• Use natural methods to protect against the sun:  Use of sunscreens is commonplace from May through August.  Many sunscreens, however, contain chemicals and may be harmful to the skin and the environment.  Look for a sunscreen made with organic ingredients and no chemicals. Read the label before you buy anything.  Brands such as Alba Botanica and Jason Natural Cosmetics carry natural sunscreen products.  Adorable Baby and Earth’s Best are a few safe brands for infants and young children.    Also don’t forget to wear a wide brimmed hat during the middle of the day when the sun is strongest, a natural sun protection technique.

• Travel as much as possible by bike and by foot:  The benefits to your health of biking and walking are many.   Adding additional exercise to your day by biking or walking to  work, to summer activities, to run errands or just for pleasure can improve your physical health and can help combat problems that come with a sedentary lifestyle, such as obesity, diabetes and heart problems.  Regular exercise via biking or walking also is a great stress reliever, improving your mental health and well-being.  It also reduces your carbon footprint because it means you will be spending less time driving in a car.

• Shop at local farmers markets:  Typically, fruits and vegetables grown locally and sold at farmers’ markets are picked just as they ripen so they have a better taste, texture and aroma at the time of purchase.  In addition, since the produce is picked at the peak of the season, it will have a higher nutritional content and contain more phytochemicals (plant-derived chemicals believed to have beneficial health effects) than non-local produce purchased at a supermarket.The markets also help the environment because travel time and, therefore, the use of fossil fuels, is reduced for locally grown items.  In addition, many of the vendors have organic produce, which also helps the environment because many farm chemicals are made from fossil fuels.
• Think reusable/recyclable with items you take with you:  Chances are, you are going to eat or drink as part of your visit to cheer on your favorite team or watch outdoor Shakespeare.  So make it a point to bring items you can re-use whenever possible. Bring your own stainless steel water bottle rather than buying bottled water.  Pack munchies in re-usable glass containers rather than in throwaway plastic bags.  If you must purchase food at your venue (probably unavoidable at a sporting event), look for recycling bins on your way out rather than throwing things in the regular trash bins.  Many sporting locations now regularly recycle.  St. Louis’s Busch Stadium currently diverts close to 30 percent of all items purchased at a game and recruits volunteers for a Green Team at each event to help collect recyclable plastic and aluminum.

Enjoy celebrating summer in an eco-friendly way!

Join friends for routes through pine forests, farmland, and local villages, culminating in a barbecue lunch of kosher, pasture-raised meat from Grow and Behold, followed by an interactive marketplace of local, sustainable vendors, swimming and boating, children’s programming from Teva, and more! Your participation supports Hazon Philadelphia in running innovative Jewish programming on food, health, and  sustainability.

Not a cyclist? The Ride wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated crew, who support and cheer on riders, help behind the scenes, and then enjoy the lunch and afternoon with their rider friends. Registration sold out last year, so sign up today! hazon.org/phillybike

You can support the Israel you want to see. All American Jews can vote in the World Zionist Congress election going on right now. One of the most common questions, we get is why it costs $10 to vote. As Mirele Goldsmith, a Green Israel slate member answers: “The American Zionist Movement has contracted with an independent company to run the online election.  This is to insure that the election is fair.  The registration fee is being used exclusively to pay for the election.  It is not a donation to the WZO.  I wish there was no fee, but it is a small price to pay to make a real difference in the future of Israel.”

Green Israel Platform: Peace for All • Green Energy • Sustainable Development • Diaspora Relations • Air Quality • Ecological Ecology • Animal Rights • Food Justice • Water Conservation • Schmita • Recycling • Encourage Environmental Start-Ups

Green Israel Slate: Eli Bass, Ellen Bernstein, Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Karin Fleisch, David Fox, Matthew Frankel, Ilana Gauss, Brett Goldman, Mirele Goldsmith, Wendy Kenin, David Krantz, Frances Lasday, Evonne Marzouk, Hody Nemes, Morgan Prestage, Shira Rosen, Richard Schwartz, Jacob Schonzeit, David Sher, Garth Silberstein, Marc Soloway, Lawrence Troster, David Weisberg, Eric Weltman, Laurie Zoloth

Please vote Green Israel. Go to http://jewcology.org/2015/03/votegreenisrael/ or worldzionistcongress.org for more info.

This time of year always seems a hurricane of activity: coming back from vacation to reams of email, or starting school, or dealing with all the pent-up housework that went blissfully ignored during the easy summer months.

Traditionally, Jews see this time of year very differently. Like typical Americans, this period is for them both an ending and a beginning: a recognition of the waning of life and an invigorating harbinger of new possibilities. But in place of the chaotic hurricane that starts for us after Labor Day, many Jews launch a period of quiet, internal reconstruction four days earlier on the first day of Elul.

Leaving mental space and physical time for self-reflection—and doing it now, precisely because this is such a busy time of year—represents an excellent discipline that can preserve mental and physical health throughout the year.

The change of seasons also teaches about of the amazing balance in the Earth that gives us food, clean air, and all good things. We don’t need to lament the end of warm weather and the reminder that in a few months we will be buried in snow. Snow is one of the great blessings of God–not just because we enjoy winter sports, but because it forms the perfect storage medium that, when the climate works right, preserves the water coming from Heaven that is needed months later for the plants that sprang up on the third day of Creation.

We don’t have to approach Elul through the traditional obsession with the S-word (sin). We can look back at what we wanted to accomplish during the year, and measure how far we have come. We can recall what unanticipated challenges and woes came up, congratulate ourselves for making it through them, and give a thumb’s up to the greater force that might have helped. We can ask why it is (if so) we do more Jewish stuff during High Holidays than the rest of year, and consider incrementing our Jewish practice and thinking year-round. And most of all, we should take a vow to devote part of the year to the preservation of the Earth, so that our descendants can enjoy High Holidays three thousand years from now.

