of the Egyptians during this same period is not often discussed by Rabbinnic authorities or others. For in admitting that the Israelites had cush lives that they had acquired through nepotism, while the rest of Egypt went through radical totalitarian upheaval, is not an easy situation to confront. Jewish people today often reflect on the hardships of slavery while in Egypt, and yet neglect to mention these years of material abundance that preceeded them, even as we were witnesses (and perhaps accessories) to the enslavement of the Egyptians during that time. Perhaps we should just chalk up this whole affair to “Divine Providence” and thus wash our hands of any collective responsibility we might share through Joseph’s actions for the enslavement of other people. Perhaps our own cognitive dissonance would rather remain undisturbed than to admit that Joseph was the instrumental player in enslaving the Egyptians into Pharaoh’s hands.

However, if we are to learn from this story and apply it to our lives today, we must confront the actions of Joseph in an honest and critical way. For while Joseph and the Israelites were successful and materially comfortable for a period of time, eventually this time of prosperity subsided and a new King arose who “knew not Joseph.” (Exodus 1:8) In time, the Israelite were also made into slaves of the Egyptian empire, just as others had been during Joseph’s reign. The Torah thus illustrates the Karmic principle of “that which you do unto others you do onto yourself.” Their positions of wealth and comfort having fallen abruptly by the wayside, the children of Israel were then subjected to 400 years of degrading slavery, which began to forge them into the nation that they were to become. We must ask whether it was not Joseph’s actions of enslaving people during the famine that caused us to later become slave ourselves. Had Joseph divined a more equitable solution to the problem of food distribution during times of famine, perhaps the Israelites would have been spared the experience of slavery themselves. Of course, we cannot answer these hypothetical questions definitively, but they are worth considering. In this day and age, we face many similar circumstances to that period in Egypt, so we would be advised to learn from our history lest we be doomed to repeat it.

The lessons from this period in our history seem incredibly applicable to the current economic and environmental context of today. As mentioned previously, American Jewry of today has had a good share of material prosperity not unlike that during our initial time in Goshen. Just as the enormous wealth of Egypt was consolidated into the hands of the Pharaoh through Joseph’s policies, so to today enormous quantities of wealth are being stockpiled in the hands of banks, multi-national corporations and governments that do not represent their people. Even the control of seeds themselves, which Joseph acquired and then leveraged to force people into servitude is again playing itself out in the form of corporate control of the global food supply through genetic modification of seed and the patent laws which protect such stockpiling. So too the speculators, commodities traders and government subsidies cause the price of food to be artificially high and thus generate enormous profits for themselves even while hundreds of thousands of people the world over cannot afford to feed themselves. Just as the famine in Egypt was ‘severe on the land’, we are now facing a depletion of water resources of epic proportions which could well cause famines in the future.

We would all do well to recognize the moral of this story; that the concentration of wealth, power and food cannot continue indefinitely without terrible results. We cannot remain forever immune to the deleterious effects that such policies have on people the world over. Just as the Israelites were made into slaves only after first witnessing the Egyptians being forced into slavery, so today must we recognize the patterns of injustice inherent in the current military/industrial/global petro-chemical system going on around us, even if we have not yet fallen prey to this system ourselves. By proactively recognizing and addressing these injustices, we can attempt to alter the system before it is too late. Should the concentration of wealth and resources continue to be monoplized by the powerful at the expense of the world’s poor, as it has been for some time now, we can at least take some solace from the ultimate fate of Pharaoh, who suffered through the ten plagues and was finally washed away in the Sea of Reeds, his wealth and empire decimated. However, better than waiting for the eventual destruction of those who have profitted from exploitation, is to end the systems of exploitation in the first place. Such reform is only possible through honest introspection into our own complicity in these systems of tyranny. Let us learn from the Torah and reflect on the successes as well as the shortcomings of our forefathers, in order to navigate a better way forward for ourselves and all humanity. Our future depends on it.

This weeks Torah parsha, Shemini, begins on the eighth day of the ceremony to ordain the priests and consecrate the Tabernacle. Moses instructed Aaron to assemble several types of animals and a meal offering as sacrifices (called korbanot in Hebrew) to God, saying: “Today the Lord will appear to you." (Leviticus 9:1–4.). At one point, Moses becomes angry at Aaron and his sons for failing to eat the sin offering at the proscribed time and place. The parsha concludes with a listing of which animals are considered clean and therefore permissible to eat, and which are considered unclean and therefore forbidden to eat. In both stories, the themes of holiness and eating are closely associated. Clearly, the Torah is teaching us that what we eat or refrain from eating has the power to make us holy or un-holy. “so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean” (Lev 10:10).

Indeed, our food choices can have a profound effect on the world. I recently read a quote from Israel and the Seventy Dimensions of the World, by Nechama Nadborny, that affected me profoundly. She relates that a Rabbi Glazerson once “dramatically spoke these words that struck an inner chord within me. He said: “A Jew eating non-kosher food anywhere in the world can cause a famine in India.” In other words, our performance of the Divine commandments transforms reality beyond our limited perceptions of cause and effect. . . This is a Jewish equivalent to the butterfly effect, in which the notion that a butterfly stirring the air today in Peking can transform storm systems next month in New York.” As this recent New York Times article on quinoa illustrates, our food choices have repercussions far beyond what we ordinarily consider. To return to the main idea of Shemini, we must eat only holy food and eat it in a holy manner if we are to be holy. For how can we be holy if we do not eat food that is whole-some? It is taught that when Jews sit at a table to eat, the table is a substitute for the Tabernacle, and the food is a substitute for the sacrificial offering. If the food we eat is to be considered as holy as the offerings that were brought to the Tabernacle, we must therefore ask some difficult questions about the holiness of the food that we eat.

It is a depressing fact to consider the reality that most of the food that Americans eat does not live up to this ideal of ‘holy’ food. The vast majority of the foods we generally consider kosher, and labeled as such, are in fact riddled with ethical and health dilemmas. We must look beyond the OU certification and ask challenging questions such as “Has this food been genetically modified?” “Has it been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides that cause health concerns for myself or the environment?” “Has it been irradiated?” “Does it contain harmful ingredients?” “Have the farm & factory workers who handled this food been fairly compensated for their labor?” “Has this animal been raised humanely?” “How will ingesting this food make me feel?” and "Will this food give me strength, fortitude & balance, or will it make me feel sick or otherwise unhealthy?"