Andrew Oram is an editor and writer at the technology company O’Reilly Media, a member of Temple Shir Tikvah of Winchester, Massachusetts, and an activist in the Jewish Climate Action Network and other local
(This is adapted from an article originally published in the newsletter of Temple Shir Tivkvah, Winchester, Mass.)

Update: Zeke is in Cannon Beach, OR. I biked with him to Florence, which was really fun, where he met up with some friends who will continue on with him to Seattle. Making shabbat together at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park was wonderful. We had a homemade challah from my wife toasted over the campfire (lit before shabbos of course). The rocky Oregon coast and gigantic sand dunes are so beautiful- we both felt very grateful to live in such an incredible world. We've had some great talks about climate change, religion, and everything else we could think of. And played a lot of Botticelli, Geography, and Ghost. And, of course, in keeping with Jewish tradition, we ate a lot, especially bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, which is really good in coastal California and Oregon.

Update: So far Zeke has biked somewhere between 600 and 700 miles. He is tired but still full of enthusiasm. He is here in Berkeley for a rest day and we are looking forward to celebrating shabbat together. Then he will continue on with his grandpa up the coast. Just like the daughters of Tzlofchad, Zeke is fighting climate change to make sure his generation can receive their inheritance- a world where we do our best to care for God's creation!

My son Zeke is 12. He set out Sunday, June 16, on a 1,500 mile bike ride to fight climate change and to mark his coming bar mitzva. Accompanied by friends and family, he will spend about 4 weeks riding up the Pacific Coast from the Mexican border to Astoria, OR, camping and staying with friends along the way. I'll be with him for a little over a week, from Fort Bragg, CA to Florence, OR. This ride is the fulfillment of a year of his dreaming, scheming, and planning to make it happen. It is a self-organized and self-supported ride. He is using the ride to raise money for the Sierra Club's work to fight climate change, and is already having great success. So far he is having a great time, soaking up the views of the ocean and the hills. Peak moments include a tour of the restored Huntington Beach Wetlands from Gordon Smith of the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and his great-grandmother delivering two kosher Polish dogs from Jeff's in LA to him on the bike trail in Marina Del Rey.

Sounds uncannily similar to the Bar Mitzva and the Beast, doesn't it? (If you don't know what I am referring to, it is a book by Matt Biers Ariel about his son's ride across the country for his bar mitzva and to fight climate change.)

Zeke loves bike riding. It started a few years ago with riding a mile to school. Zeke soon declared his intention to bike to Alaska and through a series of day trips we made it several hundred miles north to Arcata. This year he decided that his bar mitzva social action project/excuse to go on a great adventure would be riding from the Mexican border to Vancouver. He got the maps (Adventure Cycling) and has done lots of the planning and preparations himself, including some awesome training rides in the San Francisco Bay Area where we live. This year, we made it up the local trio of mountains- Diablo, Tam, and Hamilton- although we never figured out which corresponded to our local Mt. Gerizim, Mt Ebal, or Mt. Sinai. We also did a century ride, although it took us about 10 hours of riding. I suppose as Jews we should do a 120-mi ride- that's what Moses would have done!

If you know about the Pacific Coast, you know that prevailing winds blow from north to south, so Zeke is doing this the hard way, apparently to exemplify the whole "stiff necked people" thing (we tried to talk him into going the other way). Does this have anything else to do with Judaism? I'd like to think so- we have always talked about Judaism's environmental wisdom, from the sabbatical year to shooing the mother bird from her nest. But maybe he just loves biking and wants to protect the environment.

Here is a link to the journal he has started about the ride:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=12307&v=c.

Below is his fundraising letter, if you would care to contribute and/or circulate it:

Hello Family, Friends, Strangers,
Have you ever traveled 1900 miles? Probably and you probably were flying in a plane.
Now imagine trying that distance in 5 weeks on a bicycle. Talk about crazy, right?
Well this summer I will do my best to ride those miles from San Diego to Vancouver to raise money for the Sierra Club's Climate Change Campaign (I have so far organized from San Diego to Northern Oregon, 1500 miles). I'll be riding with friends and family, camping out, staying at friend's houses, and having a great time. The purpose of my ride is twofold: first of all an awesome adventure, and second of all to demonstrate that the world could be a different place if we want it to, with people travelling in a way that is better for themselves and the planet.
Would you like to help me? You can come along and/or you can help me raise the money I want to donate to the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club is an organization that is trying to help stop global warming. They are trying to shut down coal plants in the U.S.A and are protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. It is really important to stop sea level rise and climate change, or else it won't snow in Minnesota and Kansas will become beachfront property. Well, maybe not that extreme. But, you know what I mean. In all seriousness, I feel I should do everything I can to reduce the threats to many plant and animal species who will suffer from global warming. Also, global warming would be disastrous to humans, wiping out most of Holland and Belgium, destroying Delaware, and taking out more than half of Manhattan and at least 3/4 of Long Island, which are only a few of the disasters our planet is facing. My goal on the ride to help raise money to help the Sierra Club and raise awareness of the danger Earth is in from global warming. I am asking if you would pledge for me. You can do one flat rate or by mile. The choice is yours. Since I am doing this with friends and family, and not as part of an organized ride, every dollar you pledge will go straight to the Sierra Club's campaign- not a penny will go to pay for the ride.
If you are thinking about riding with me part (or all!) of the way, send me an email and I'll send you my itinerary. Even joining me for a day or two would be great! If you are able to donate to the Sierra Club, you can send a check to
San Francisco Bay Chapter Sierra Club
2530 San Pablo Ave. Suite I
Berkeley, CA 94702-2000
or go to their website, here: http://sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/donate/
Melanie Jolly, the Development Director of the SF Bay Area Sierra Club chapter, is going to help me track the donations people send in for the ride. If you could forward the receipt you get to her at melanie@sfbaysc.org noting that the donation is inspired by my ride, she will be able to track them. Or if you want to make a pledge per mile, and then donate when you find out how far I make it, just email me back and let me know your pledge.