Too often, we are too lazy to ask even any of these types of uncomfortable questions. Perhaps we are afraid of the answers we might have to face should we look them squarely in the eye. Perhaps we feel we have no alternatives, that ‘everything is bad for you,’ so why bother trying. Perhaps we have been intentionally kept in the dark about such matters by a system that says “Just Eat It and Don’t Ask Any Questions.” Indeed, our current food system does not require labeling of genetically modified organisms, does not require disclosure on what chemicals have been used to grow or treat the food we eat, does not mandate that animals be raised humanely or workers treated fairly. In fact, our current food system does not just allow unhealthy and unholy food consumption, but actually promotes it through such practices as fluoridation of public water supplies, agricultural subsidies for corn and soy production, and deregulation of genetically engineered plants that will contaminate the seed supply. Such is the sad state of our food system today that we can basically assume one or another of the questions in the above paragraph can be answered in the affirmative, absent labeling to the contrary (GMO-Free, Organic, Grass-Fed, Fair-Trade, etc.)

“Shut Up and Eat It” might be the predominant modus operandi of modern food culture, but Jews are bound to a higher standard. We must always remember that to be holy means to eat food that is holy in every sense of the word. It is taught that there are hidden righteous people who through their rectification of eating alone sustain the world. It is written in the Talmud (Berachot 17b) that G-d once said, “Because of Hanina My son, the whole world is given sustenance.” Rabbi Hanina lived, breathed, and ate on the level of awareness that every moment and every detail in this world affects the higher worlds. This weeks Torah parsha, Shemini, challenges us to live up to this ideal. By making food choices that are truly holy, we have the power to bring ourselves and the whole world closer to redemption.

Many environmentalist identify overpopulation as one of the ‘root causes’ of our current environmental catastrophe, while the general Jewish perspective is taken from Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Such radical differences of opinion between the two schools of thought seem at first very difficult to reconcile. However, I will here argue that the root problem of our current environmental catastrophe is not that there are too many people, but that we as a people are not utilizing our resources wisely. While the Environmental and Jewish perspectives may disagree on an “ideal” number of people to populate the earth, both perspectives place emphasis on managing resources wisely. Thus, an approach that is both Jewish and Environmental must focus on resource management rather than population dynamics as the basis for environmental improvement.

Many environmentalists cite overpopulation as one of the ‘root causes’ of the environmental devastation we are currently witnessing. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the“staggering increase (in human population) and the massive consumption it drives are overwhelming the planet’s finite resources. . . By any ecological measure, Homo sapiens has exceeded its sustainable population size. ” According to this view, the negative effects of overpopulation are widespread and endemic. As human population’s grow unsustainably, so do human’s use of fossil fuels, trees, water and land, thus creating problems such as global climate change, plant and animal extinctions, and pollution. Additionally, as China’s and India’s populations grow wealthier, their use of resources will correspondingly increase, which will further exacerbate our current environmental crisis. In our already crowded, polluted, and technologically advanced world, it is easy to relate to the concern that exponential population growth will indeed create deeper and more severe environmental crisis’s in the future.

However, the overpopulation argument, when taken to its logical extreme, can lead some to very unsavory and misanthropic conclusions. Supporters of the New World Order system argue that global population must be brought down dramatically in order for the earth to be able to support all of its inhabitants sustainably. This ‘goal’ of a radically lower global population would presumably either be brought about through self-inflicted environmental devastation, or worse, through human manipulation of population dynamics through war, population culling, forced sterilizations, or curtailment of reproductive freedoms such as China’s ‘One Child Policy’. Of course, there are other, less repulsive ways to reduce global population growth, including the “empowerment of women, education of all people, universal access to birth control and a societal commitment to ensuring that all species are given a chance to live and thrive”. While these types of means might present fewer moral concerns, the underlying assumption remains that too many people is a bad thing and therefore we should act in order to reduce global population in order to protect the earth and all of its inhabitants.

What does Judaism have to say about the overpopulation issue? Does Judaism see overpopulation as a valid concern, or does it offer a different perspective to this debate? On a fundamental level, Judaism’s offers a very different approach to population dynamics. In Genesis 1:28, G-d speaks his very first words to the humans he has just created. He says, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Such a statement could not be further from the environmentalist’s worldview. Later G-d twice promises to make Abraham’s children as numerous as the “stars of the heaven,” (Gen 15:5 and Gen 26:4) which again reinforces the Jewish ideal of population growth as divinely ordained and therefore a moral “good”. Even more basically, the Jewish belief system sees human’s as created in G-d’s image and G-d is good, therefore humans are a “good” and not something to be purposefully prevented from reproducing.

How then does Judaism address the question of limited resources which uncurtailed human population growth will surely create? Judaism holds that G-d will provide for everyone’s needs, provided we humans act in accordance with divine will. The Jewish perspective is that nothing is beyond G-d’s power, the feeding of 7+ billion people included. Indeed, G-d was able to keep hundreds of thousands of recently freed Israelites alive in the desert for 40 years through providing them with manna and leading them to water. Surely, if hundred’s of thousands can survive wandering in a desert for 40 years, G-d must be able to provide for the world’s current and future populations, if only he wanted to. As psalm 145:16 relates, “You (G-d) open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

Given our current state of environmental devastation and widespread global poverty and hunger, it can be argued that G-d does not want to provide for everyone’s needs on the planet at this time. Indeed, the Torah reminds us repeatedly that should people obey G-d’s commandments, we will be rewarded with plenty of food, rain, and other material abundance. However, should people fail to obey G-d’s commands, there will be widespread hunger, drought and suffering. From this vantage point, the problem of resources being unable to keep up with the needs of a growing human population is framed more in terms of ‘right action’ than it is with ‘overpopulation’. The problem, as the Torah sees it, is not that there are too many people on the earth. The problem, according to a Torah worldview, is that the people on earth are not acting properly, and are suffering as a result. Should people repent and change their wrong actions into right actions, dwindling resources would no longer be as pressing of a concern.