Sincerely,

Zeke

Environmental Responsibility at School *

by Hadas Yellinek, Coordinator of the Community and Nature Program at Teva Ivri

* Hebrew Version Produced by Teva Ivri – Jewish Nature

English Translation Courtesy of Jewish Agency for Israel – Partnership2Gether

Target Population: Elementary School

Noah lived in a period in which he was required to assume responsibility, listen to the voice of God and save the various species. Each of us should assume Noah’s role. Each of us is responsible for the environment in which he lives. In this lesson, we will learn about man’s responsibility for the world’s existence and how each of us can reduce our negative impact on the environment at school.

Part 1 – We’re All in the Same Boat – Story and Discussion

The teacher will open with the following story based on the Midrash in Vayikra Raba 4:

This is a tale of a group of people sitting on a ship. One of them took a drill and started drilling a hole in the bottom of the ship. His friends said to him: “What are you doing?” He said to them: “What does it matter to you! I’m only drilling under where I’m sitting.” They said to him: ‘The water is rising and flooding us all. We are all in the same boat!”

Comment: You can ‘add’ color to the story and lengthen the text and add descriptions. It can also be dramatized together with the students. The ship represents the planet Earth. The group of people represents all inhabitants of the Earth. The moment I understand that my actions have an impact on the entire world, my behavior will change.

Part 2 – You and I Will Change the World – Group Activity

The teacher will divide the class into 4 groups. Each group will discuss one of the following topics (2 groups will discuss each subject). Afterward, each smaller group will present its conclusions to the entire class.

The Way to School

Conduct a Class Survey – How do you get to school?

Walking

By bike

By public transportation

School bus

Carpool

My parents drive me to school

Points for discussion and activity

· What are the environmental consequences of driving one’s car rather than taking public transportation?

· What is better for the environment? Parents dropping the student off? Traveling by bus, bike, or walking? Which is healthier?

· How can we influence more students to get to school using healthy and environmentally friendly ways?

Trash at School

It is recommended to run this activity during the lesson that follows the morning recess.

Check the classroom trash can and fill in the attached table:

Type of Trash

Quantity (A lot, average, small amount)

There is a recycling can at school or in the area

Organic waste (leftover food)

Plastic (bags, bottles)

Paper

Cardboard

Styrofoam

Glass

Metal (cans)

Points for Discussion and Activity

· What is the source of the trash in the can?

· What could be reduced and how? (For example, reusable food boxes instead of bags, recycling paper instead of throwing into the can…)

· Which trash can be recycled at school?

· How can you encourage classmates to recycle?

To expand upon the subject: Study about the time span it takes for materials to decompose, how compost is made, and what happens to trash in the landfill.

Part 3: Who Knows Noah – A Call to Action

Do you know the story of Noah?

The teacher will tell the story of Noah in brief and will ask the children – “What is the connection between Noah and the process we learned about today?” “If Noah was alive today, what issues would he be required to deal with?”

Now after we understand the consequences of our various actions, there is a need to adopt responsible behavior for our world, our resources and the coming generations.

Teacher: There is an opportunity to leverage the activity into an annual project that the class will lead.

Now hold a vote regarding which subject the class wishes to focus on – and make a change.

The change can be for an individual class experience or for the entire school.

Select a committee to promote this subject, which will approach the principal, parents’ committee, etc. in order to involve the school’s decision makers in the process.

Good luck!

Appendix – Walking Together to School

In the not too distant past, walking was the common way of getting to school. Today, fewer and fewer children come to school on foot and they increasingly choose to travel to school by private car. This behavior has implications in many spheres – health, road safety, environmental protection, community life and quality of life in general. Walking to school contributes to the student’s health and welfare and improves the quality of life in the residential neighborhood, in the following ways:

Improves Health and Physical Fitness and Reduces the Risk of Chronic Diseases

Many studies have found evidence regarding the significant contribution of physical activity in preventing disease and promoting health. Among other things, physical activity helps prevent obesity, which is a global epidemic with far reaching health implications, primarily in children. Regular physical activity, such as walking to school on a regular basis, contributes to maintaining proper weight and protecting the health of the cardiovascular system and other body systems as well.

Adopting Physical Activity Practices During Leisure Time

As opposed to competitive sports, every student can enjoy and benefit from walking, because walking does not require athletic ability and it appeals to a wider range of students. Studies have found evidence that children who come to school on foot tend to take part in more physical activity in their leisure time. This is particularly significant in our time, in light of the spread of the sedentary behavior among children.

Increasing Pedestrian Safety in the School Vicinity

There is a good reason that pedestrians and cyclists in Israel are known as ‘vulnerable road users’. It is because they make up over two-thirds of all victims and fatalities in road accidents. In this regard, many studies indicate that the larger the number of pedestrians in a given place, the smaller the chances of them getting hurt in a road accident. Traffic hazards near the school are related to the large number of private vehicles that drive to the school in a short span of time. In most cases, the school vicinity is not prepared for the intake of the incoming vehicles, the children who are dropped off or parking spaces for this large number of vehicles. Therefore, encouraging walking instead of coming to school by private car will contribute to the safety of the school vicinity.

Improving Air Quality

The many vehicles starting up their engines and driving very slowly near the school, emit increased air pollutants. Driving a distance of 1 kilometer by car emits a half of a kilogram of pollutants from the vehicle (the amount of pollutants emitted when starting the engine is greater). Children are more vulnerable to the air emitted from vehicles because they are shorter. Replacing these car rides with walking to school will reduce the environmental hazards caused due to the traffic jams during peak hours at the school.

Conserving Energy and Returning the Urban Space to Pedestrians

In the short run, less cars arriving at the school’s vicinity each morning will reduce the burden and the traffic jams and allow for a great savings in energy. In the long run, the transition from transportation by car to walking to school will return the municipal space to pedestrians and protect open public areas.

Empowering the Student and Developing Social Relationships

Walking to school contributes to the development of social relationships, helps develop independence and improves self-image. Studies indicate that walking to school is a habit that creates and fosters social relationships, and the chances that the student will walk to school increases if other students are also walking. These findings stress the importance of organized walking groups which encourage walking to school.

The project encourages daily walking to and from school, with the cooperation of parents and people in the community. In participating countries, the activity begins at the start of the school year and includes a variety of lessons, such as integrating walking in subjects such as geography, arithmetic, art, social studies, mapping walking routes near the school and organizing walking groups.

Israel has stated a goal to achieve oil independence by 2020 and Better Place is a large step in that direction. According to research, 57% of Israelis would purchase an electric car as their next car purchase and being that Israel’s major urban centers are less than 150 km apart from one another, and 90% of Israel’s drivers drive less than 70km per day, an electric car system may actually be viable. Current research shows that vehicles are the number one contribution to air pollutants in Israel and switching to a no emissions vehicle is a good idea to cut down on air pollution.

The center piece of the electric vehicle is the lithium battery. Which according to one news report is “Made from nontoxic materials, today’s lithium-ion batteries have unprecedented safety. A lithium-ion battery can also be recycled with minimal environmental impact. More than 95% of the battery materials can be recovered and reused.”

This application of technology is one, albeit potentially large, sector of sustainable development in Israel. If Israel were able to cut down on air pollution, especially in the major urban areas, perhaps this would lead to decreased pressures on the health services and economic resources could be diverted to other more vital areas rather than oil acquisition and refinement. However, what would this mean for increased reliance on the electricity sector to charge the batteries, where most of Israel’s electricity is produced by burning coal?

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One of the best-recognized descriptions of the land of Israel is “a land flowing with milk and honey."[1] This description immediately conjures up a picture of a rich, fertile and desirable land, but what do the words actually mean, and what, if any environmental implications are alluded to in this expression?

We start with the interpretation of the Talmud, which interprets the words “zavat chalav u’dvash,” (flowing with milk and honey) as “milk flows from the goats' [udders], and honey flows from the dates and the figs."[2] For a pastoral people, this indeed must have been an inviting description of the land. The goats were a source of milk as well as meat, and were very prolific. In Biblical times, goats were a reflection of wealth.

How surprising then that in the land of milk and honey the Jewish Sages later instituted a ban on the raising of small livestock (goats and sheep) in the land of Israel – at least in the settled areas (Mishna Baba Kama 7:7).[3]

Rashi, in his commentary on the Mishna (Baba Kama 7:7), explains that the reason for the ban against raising sheep and goats in the land of Israel was due to the mitzvah of yishuv ha’aretz, literally settling the Land, and by extension living there in such a way that will sustain Jewish existence on the Land for an unlimited time. Although very profitable for the owner, sheep and goats are especially destructive to fields and gardens as well as other green areas. [4]

Clearly, in their considerations for making the ban on raising sheep and goats in the land of Israel, the Sages were faced with a dilemma. On one hand they needed to consider the economic benefits to those that raised sheep and goats; on the other hand they needed to consider the environmental costs, and the injury to the farmers whose crops were being damaged by them. The Sages, in prohibiting the raising of these small livestock, chose what today might be called the ‘sustainable’ path. They ruled against inappropriate development that yields a quick profit for some but damages others, and causes extensive long-term ecological damage. They determined that this was clearly not the kind of responsible development demanded by the concept of yishuv ha’aretz.

Unfortunately, one does not need to look very far today to find examples of irresponsible development in the land of Israel. One glaring example is the choice to develop an extensive automobile-based transportation system rather than a safer and more sustainable public transportation system. As a result, many of Israel's most populated areas suffer from terrible air pollution. Automobiles also require a lot of valuable land for roads as well as for parking, gas stations, repair shops, etc. For Israel, a small and heavily populated country, this means tangibly less land for housing, schools, parks or other purposes that large numbers of people benefit from.

Weighing the harm caused by automobiles, including long-term ecological damage, against the short-term benefits to those who benefit, it would appear that an automobile-based transportation system does not fit well with yishuvha'aretz. [5] Interestingly, RabbiYaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, one of the Torah leaders of the previous generation, was quoted as saying that had there been a Sanhedrin (Religious High Court) in his day, they may well have forbidden the use of private automobiles in Israel. [6]

There are still other interpretations of the expression “flowing with milk and honey” that merit our consideration. In our parsha, the mention of chalav u’dvash is in a negative context: For when I shall have brought them into the land of which I swore to their fathers, one flowing with chalav u’dvash; and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat; then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and provoke me and break my covenant. [7] From this verse we clearly see how the same material abundance which is such a blessing can also lead to forgetting the Creator who provided it.

This leads to the examination of one additional interpretation by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch [8] in his commentary on the expression a “land flowing with milk and honey."[9] Instead of focusing on the meaning of milk and honey, Rabbi Hirsch focuses on the meaning of the word for flowing(zavat), and writes:

It is very characteristic that the abundance of produce by “zov” only occurs in reference to Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel)… In Tanach, the word zov never means overflowing. It occurs mainly to describe a human pathological condition, and otherwise as a flowing forth caused by miraculous power…“Eretz zavas…” does not seem to describe a land that develops the abundance in accordance with its natural fertility, but a land that only does this under special conditions. Palestine is a hard land… which can only blossom and flourish “under the continuous special care of G-d for it, from one end of the year to the other.” When it gets water, it blossoms luxuriously. But it only gets the water from above. It is a land that makes it necessary for its inhabitants to be good.

Rabbi Hirsch's interpretation gives us a very different picture. The land of Israel flows unnaturally with milk and honey, dependent on the rainfall, which comes according to our actions. When our actions are not proper, for example, if we allow ourselves to be corrupted by the wealth and excess we accumulate (as brought above in Deut. 31:20), then the land will no longer tolerate us.

Clearly, there are many ways to interpret “a land flowing with milk and honey.” Each of the interpretations presented here teaches something about how the Creator wants us to live sustainably in His land and on His earth. May we continue to seek out these messages in the Torah and find ways to apply them in our daily lives and in our relationship to the world around us.