When faced with a choice between the Environmental approach that emphasizes humans as an environmental problem and the Jewish weltanschauung that sees human population growth as a blessing, I come down squarely on the side of Judaism. However, we must remember that our needs as a species will only be met provided we act according to the divine will, and that should we fail to do so, our existence on this planet will be filled with misery and hardships. Thus, the Jewish approach does not recognize ‘overpopulation’ as an inherent problem, but rather emphasizes ‘improper action’ as the source of suffering, and ‘proper action’ as the source of all true healing. The Jewish concept of Ba’al Tashchit (do not waste) embraces the idea that ‘wasting of resources’ is an example of improper action, and ‘proper utilization of resources’ is an example of proper action. This concept needs to gain more traction both within and outside of the Jewish community if humans are to solve this population size / resource availability equation. To be fair, there are some environmentalists who place emphasis on proper resource utilization rather than on curtailing human population growth. Most notable among them is Buckminster Fuller, who worked to design technology that would provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people while at the same time using the fewest amount of resources and creating the least amount of waste. By incorporating the Jewish values of proper action and Ba’al Tashchit into our lives, we can create a world that is both highly populated and also able to live within its planetary constraints. We can thus look to Jewish values as a guide for how to create a world in which people are valued as ‘reflections of G-d’ rather than as a ‘problematic resource-abusers’. A world is indeed possible in which human survival does not come at the expense of other species, but rather 'the desires of every living thing are satisfied' to the mutual benefit of all.

Jews have a first hand experience of what it is like to not have Food Security. Having left Egypt taking all our possesions with us and only Matzah to eat, only three days after crossing the Red Sea they complain of a lack of food and shortly thereafter a lack of water. (Exodus 15:24, 16:3). Hashem mercifully gives the people manna to eat, but only enough for their immediate future, which tought a system of Dependency on G-d, for "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every product of G-d's mouth" (Deut 8:3). That system of dependency is being replicated in the Global Food Aid model, only this time international agencies are not doing nearly as good of a job of feeding people as the Maker of Heaven and Earth : ) However, the Israelites were not destined to eat manna forever, and neither should we perpetuate a system which keeps large numbers of people dependent on others for their sustainance.

Upon reaching the promised Land, we transition from a dependent people and are now given land in which we can grow and provide food for ourselves. "A Land flowing with Milk and Honey" We are told that all our food needs will be met and that we will enjoy good weather and abundant harvests, provided that we follow G-d's commandments and teachings. "A land in which you won't eat bread in scarcity, in which you won't lack anything" (Deut 8:9). This theme is repeated several times, including Deut 11, Lev 11:14 and Deut 28:1. In essence, we are promised Food Security in exchange for obedience to G-d's commandments. Hand in hand with this Promise of Abundance comes the Curse of Food Insecurity, "Your basket and bowl shall be cursed" (Deut 28:17), should we fail to live up to G-d's expectations of us, or become complacent with our material prosperity.

It seems like the world is quickly headed to a Food Crisis of enormous proportions. Perhaps this should be taken as a sign that our current system is headed in the wrong direction, and should therefore repent and remedy our ways. It is time we wake up to the fact that the globalized agricultural food system as we currently know it is on the brink of collapse and is failing to provide access to affordable and nutritious food to millions of people. We would do well to re-examine every aspect of our current food system, from our pantry to the political, with the goal that someday everyone on earth should have control over the food they eat and the security to "eat and be satisfied". There is much work to be done. From the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill to the Million's Against Monsanto campaign, there are many issues deserving of serious attention. Perhaps the most immediate way to make a positive change towards a more Food Secure world is by planting a seed and tending to its growth. Beyond that, our tradition teaches us that if we conduct our lives morally and with faith in G-d, we will be rewarded with Food Security. B'Ezrat Hashem, so may it be so, for all people.

However, there are also reasons to remain hopeful. Based on the principle that it's always darkest before the dawn, these recent GMO deregulation decisions have sparked general outrage within the organic and environmental activist communities, provoking many articles and calls to action across the board. Legal challenges to the USDA are being considered by the Center for Food Safety, based on the lack of Environmental Impact assessments showing the crops to be safe. Legal actions may also be taken down the road based on the legal precedent of "Toxic Trespass". If a farmer carelessly or deliberately sprays pesticides or herbicides on his or her property, and this toxic chemical strays or "trespasses" and causes damage to a neighbor's property, the injured party can sue the "toxic trespasser" and collect significant damages. Such a suit was recently won by the organic farm Jacob's Farm / Del Cabo Farms, which serves as a great legal precedent for similar actions in the future. By that point, of course, the damage has already been done. Genetically modified foods are gradually becoming a more mainstream issue as more and more people learn of their dangers, and a critical mass is soon approaching.

The absence of a similar response of outrage from the Jewish community on this issue leaves me disappointed. As Jews, we are often meticulous in our regard for keeping kosher, going out of our way to read ingredient panels and look for kosher certification in order to make sure that our food is "fit" for eating. And yet, there is virtually no way to tell if there are GMO's in our food (other than assuming that they are or eating only organic foods). Given the numerous questions regarding the kosher status of genetically modified foods, why isn't there a rabbinic call for labelling of GMO's, or at least withholding kosher certifications unless they are shown to be GMO free? How can animals raised in Concentrated Animal Feedlot Operations (CAFO's) aka Factory Farms and pumped full of genetically modified foods be considered fit to eat? Additionally, how can conditions in these CAFO's pass our standards for Tzar Baalei Chayim, the ethical treatment of animals? How come our Jewish values of Tikun Olam and value for life don't cause us to protest when millions of acres are allowed to be sprayed with additional herbicides? It seems to me so obvious that Jewish values prohibit the consumption of genetically modified organisms and yet Jewish authorities and current Jewish practice remains woefully behind the curve in addressing this issue. Hopefully this post will help to raise the call from Jewish groups against the use and consumption of genetically modified organisms. It is our moral and religious duty to do so, and it our health and the future of the planet which is at stake.