_________________________________

Suggested Action Items

• Examine our actions, and try to act more sustainably. For example, try to minimize our use of unsustainable modes of transportation, such as automobiles, and switch to walking, bicycling, and using public transportation as much as possible.

• Try to be more conscious of the connection between our moral-ethical behavior and the quality of our environment. This is particularly true for those of us living in Eretz Yisrael, where the Torah teaches that the much-needed rainfall is influenced by the behavior of the inhabitants of the land.

Dr Akiva Wolff has a PhD from Leiden University, with a thesis examining the prohibition of bal tashchit as an approach to natural resource management. He also has a Masters degree in energy and environmental studies from Boston University and work experience in the environmental field – with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering (as it was
then called) and later with the New York City Recycling Office. He lives with his wife and children in Jerusalem, and since 1999 has worked at the Center for Judaism and the environment at the Jerusalem College of Technology – Machon Lev; which he initiated and continued to run in its more recent manifestation, under the Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility.

1

This expression appears 16 times in the Torah and an additional 15 times in the other Scriptures. In our Torah portion it appears in Deuteronomy 31:20.

2

Ketubot 111b, s.v. zavat chalav u’dvash (third line from the bottom).

3

It is interesting to note that there is a disagreement over whether the ban on the raising of sheep and goats in the settled parts of the land of Israel still stands. Amongst those who take the position that the ban is still in effect are the late Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook – first Chief Rabbi of Israel (1906); Rabbi S. Wosner (Shut Shevet Levi chapter 4, siman 227); “Kaftur v’Perach” chapter 10; and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Those ruling that the ban is no longer in affect include the Shulchan Aruch and the late Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank, the former rabbi of Jerusalem (from Nachum Rakover, Ichut HaSviva, Jerusalem, 1993).

4

See, for example, Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Bava Batra p. 36a and Rashi there about goats devouring other people's barley.

5

Under the reasonable assumption that a proper public transportation system, as an alternative to the automobile-based transportation system being used, will benefit more people, at a lower total cost, with less pollution and less fatalities and injuries.

6

See Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (1899-1985), Pininei Rabbeinu HaKahillat Yaakov, p. 106.

7

Deut. 31:20. (Translation by the author.)

8

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) was the intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism.

9

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Pentateuch – Translation and Commentary, (Judaica Press, Gateshead, 1982). In this quote, Rabbi Hirsch is commenting specifically on the verse Exodus 3:8.

This content originated at http://canfeinesharim.org/community/parshas.php?page=17831.

Walk, bike, take the bus, ride the train.

When purchasing your next vehicle, select the most fuel-efficient model possible. Click here for a listing of automobile fuel efficiency by model.

Look for the "Energy-Star" label on appliances, indicating certification as a highly energy efficient product. Energy Star, a U.S. EPA program, certifies all major appliances, furnaces, boilers, computers and monitors, and even entire new homes.

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use much less energy than conventional bulbs while providing high quality light. Contact your utility company about possible discounts.

Insulate your home, tune up your furnace, install a programmable thermostat, and keep the thermostat low.

Plant trees to provide shade while absorbing carbon dioxide. Check with a local nursery about appropriate native tree species for your area.

Buy products in reusable or recyclable packaging, recycle all newsprint, cardboard, glass, and metal, and buy recycled products.

Organize energy conservation programs in schools, synagogues, and other community institutions.

Advocate for strong governmental action to reduce carbon emissions, including mass transit, stricter vehicle emissions standards, and energy-smart community planning.

Day 2: Bike, walk, Bus or Carpool to school day. Hold a special day for alternative forms of transportation. Hold a special raffle for anyone who reduced their footprint on their way to school

Day 3: Re-used, re-gifted and home made gift exchange. Hold a Hanukah gift exchange, but you are only allowed to give gifts that are not purchased.

Day 4: Waste Free Lunch. Hold a special waste free lunch day, encourage students to bring foods that are disposable packaging free

Day 5: ‘Causes Worth Fighting For’ Awareness Day. Ask students to prepare posters, information, etc., on local, national and global causes they feel other students should know about.

Day 6: Bring a Sweater to School Day. Encourage students to bring a sweater or long sleeve shirt to school. Turn down the school furnace by 3 degrees. You may find productivity increases and energy use decreases.

Day 7: Double Sided Paper. All handouts and homework must be written on both sides of the paper (if multipage), and on reused paper (if only 1 page.)

Day 8: Write to the government demanding action on climate change. Have each student in the school write a letter to the President or Prime Minister demanding action on climate change.

8 Days, 8 Actions for your Home

Day 1: Replace an old fashion incandescent light bulb with an energy efficient Compact Fluorescent bulb. Uses approximately 1/5 the amount of energy and last up to 7 years.

Day 2: Make a plan to decrease your car use. Automobiles emit greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂ and NO_x) and contribute to dependence on foreign oil. Examine your driving habits and see if you can walk, bike, take public transit, or combine errands to reduce the amount you drive.

Day 3: Make your own Hanukah gifts! Take a photo and design a frame for it, knit a scarf for the winter, or make a set of beeswax candles. Use recycled materials if you can. You can find lots of great books about homemade gifts in your local library.

Day 4: Eat less meat. Large-scale meat production uses a huge amount of natural resources, particularly grain, topsoil, and water.

Day 5: Buy organic, locally grown foods. Eating organic food is better for your health since it reduces your exposure to pesticides and antibiotics. Buying food grown close to home supports family farms and reduces the amount of energy used to prepare and transport food.

Day 6: Give your furnace a tune-up. Forty percent of home energy use is for heat. An inefficient heating system can waste 30-50% of the energy it uses. Oil furnaces should be serviced annually and gas furnaces every two years. A heating technician can do the tune-up for $50-100.

Day 7: Save paper by sending environmentally-friendly Hanukah e-cards. To create an e-card, visit www.care2.com. Or, if you’re feeling artistic, make your own paper cards with recycled paper.

Day 8: Wash a full load of clothes and use cold water for the rinse. Washing machines use 32-59 gallons of water per cycle, so waiting until you have a full load of clothes will save both water and energy. A warm water wash and a cold rinse will clean nearly all clothes well.

Making an environmentally conscious housing decision will not only help reduce our consumption of energy and natural resources, but will also lower your maintenance and energy bills. In addition, some mortgage lenders and financial service companies such as Fannie Mae have recognized the importance of a home's environmental impact and offer mortgage benefits to buyers of energy-efficient houses.

Keep these considerations in mind when house hunting:

- Home size. Buy a home that is no larger than you need. Heating unused rooms is a waste of energy, and unheated rooms may draw heat away from other areas of the home. The money you save on buying, heating, and lighting a smaller home can be invested in energy-efficient home improvements.

- Yard. To help maintain local biodiversity, choose a home with a smaller yard and a surrounding natural habitat that has been left largely intact. This is especially important when looking in newer housing developments.

- Location. If possible, live close to your office or town center. Automobiles are a primary source of environmental damage, and the farther you drive to get to work or run errands, the greater the damage. If you cannot live within walking or bicycling distance from work or shopping, consider moving where there is public transportation.

- Efficiency. Perform an energy audit on any prospective home to assess its energy efficiency and find ways to make it more efficient. You can do this yourself (see the links below) or hire a professional for a small fee.

If you've decided to build a new home instead of purchasing an existing one, you have the opportunity to incorporate energy-efficient features at the start. Consider incorporating the following items into your home's design (or installing them as upgrades on an existing home):

- Renewable energy (such as photovoltaic roof panels)

- Substantial insulation in walls and ceilings (including attics and crawlspaces)

- Efficient windows

- Natural lighting (south-facing windows, skylights, etc.)

- Occupancy sensors to control indoor lighting

- Efficient hot-water system (solar is best)

- Heat-recovery ventilation system

- Caulking and weather stripping on doors and windows

- Energy-efficient appliances (look for the Energy Star label)

These upgrades will pay for themselves over time and contribute to the cleanest possible environment you can provide for your family.

[Reprinted with permission from GreenTips, a publication of the Union of Concerned Scientists, September 2003.]

Originally posted in "On Eagles' Wings" February 5th 2006

This content originated at Canfei Nesharim.org.

Is a Hybrid Car Really Worth it?

INQUIRIES FOR THE EAGLE
I am looking for a new car and, thinking about those gas prices, I'm tempted to buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Is a hybrid car really worth it?

Answer:
Today's gas prices make everyone think about energy efficiency, and there are some real benefits – from an economic, environmental, and security perspective – to buying a more efficient vehicle. If everyone in the United States purchased one of the four most efficient models in each vehicle class (sedans, sub-compacts, SUVs, light trucks), Americans could save 13.1 billion gallons of gasoline annually.[1] Reducing gasoline use protects America's national security while reducing air pollution and global warming.[2]

These statistics translate to real money-savings for consumers. The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG (miles per gallon) and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $1,800 over 5 years, assuming gas costs $1.80 per gallon and one drives 12,000 miles a year. [3] In 2004, SUV drivers spent about $1,225 on fuel, while passenger car drivers spent only $976. Hybrid electric car drivers spent between $350 and $450.[4] Improvements in automobile efficiency since 1973 saved consumers $151 billion in 2004 alone.[5]

Hybrid vehicles are becoming a real option for many American[6] consumers. According to Department of Energy projections, by the end of this decade, 750,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold annually – that means one in every 23 passenger vehicles sold will be a hybrid electric.[7]

Hybrid vehicles, which combine a gasoline engine and electric motor, have the potential to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions.[8] But not all vehicles being marketed as hybrids take advantage of the full range of hybrid technology. If you care about having a car with the least harmful environmental impact, it's important to know what's under the hood. There are currently five types of hybrid technology available to automakers:
-> Idle-off capability. The engine turns off when the vehicle is stopped in traffic or at a light, and turns back on when you move your foot from the brake to the gas pedal.
-> Regenerative braking. The electric motor helps slow the car, and functions as a generator to convert some of the energy typically lost during braking into electricity (thereby recharging the vehicle's battery).
-> Power assist and engine downsizing. The electric motor helps propel the car, in particular during acceleration. Because the motor and engine share the power load, the engine's size can be reduced, saving even more fuel.
-> Electric-only drive. The electric motor can power the vehicle by itself at low speeds and when first starting the car.
-> Extended battery-electric range. The car runs solely on electric power for 20 to 60 miles before engaging the gasoline engine. You have to recharge the car's battery by plugging it into an external electricity source.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, "mild" hybrids such as Honda's Insight and Civic Hybrid employ the first three technologies above. "Full" hybrids, including the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid, go one step further and feature electric-only drive. "Plug-in" hybrids that utilize all five technologies are not currently available as passenger vehicles.

Hybrid technology is also being used to increase power and performance rather than fuel economy. The resulting "muscle" hybrids, such as the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h, provide only a fraction of the potential fuel economy and environmental benefits. The Honda Accord Hybrid falls between mild and muscle hybrids.

Beware of "hollow" hybrids. When you are researching a new car, it's important to research your options and make sure that the car you are buying will really save you money, reduce oil demand, and protect the environment. Some automakers are trying to create a "green" image by putting one or two of these technologies into their conventional vehicles and calling them hybrids. The Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid, for example, have idle-off capability but improve fuel economy by only one or two miles per gallon. Such improvements might be lauded if they were made standard options in every Silverado and Sierra, but producing a limited quantity and marketing them as hybrids will only dilute the term's meaning and soften demand for hybrid technologies.

When evaluating hybrids, keep in mind that the environmental performance of specific models can vary. For example, Honda Civic Hybrids sold in California rate an exemplary 9.5 out of 10 on the EPA's smog-forming emissions scale, while others currently rate just a 2.