Looking back on the Tu B’Shvat seder that my 6^th grade class led this past Sunday, I feel that it was an unqualified success. My students did admirably in leading the participants in exploring some of the major themes of Tu B’Shvat. They were able to explain the 3 types of fruit eaten at a Tu B’Shvat seder, taught participants about the 7 species of Israel, led blessings over the fruits, and discussed various biblical passages that reference the fruits being served. Perhaps most importantly, many types of delicious fruits were eaten by the seder’s participants, connecting these somewhat theoretical themes with the very concrete action of eating. I think that even if all the lessons taught during the seder are forgotten, the joy of eating fruits on Tu B’Shvat will be a positive experience that the participants will remember for a long time. This type of experiential learning is an important aspect of all true education, for it allows participants to personally connect their learning to the real world.

Experiential learning activities like seders and gardening are at the core of my teaching philosophy. I am now faced with the question of how to continue these types of activities now that Tu B’Shvat has passed and the weather is not yet warm enough to begin our gardening projects. One idea came from a parent, who offered to lead a cooking workshop in the synagogue’s kitchen. We discussed the ideas of making an Israeli salad or making a spice blend with the students. These projects will continue the experiential aspect of the curriculum, building skills and teamwork for the students while connecting them to the foods they eat within a Jewish framework. Another possible experiential learning activity would be to start a compost bin in the classroom as a demonstration of the principle Bal Tashchit. The compost we make could then by spread on the garden in the spring. I also plan on teaching a lesson on Tzar Baalei Chayim, and could make this lesson more experiential by inviting a guest speaker from a local animal shelter, or by taking a field trip to an animal shelter.

These are some of the ideas I have been considering as post-Tu B’Shvat ‘next steps’ to provide some interactive lessons to my students in these still-too-cold-to-garden weeks. My hope is that by the end of the year, the students will see caring for the earth and the creatures upon it as a Jewish mandate. They will understand that every choice they make and every action they undertake has larger implications for the world as a whole, and they will therefore endeavor to conduct themselves in a way that brings blessings and healing into the world.

In these times of environmental upheaval, it seems hardly a day goes by without new revelations of poisons in our food, water, and air and reports of habitat destruction and species being pushed to extinction. In the face of such tremendous pressures, it is all the more important for youth to understand the implications of the choices they make and the great responsibilities resting on their shoulders. It is only with a firm understanding of who they are and what is expected of them that they can then work toward repairing these many problems. Just as the hard pits of some fruits at the Tu B’Shvat seder are often cast off as useless, a deeper understanding recognizes the possibilities for regeneration inherent in these pits. Rather than cast them off as useless, a wise person nurtures them to grow into a whole new life. It is my hope to plant these pits of understanding within the student’s minds, and with proper care, these ideas will grow into trees of Life, Light, Justice and Righteousness.

As the Tu B’Shvat holiday quickly approaches, I am scrambling to prepare my 6^th grade class to lead the annual Tu B’Shvat Seder. This involves a combination of general study on Jewish attitudes towards trees, as well as teaching many specifics such as what blessings to say on each fruit and how to group fruits according to their ‘type.’ As this will be my sixth year leading this seder, I have developed a seder structure that works well for our particular situation.

Rather than having a ‘sit-down’ seder (similar to a Pesach seder), the Tu B’Shvat seder this year will be taking the structure of multiple ‘learning stations’. In this type of a seder, I divide my students into 4 or 5 groups that then teach a specific lesson to each of the classes that attend the event. The classes move from station to station, spending several minutes at each station learning about a particular type of fruit and its connection to Judaism. Through the course of the day, my students will teach about 100 fellow students about the Tu B’Shvat holiday. I have transitioned to this type of seder because the ‘sit-down’ seders of years past presented many more logistical issues. With a ‘learning station’ format, there is no need to set out chairs for participants, and the number of tables is drastically reduced as well. The ‘sit-down’ model also presented challenges of keeping participants quiet and calm enough to be able to hear the leaders. With a ‘learning station’ format, the leaders are addressing a small group in a more intimate setting, and can therefore tailor their presentation to meet the needs of the group they are teaching. There is however a downside to this type of seder structure, in that the seder leaders need to repeat their shpiel multiple times, rather than just once for the entire group. While this repetition might get dull for the leaders, it has the advantage that by the end of the day, the leaders will have had a chance to perfect their presentation.

Now, what is the best way to group a ‘learning station’ seder? Kabbalists typically divide fruits into 4 types, corresponding to 4 levels of the spiritual world. The first is fruits with a hard outer shell, like coconuts and pomegranates. This group of fruits represents the World of Asiyah, or the World of Action. The second group is fruits with a hard inner pit, like dates, olives, peaches, plums and apricots. This group represents the World of Yetzirah, or the World of Formation. The third group is fruits that are wholly edible, like grapes and figs. This represents the World of Beriah, or the World of Creation. The fourth group (funny enough) is considered to be “eating nothing at all”, representing the World of Atzilut, or the World of Emanation. This group symbolizes the aspect of the divine that is beyond the material world and purely spiritual. This fourth group can by represented by a candle (where fire represents the pure spirituality), or by smelling a fruit but not eating it (the sense of smell being more closely associated with the spiritual world than the sense of taste). There is typically 4 cups of juice or wine served at a Tu B’Shvat seder, which also corresponds to these same groups outlined above. The wines should range in color from light to dark, moving from the lightest to the darkest as the seder unfolds.

Despite these traditions, the seder my class will be leading this year will have at least 6 or 7 stations. In addition to the 4 groupings outlined above, we usually have 1 station for ‘new’ or ‘exotic’ fruits to be sampled. It is common practice to eat a new fruit (or a fruit you have not yet eaten that year) during the seder, in order to be able to say the “Shehechiyanu” prayer over a new food. Additionally, I like to include some sort of wheat or barley products into the seder, as these are two of the seven species used to describe the Land of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:8. The wheat and barley usually takes the form of cookies at a separate table, where the “Mizonot” prayer is said before eating. Lastly, there is a table set up for the 4 types of wine (or juice in this case). 2 small cups of juice are given to each participant – 1 white grape juice and 1 red grape juice. After saying the prayer over the juice, a sip of the white juice is drunk. Then a little red juice is poured into the white juice, thus making it a light pink color and another sip is taken. Then some more red juice is poured into the pink juice, making it a darker shade of red. After this glass is finished, the students then drink the remaining red grape juice left in their cup. In this way, four differently colored cups of juice are drunk without wasting either paper cups or excess juice. The students also enjoy the process of mixing the juices together.