For a customized, side-by-side comparison of hybrid models, financial incentives for buying a hybrid, and useful tips from technology experts and hybrid drivers-visit the Union of Concerned Scientists' Hybrid center at http://www.hybridcenter.org.

You can also find a wealth of free information about energy-efficient cars and other products from Consumer Reports at http://www.eco-labels.org/greenconsumers/ (see the section on "Autos")
.

Notes:
1. Environmental Protection Agency and quoted in Alliance's Power booklet, cited at http://www.energyhog.org/adult/adults.htm
2. Today, the additional cost of a hybrid car still sometimes exceeds the cost savings in reduced gasoline usage, so you should compare your numbers carefully to assess what you can afford. However, buying a hybrid not only saves gas money but protects the environment, and protects our national/international security. And more demand for hybrids today will reduce costs tomorrow. So, if you can afford a hybrid, by all means consider one. And if you can't, buy the least-polluting car you can afford (or best yet, hold off on buying that car if you can wait) till prices come down a bit. 3. Alliance to Save Energy, cited at http://www.energyhog.org/adult/adults.htm
4. Alliance to Save Energy, cited at http://www.energyhog.org/adult/adults.htm
5. Alliance to Save Energy, cited at http://www.energyhog.org/adult/adults.htm
6. We admit that this article is American-centric. International readers, we know you are out there, and we're sorry! If one of you would like to write a comparable article on energy-efficient cars outside the U.S., we'd be happy to consider it for publication.

7. Alliance to Save Energy, cited at http://www.energyhog.org/adult/adults.htm
8. See http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/505-how-to-buy-a-hybrid-car.html
. This section is reprinted courtesy of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Originally posted in "On Eagles' Wings" June 20th 2006

This content originated at Canfei Nesharim.org.

Car sharing is a service that is usually run by universities, businesses, or local communities, allowing members over 21 years of age to rent cars, by half-hour to one-hour increments, instead of owning their own vehicles. Members can pick up their automobiles during at a pre-designated time from a parking spot located in walking distance from their homes or places of work.

Car sharing can help you save money on gas, parking tickets, fines and repairs. Cars are opened with a card key and users are charged on an hourly basis, with rates from $7 to $10 per hour. This fee includes gasoline, insurance, maintenance and cleaning costs. Members are also charged annually for an additional maintenance fee. These fees are significantly less than the costs incurred from a privately owned car. Car-share automobiles are often hybrid vehicles which are very fuel efficient, as well.

One company, Flexcar, runs car-sharing programs in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Another company, Zipcar, runs programs in Boston, New York, Chapel Hill, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. In addition, over 30 Universities such as the University of Wisconsin, the University of Minnesota, the University of Chicago, and Oberlin College have shared cars available to their students and faculty members. For a list of other car-sharing locations, visit http://www.carsharing.net/where.html. Flexcar also has opportunities for people to set up car-sharing programs for businesses and organizations.

Car Sharing is a great way that people can continue to use cars when they really need them, while still protecting our air quality and the environment. Take advantage of this opportunity in your community today!

- Ariella Cohen

Ariella Cohen is a student at Stern College for Women and Canfei Nesharim's spring intern.

Originally posted in "On Eagles' Wings" May 9th 2006

WALK. By reducing the amount of time spent in your car by using your feet, bike, or mass transit you reduce CO2 emissions, as well as ozone-producing nitrous oxides and cancer-causing polyaromatic hydrocarbons. How many of us have seen members of our community drive two blocks to get to the Sunday morning minyan? If you can walk on Shabbat, you can walk on Sunday! If you need to purchase a new car, get the most gas-efficient model available. Consider hybrid cars, too.


IMPROVE YOUR HOME. This fall, leave the windows open. As the cooler days approach, prepare your windows by installing weather stripping and plastic sheets to cut cold air drafts and keeping the blinds/shades closed in the daytime will keep the house cool. Use fans. (Ceiling fans can even be used in the winter, if you change the direction of the blades to bring the cold air up to the warmer ceiling areas, and that will decrease your heating needs.) Plant trees around the house to prepare for next summer. If you live in a cold climate, use dark paints or siding to keep the heat in this winter.


USE YOUR APPLIANCES EFFICIENTLY. If you have a dishwasher, run it only when you have a full load and use any energy-saving settings when drying. A temperature of 120o F for your water heater is just fine; turn it to vacation mode when gone for a few days or more. Set your thermostats mildly, as hundreds of pounds of CO2 are used/saved each year for every 2-degree adjustment. Clean your furnace filters; the harder your furnace needs to work to circulate the air, the more energy is used. Unplug your TV, and other appliances, when not in use. Many modern appliances are really using energy even when "off" – you can tell because they are still warm even when they aren't in use.


SAVE ENERGY ON SHABBOS. On Shabbos, use warming trays and crock pots with a timer, if possible, rather than having your oven on for 25 hours. Use timers on lamps that plug into the wall. There are also now moderately-priced timers that connect into your ceiling lights and fans through your wall switch. By programming what hours you need the lights on or off, you don't need your lights on all Shabbos.

- Daniel Weber, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Originally posted in "On Eagles' Wings" September 12th 2003.

This content originated at Canfei Nesharim.org.

One of the most profound consequences of these drastic changes is heightened level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Humans and animals are constantly putting CO2 into the atmosphere, as are automobiles and power plants. Yet, whereas the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was stable for thousands of years, in just the past 150 years it has jumped by over 25%![2] The current rate of carbon proliferation is alarmingly dangerous, and threatens to completely undermine the very conveniences that were made possible by the transition from organic to advanced energy sources.

These profound historical forces are far beyond the grasp of any single individual. Yet, we all bear the responsibility of making informed choices in our lives to help mitigate these problems. A great place to start is in greening our transportation habits. The transportation sector accounts for a full 1/3 of US carbon dioxide emissions.[3] Reforming our transportation is actually quite simple, and small steps prove to be very empowering. Here is a short list of actions you can take to green your personal transportation.