This is the basic structure of the Tu B’Shvat seder I am planning for this year. I have developed this structure over many years, and find that it works well for my particular circumstances. Of course, every seder is unique and therefore this structure can be used or modified as needed to meet the demands of your individual circumstances. Any seder that involves learning, praying and eating of fruits is considered a Mitzvah. The structure that the leaders choose for the seder should be one that allows the participants the most opportunities for these mitzvot.

While I have been organizing Tu B’Shvat seders for many years, there are still some questions I have regarding the holiday that are as-of-yet unanswered. For instance, why is there no Kabbalist designated group of fruits for those that have both a hard outer shell and a hard inner pit, like mangos and avocados? Which grouping should these types of fruits be considered as? Also, fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruits are often considered to fall into the first grouping of fruits with a hard outer shell. However, these fruit peels are edible (and quite delicious when candied) and therefore I feel this designation is off target. What is the best way to include wheat and barley into a Tu B’Shvat seder when the focus of the holiday is mostly on trees rather than grains, and should they be included at all? Should bananas be included, even though the blessing for them is “borei pri ha’adamah” rather than “borei pri ha’etz”? Also, do any readers of this blog have any ideas for games that can be played using fruits, in order to make the seder even more fun and participatory?

Tu B’Shvat seders are a fun and tasty way to teach children about the Jewish values of care for the earth and connection to the land of Israel. Tu B’Shvat is a participatory and tactile holiday that is both educational and nutritional. As such, it is the ideal holiday for teaching lessons on Jewish environmentalism and food ethics. It is the only holiday instated by the Kabbalist rabbis and therefore has deep mystical importance in terms of “tikkun” or repair of the world. In this case, the “tikkun” is made through a re-enactment of the original sin of Adam and Eve, the eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. By replacing this act of prohibited eating (lack of self-control) with the act of conscious & holy eating (eating of permitted foods at the appropriate time with proper intention) we can repair the sin of Adam and Eve and thus bring about global healing. Thus, Tu B’Shvat becomes not only a lesson in environmentalism, but a lesson in Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. The Tu B’Shvat seder is therefore much more than a didactic exercise, it can be the very vehicle of transformation. May we all merit such a transformative Tu B’Shvat seder experience!

Besides preparing for lessons and the upcoming seder, winter is a great time to plan for the upcoming garden season. Seed catalogs help to pass the winter blues away with their colorful pictures and vivid descriptions. The problem is, it all looks so wonderful you may end up purchasing more than you need!!! Many a gardener has gotten carried away in such a fashion. To prevent this from happening, it is good to be discriminating in the seeds you purchase. I recommend seeds that are heirloom and organic, and ideally local as well if possible. Seed Saver's Exchange has a beautiful catalog, and there are many others out there as well. The next step is to determine how much space you will have in your garden, and then calculate the number of each types of plants that you can fit. Of course, watermelons take more space to grow than peppers, so you'll need to consider your plant selection in this process. I'd like to elaborate on this plant selection process a bit further.

Every plant offers something to a garden, and so their selection ought to be considered carefully. When using a garden for a Jewish purpose, certain plants may be favored over others based on their connection to Jewish use or ritual. Biblical gardens grow plants named in the Torah, and there are many to chose from if you live in Israel, but Chicago's climate is not exactly biblical, which narrows the choices somewhat. Jewish use of certain plants is a bit broader, and includes plants such as Horseradish, which actually grows quite well in Illinois. It is always great fun to dig up the horseradish root in the spring time with the students, and have each one take a homegrown root home for their Pesach seder plate to use as maror. Digging out these roots every spring serves a dual purpose, as horseradish can really take over a garden if left alone. Horseradish's broad leaves also make a wonderful garnish on the seder plate and can even be eaten when young and tender. Its white flowers in the summer attract bees and other wildlife.

Another of my favorite Jewish plants is Coriander, which also is known as Cilantro in its leaf form. Coriander is specifically mentioned in the Torah in comparison to manna, and as such has wonderful sustaining properties. Cilantro is one of the first green plants to sprout in the spring, which is great for extending the gardening season into the school year. Coriander is used frequently as a spice in Middle Eastern cooking, and has many medicinal benefits as well. Every year I have left some coriander seeds unharvested so they self-sprout in the spring. One year, a white pigeon had taken refuge in the garden while it nursed an injured wing. It would nest and hide under the tall and broad horseradish leaves, then come out and eat the coriander seeds for its food. By the end of the summer, the bird's wing had healed enough to fly away, but I was happy that the garden had provided a refuge for the bird, and the coriander its manna!

While horseradish and coriander are a few of my favorite Jewish plants to grow in a Jewish themed garden, the simple radish is also great for its quick Seed to Feed time. Most radishes will grow from a seed to a ready-to-harvest vegetable in about a month, which has some practical advantages as a teaching tool. Radishes are also relatively cold tolerant, so they can usually be planted in April in Chicago and be ready for harvest by May, before the students go on summer vacation. While some kids don't get too excited about radishes for taste reasons, the ability to easily and quickly grow to harvest in such a short time gives a nice reward.

I'd be interested to hear what types of plants readers of this blog consider to be "Jewish plants" or good plants to grow in an educational garden, and why. Until then, its back to Tu B'Shvat planning and seed catalogs. . .

First, a bit about me and my background. In the fall of 2003, I was hired as the first Adamah coordinator, a humbling experience that deeply influenced my outlook on Jewish and environmental issues. I had come to the Adamah program with interests in gardening, teaching, and Judaism, but had never combined these interests in such a cohesive whole before. The Adamah program emphasized the connection between Judaism and Care for the Earth in a particularly hands-on and immediate way. Jewish issues and Environmental issues did not need to be two separate ideas; the two were intimately connected in every aspect of day-to-day living. I took what I had learned from Adamah and returned to my native Chicago, where I got a job as a Sunday School teacher at Emanuel Congregation, the same synagogue I had attended as a youth. I immediately requested to start a small garden on a patch of grass bordering the back of the building and a parking lot. I made clear this garden would be used as an outdoor classroom in order to give a hands-on experience to my students. I have now been teaching Jewish environmental education to 6th graders for the past 6 years, and have learned a great deal in the process. I will briefly touch on some of the opportunities and challenges these experiences have presented.

The GOOD

Gardening with children has enormous potential for making a powerful educational impact. Learning something theoretically is very different from learning experientially. Gardening can provide a powerful experiential learning activity. Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, pruning, etc. are all wonderful ways to engage students of virtually every age. Through gardening, students do not just feel like they are "learning something" but that they are actually "doing something." Lessons learned through "doing" are often remembered long after lessons learned in more traditional ways are forgotten.

Gardening is also beneficial as a way to get children outdoors. In this age of short recess (if any) and general lack of physical exercise amongst many students, getting children outdoors where they can breathe fresh air and work up a sweat should be highly encouraged, if not manditory. Getting hands dirty and brows sweaty is a great way to encourage physical activity and foster a connection with the earth in a way that classroom experiences simply cannot match.

Gardening with students has another benefit that indoor classrooms cannot provide — the ability to grow food, herbs and flowers!!! When students can literally "taste" the fruit of their labors, they feel rewarded and accomplished. Lessons in reading, writing, arts and other more 'traditional' forms of education have their place, but it is rarely that I have witnessed student's excitement from these types of activities match their enthusiasm for things like tasting a vegetable they grew, a pile of mulch successfully shoveled, or a stubborn invasive species dug up. The lessons learned from working in a garden may not easily translate onto paper, but the values of patience, perseverance, teamwork, and hard work are all lessons inherent in gardening that are difficult to teach in more traditional frameworks.

The BAD

There is nothing bad about gardening in an educational setting, however, there are many challenges. Before embarking on an educational garden project, there are many constraints that must be realistically evaluated in order to achieve a positive outcome. Here I will examine a few of the most common obstacles that keep teachers from starting gardens, or that keep the gardens from being successful teaching tools.

Lack of space is probably the most common obstacle faced by educators wishing to start a teaching garden. Synagogues in urban settings often lack open space, and even those with some open space may be reticent to part with this space in order to start a garden. There may be institutional opposition to change in general, or specific concerns regarding the care, maintenance and upkeep of the garden. There may be a real lack of space in which to garden, or simply a lack of enthusiasm from key authorities needed in order to get approval for the project. These concerns may be valid or may be exaggerated, but they can all be overcome with one major tool — Develop Stakeholders. Share your vision with others and ask for their help. Circulate volunteer sign-up lists. There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome when people work together toward a common goal. If there is really no open space in which to garden on-site, consider off-site locations (ideally within walking distance) or consider container gardening. Most institutions are understandably loathe to tear up lawns, landscaping, or concrete in order to make a garden unless they are fairly confident the garden will succeed. The more partners, volunteers, and stakeholders you have in your corner, the more confident the institution will be in your ability to deliver on your promises and therefore cooperate with your requests.

The second most common problem faced by educational gardens is the fact that the school year and the gardening year do not often coincide. This is a very real problem for me in Chicago, and in most temperate climates as well. It is indeed very difficult to teach anything in a garden covered with snow, and the school year is structured in such a way that the most productive gardening time – the summer – is also the time when students are away on break. Here in Chicago, I am lucky if I can take the students out to the garden in September, October and November and then again in March, April and May before the school year ends. Depending on weather and school schedules, the chance of frost passing in order to plant the most common vegetables before the school year ends is usually a tossup. Combine these factors with constraints such as holidays, rain, and bad weather, and the number of days available for teaching in the garden diminishes further. So, what to do? Again, developing stakeholders is a key. Working a garden alone all summer to get it ready for students in the fall is a lonely and difficult task, to be undertaken by only the most knowledgeable and committed of teachers, if at all. On the other hand, a garden with volunteers and regularly scheduled work days can be a joy to everyone and much more likely to be a success. Secondly, choose plants to grow that will work within your constraints rather than against them. For me, this means choosing plants that come up early in the spring and plants that survive late into the fall. In other words, Cold Hardy Plants. Some of my favorites include Cilantro, Radishes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach and Horseradish. There is much more to add regarding plant choices and their respective benefits for educational gardening which I will save for future blog posts, so stay tuned.

Lack of knowledge on the part of teachers is another obstacle to running a successful educational garden. I have heard many teachers say that they would love to garden with their students but they "don't know anything about growing things". Fortunately, this obstacle is a bit easier to address. Hopefully Jewcology will help to bridge this knowledge gap, and there are many other resources available to would-be Jewish garden educators as well. Books and online resources are good places to start learning, but often there is no better way to learn than just to "jump in" by putting a seed in the ground, watering it, and paying attention. Plant choice is important in this case as well, as some plants seem to grow themselves while others seem to need more attention than an infant. Most important, however, is the willingness to take a risk by planting something. The next steps will develop from there. In the worst case scenario, the plant will die and you will learn something about caring for plants in the process.

The DIRTY

Teaching in a garden is often very different from teaching in a classroom. Students have the ability to walk around once outside whereas classrooms usually confine students to their seats or at least a prescribed area. It is easier to lose students in a garden than in a classroom, both physically (students walking away) as well as intellectually (more distractions when outside). Add to this the use of sharp or potentially dangerous tools in the garden, and the need for adult supervision is likely to increase in an outdoor classroom setting. It is also rare that there is enough work to be done in the garden that every student can do the same task at the same time. More common is that some students will be planting while others weed, prune, water, mulch, or do other garden tasks. This division of labor is great for students who wish to learn all about gardening, but very difficult for the teacher, who is forced to explain and supervise many different tasks all at the same time. Additional adult supervision, such as student teachers, parents or community volunteers may help to ease some of this pressure. Another technique for dealing with this challenge is to explain each task and then divide up the chores before going out to the garden, thereby reducing the amount of explanation necessary once in the garden. Students being unprepared for class in the garden is even more common than students being unprepared for classroom education (wearing climate inappropriate clothing, for instance) and therefore, additional preparation of the students is necessary. Additional preparation is needed for the gardening teacher, as well. Rather than just preparing a lesson plan and a compiling a reading list, teachers who use gardens as outdoor classrooms will need to prepare things such as tools, seeds and fertilizer in addition. Gardening is truly dirty work, and there is no denying there are numerous challenges inherent in undertaking such a task. However, I have found gardening to be one of the most rewarding and effective educational settings available to the Jewish educator, offering myriad benefits both for the teacher and for the students who participate in such programs.

Final Reflections

Teaching, like gardening, requires lots of hard work, a desire to overcome obstacles, and a willingness to get 'dirty' in order to 'dig' for knowledge. Combining teaching and gardening, therefore, can involve even more hard work and even more dirt than either one alone. However, the results can be truly inspirational. I will be blogging here regularly with status updates on my Jewish educational garden (currently under a blanket of snow) as well as with further thoughts and reflections regarding teaching Jewish gardening as a whole. Stay tuned for future updates, and please get in touch with me if you desire advice or insights into your specific Jewish gardening questions.

New technological innovations have always created a need for the Jewish community to respond from a religious, ethical and cultural perspective. For instance, the discovery of electricity forced Jewish authorities (rabbis) of the past to assess its use on Shabbat. Hence, we have hot plates and crock pots running but no switches flicking. The time has come for Jews and Judaism to take a serious look at perhaps the most fundamental innovation of our time, the genetic manipulation of life. Genetic Engineering (GE), and the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) it has been used to create, are incompatible with some of the most basic and fundamental tenants of Jewish beliefs and values. To this point in time, the issues of GMO’s in general, and GMO’s in human food in particular, have been largely ignored by the Jewish community.

Problems with Current OU stance

Wondering what the “official” opinion was of the Jewish community, I turned to the Orthodox Union, who I hoped would be able to shed some light on this question. Their FAQ’s website http://oukosher.org/index.php/learn/article/genetically_engineered_food/ states that,

“There are two dimensions to this issue. First, there is the health concern. Is it safe to consume genetically altered foods? This question is presently a matter of great public debate. Where does the OU stand on this question?

In Jewish Kosher law, a person is not permitted to eat food that is detrimental to one's health. Nonetheless, the OU views the determination of whether or not a particular substance poses a health danger to be outside of the realm of its expertise. This issue is not in the purview of a kashruth organization, and should be decided by responsible government agencies and health professionals. In practice, the OU would generally agree to certify a product that the USDA considers to be safe. The presence of an OU symbol on a product should not be misconstrued as an endorsement of the safe status of a product, since, as stated, we view this matter to be outside our domain. "

In other words, kosher does not mean “fit to eat” and a kosher sign does not mean that a product is safe. If the OU is not qualified to make judgements on food that is detrimental to one’s health, then we must make those decisions for ourselves. This means that we as Jews must look beyond the OU symbol and look for an Organic Symbol or other GMO-Free certification (organic foods are not allowed to contain GMO’s, per the USDA’s current regulations). What’s the point of the OU symbol then, I was left to wonder, as I turned to the second dimension.

“The second issue is as follows. If non-Kosher genetic material is introduced into a Kosher product, does that render the genetically altered material as non-Kosher? For example, if a new strain of tomatoes is developed by introducing genetic material from a pig cell, is the tomato a Kosher entity?

In our opinion, the genetic engineering does not affect the Kosher status. This is the case for two reasons: Firstly, the genetic material is generally microscopic and is not significant enough to change the Kosher status. Secondly, the generic material is only introduced in the initial stage. Subsequently, the genetically altered item produces new offspring, which has not been the recipient of non-Kosher genetic material. The presence of a non-Kosher gene in a tomato does not render as non-Kosher all subsequent tomatoes that are “descendents” of the genetically altered tomato.”

The OU here misses the point completely. Genetic manipulation might be small in size in terms of the genes involved, but the implications are nothing short of huge. Think of fish that could be engineered not to have fins or scales (would they then be kosher?) or pigs engineered to have cloven hooves. In fact, there is a petition currently pending at the FDA that would allow genetically modified salmon into the food supply. These salmon have been genetically engineered to contain the gene of an eel in order that they will grow to market weight more quickly. Eels, however, are not kosher animals and therefore the question is not at all hypothetical as to whether these salmon would be kosher. Not to mention that kosher animals that are fed GMO foods (currently common practice) are less likely to be kosher at the time of slaughter, given their higher rates of organ defects and succeptibility to disease that would preclude an animal from being considered kosher.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16747

Other Jewish Responses to the question of GMO's

Being frustrated with the OU’s ignorance of the issue, I researched other Jewish views on the issue. To the extent that the issue of Genetic Modified Organisms has been examined by Jewish legal scholars, the conclusions have been, “fraught with problems” http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-698X-9-18.pdf

While some sources allow GE as permissible only “if they are not directly prohibited by God and if the research will benefit mankind.” Others allow GMO’s only on the qualification that they “save and prolong human life as well as increase the quality or quantity of the world's food supply.” However, the use of GMO’s has done anything BUT benefit mankind. Instead, it has unleashed a Pandora’s box of harm into the environment.

Kil'ayim

The mixing of two unlike species is a Jewish prohibition called Kil'ayim (Hebrew lit. "Mixture" or "Confusion") is the prohibition of crossbreeding seeds, crossbreeding animals, and mixing wool and linen as described in Leviticus 19:19 andDeuteronomy 22:9-11.

Kil’ayim is connected by some with the sins committed during the times of Noah, where the earth and all flesh upon it were punished “for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals.” This corruption involved the mixing of species that were not intended to mix. In the last couple of years, scientists have crossed the dangerous line of creating laboratory animals with human DNA-developing mice and sheep with human livers, hearts, and brains. According to scientist, Paul Elias, “The biological co-mingling of animal and human is now evolving into even more exotic and unsettling mixes of species.” We should not repeat the sins of Noah’s generation by mixing species, neither should we repeat the sin of Babel by putting human ingenuity above divine will.

Health Issues

Another basic tenant of Judaism is the holiness and sanctity of life. The idea of Pechuach Nefesh, or the preservation of life, holds that life is holy and therefore we should be preserve our health and protect our life.

The science is clear that GMO’s are bad for health. Numerous animal studies show GMO’s cause such health problems as reproductive disorders, birth defects, kidney and liver malfunction and more. http://www.truth-out.org/1215091 and also http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html The reproductive harm caused by ingesting genetically modified organisms http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/16/6524765.html contradicts G-ds first commandment to mankind to, “be fruitfull and multiply.” The precautionary principle (from both a scientific and Jewish perspective) says that we should err on the side of not utilizing new technology when the science is inconclusive or missing. Labelling is necessary if one were to chose to follow this path, yet foods in the US are not required to bear labels stating whether they are produced with GMO’s or not. Given the numerous health dangers associated with GMO’s the Jewish community needs to speak up and demand labelling of Genetically Engineered foods, so that they can avoid these numerous detremental effects.

Arguments in favor of GMO's are based on lies

Proponents of GMO crops make two main claims in support of GMOs. The first claim is that GMO crops result in higher yields per measure of land, thus reducing the amount of land needed to feed the world’s population. The second claim is that GMO’s require the use of less herbicides in their production, and thus keep the costs and environmental degredation and levels of toxic runoff down compared to non-GMO crops. Both of these claims are absolutely false.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/Organic/oca19.cfm#GE

“Debate in the U.S. was triggered by and persists because of claims by the biotechnology industry, farm groups and proponents of biotechnology that RR soybeans actually have reduced herbicide use on the order of 20 percent to 30 percent. These claims are false and can be traced to Monsanto-funded, proprietary studies employing biased analytical methods, as documented below. The impact of Bt corn and cotton on insecticide use is mixed. Bt cotton has reduced insecticide use in several states, whereas Bt corn has had little if any impacts on corn insecticide use. From an environmental perspective in the U.S., Bt cotton is the only legitimate “success story” among today’s GMO crop varieties.” (http://www.biotech-info.net/first_generation_GMC.pdf Page 15).

And even Bt cotton has failed in many places, including devastating cosequences in India, where thousands of farmers have been committing suicide every year as a result of failed crops and the resulting high indebtedness.

GMO's cause widespread environmental destruction

GMO’s cause other forms of environmental destruction as well, including destroying soils and soil micro-organisms.

http://www.wellnessuncovered.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113:the-devastating-effects-of-gmos-on-the-future-of-soil&catid=34:articles-on-gmo-safety&Itemid=15

Hence, once GMO crops are planted on a piece of land, that land becomes degraded and sterile, rather than life-giving and fertile. GMO’s also result in the deaths of pollinators such as honey bees and butterflys. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16747 For people who value land that flows with “Milk and Honey,” the demise of the honey bee ought to be of great concern to Jews worldwide. The lack of pollination for fruit, nut and other crops carried out by these species likewise will have dire consequences for global food security.

GMO's cause food insecurity through the corporate control of the seed supply

Red flags ought to be flying concerning genetic engineering and the future of global food security. Food Insecurity is when control of food is in corporate rather than community hands. This is happening at an alarming rate. The number of patents on living organisms and their parts continues to grow. The international group ActionAid’s 2002 research revealed that six agrochemical companies hold over 900 patents on varieties of the world’s five major staple food crops. The year before, the U.S. Patent Office awarded 20,000 gene patents and another 25,000 were pending.

On a fundamental level, the traditional Jewish view of creation is that G-d is the ultimate owner of all life. However, Genetic engineering posits man as the creator of life. Human manipulation of genes and genetics through natural methods is historically widespread and is evidenced in the Torah by Jacob’s breeding of sheep in order to enlarge his own flock over that of Laban. However, current genetically modifying of organism is a totally different process. By taking genes from one species, be it plant, animal, or organism, and mixing it with a different organism, a novel species is created. This is going beyond the traditional role of man as co-creator with G-d, instead placing man as usurping G-d as original creator of life.

American and Israeli patent laws which grant patents on genes and living organisms goes against the most fundamental Jewish belief of G-d as creator. Jews as a whole and rabbinic authorities in particular ought to issue a statement condemning the patenting of life similar to that of the Council for Responsible Genetics, whose statement http://www.actionbioscience.org/genomic/crg.html concludes that, “Patents on life forms are ethically and morally unacceptable.”

Learning from our ancestors

Let us learn from our ancestor Yaacov who successfully bred flocks of sheep using natural methods, and not repeat the sins of Noah's generation, who angered G-d through the mixing of species. Let us pay heed to the story of famine in Genesis 47, where the Egyptians first spend all their money in order to purchase food, then are forced to sell their livestock, and finally they are forced to sell their land to the Pharaoh, leaving the people as indentured servants. Instead, let us learn from the forethought of Joseph, who foresaw the coming time of food scarcity and took measures to prepare for it. The time of corporate controlled food supply due to the use of GMO's is at hand. Let us take steps to prevent this by moving away from genetically modified foods and toward community controlled, bio-diverse, and organic forms of agriculture. The future of our people and of the planet depends on it.

Conclusions and Next Steps

For all these religious, environmental and health reasons, the genetical modification of foods must be subject to increased religious scrutiny and study. Failure to do so could have devestating consequences to our health and to the vitality of the earth. Until this issue has been appropriately examined, we must err on the side of the precautionary principle and avoid exposure to genetically modified foods. In order to do this, rabbinic authorities and Jews worldwide need to demand manditory labelling of all genetically modified organisms.

It is incubent upon us Jews as caretakers of G-ds earth to examine the consequences of GMO’s and to advocate for the health of the planet, the land, and the species that depend on the earth, (including ourselves), by removing Genetically Modified Organisms from the food supply. We must be especially careful of the crops planted in the State of Israel, as our treatment of the land reflects our divine duty as caretakers of Eretz Yisroel. It has been shown that GMO’s make soil sterile and organisms that eat GMO's have much higher rates of infertility as well. This goes against G-d’s first commandment to mankind, to be fruitful and multiply. It seems that such a transgression cannot go ignored indefinitely, and that we as the Jewish people have both the responsibility and moral duty to address this issue and say "No! We refuse to eat foods that contain GMO’s!" Foods that cause such extreme health problems cannot be considered kosher or fit to eat. If such a call from the Jewish community were forthcoming, this could have the power to change the modern agro-petro-chemical-monoculture food system as we know it.