1. Use Public Transportation. If one in ten Americans used public transportation daily, we would decrease our reliance on foreign oil by 40%, greatly cutting CO2 emissions at the same time. The Internet is an amazing resource to obtain precise information about bus and train schedules. Riding a bus is also 26 times safer than driving a car.[4]

2. Exercise! One of the most dire consequences of living in a modern society is the greatly reduced amount of time humans spend exercising. Walking short distances to the market, shul, and friend’s houses can be a great way to the offset detrimental effects on the human body, as well as the environment caused by the use cars. Also consider bicycles, scooters, long (skate) boards, and other methods of sustainable personal transport.

3. Carpool. Send out emails, post memos, make announcements- anything you can do to encourage your workplace to start a carpooling program. Just as Pinchas swiftly took action when he saw other idly standing around, we too must be proactive in encouraging and implementing good behavior in our immediate environments. More info and ideas: http://www.commuterpage.com/tentips.htm

4. CarShare. Instead of purchasing a new car, several companies offer services for sharing electric/hybrid cars such as FlexShare and ZipCar. When you buy a membership to one of their programs, you have instant access to cheap, sustainable transportation whenever you need it. The service is available in the following cities: Los Angeles; Gainesville; San Diego; Atlanta; Pittsburgh; San Francisco; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington; D.C; Boston; New York; Minneapolis; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Oakland; San Francisco; Toronto; London; Chicago; and Vancouver. Learn more!http://www.flexcar.com/, http://www.zipcar.com/

5. Telecommute. The technological revolution has also brought the amazing ability of communicating without commuting! With conference calling, video conferencing, online chat rooms, etc., we can conduct our worldwide business without leaving our homes or offices. If you are unfamiliar with these technologies, don’t hesitate to ask someone who is competent and can teach you these skills.

6. Offset your carbon emission. If circumstances require that you must embark on a long voyage, consider offsetting your carbon emissions with a company such as climate care (www.climatecare.org). These companies calculate the amount of carbon dioxide that was emitted in your travels, and quantify that number into a dollar amount. Ex. Flying from Los Angeles to New York produces 1.09 tons of CO2/person. For around $17, you can offset this carbon proliferation, and the company will contribute that money towards developing renewable energy sources, increasing energy efficiency, or reforestation efforts.

7. Buy a Sustainable Vehicle. If you are considering buying a new car, buy a hybrid. The following companies now sell hybrid vehicles Ford, Nissan, Honda, Saturn, Lexus, Toyota, and Mercury. (http://www.automotive.com/new-cars/27/hybrid/index.html) Also, if you do not usually drive long distances, look into buying an electric vehicle. Learn more at: http://eaaev.org/

8. Drive Smart. Unnecessary acceleration, speeding, and jerky driving can greatly reduce the efficiency of your car. As these behaviors are also very dangerous, it makes much more sense to drive prudently.

9. Alternative Fuels. For the somewhat adventuresome, a regular diesel engine can be converted to run off of straight vegetable oil, which emits far less carbon than gasoline. You can it run either virgin vegetable oil (any household cooking oil) or wasted vegetable oil picked up from restaurants. Also, bio-diesel (vegetable oil which has been processed into diesel) can be put into any diesel engine, though finding a reliable source can sometimes be tricky. Check around your local area for bio-diesel co-ops, or retail distribution companies. http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html

10. Limit Air Conditioning Use. Air condition uses up a large amount of fuel, thus decreasing your fuel efficiency. For city driving, rolling the windows down instead of using AC is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Also, parking in the shade, and using a reflective windshield are all fairly simple ways to control the temperature in your car. Electric and solar powered fans, which require very little installation effort, are widely available for purchase. http://www.tradekey.com/ks-solar-fan/

- Yaakov Lehman

References:
1. Vaclav Smil. Energy in World History (1994)
2. Nir Shaviv. “Carbon Dioxide of Solar Forcing” http://www.sciencebits.com/CO2orSolar
3. Energy Information Administration.http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/carbon.html
4. Injury Facts, 2005-2006 Edition. Itasca, IL: National Safety Council, 2006

Originally posted in "On Eagles' Wings" July 20th 2007.

This content originated at Canfei Nesharim.org.

• Bicycle Advocacy Groups
• Blogs and Online Resources
• Learn how to Ride a bike
• New York Area Group Rides
• NY Cycle Clubs
• Bike Trails and Route Mapping

Visit our website to find out how you can participate in one of our annual rides. We ride in New York, California, and Israel.

Check it out here!

View a Printable Version | View a Source Sheet

This week’s Torah portion of Vayikra describes the various voluntary and obligatory sacrifices that G-d commands the Jewish people to bring. Two types of offerings, the chatat (sin offering) and the asham (guilt offering), provide atonement for unintentional transgressions against the Torah. After both of these offerings are described, in Leviticus 4-5:16, the Torah presents another, puzzling form of the guilt offering:

If a person sins and commits one of the commandments of the Lord which may not be committed, but he does not know, he is guilty, and he shall bear his transgression. He shall bring an unblemished ram from the flock, with the value for a guilt offering, to the kohen (priest). The kohen shall then make atonement for his unintentional sin which he committed and did not know, and he shall be forgiven. It is a guilt offering he has incurred guilt before the Lord. (Leviticus 5:17-19, Judaica Press Translation)

These verses elicit many questions. We have already read that the sin and guilt offerings atone for unintentional misdeeds; how does this offering differ? What does it mean, that the person “does not know?” Why is this action uniquely described as incurring guilt “before G-d?”

The Talmud reads these verses as describing a very specific type of sacrifice, called asham talui- an “undetermined guilt” offering. As opposed to the other sin and guilt offerings, which are brought when a person's action has transgressed a commandment (even if that was only realized after the fact), the asham talui is brought when it cannot be conclusively determined whether the act was, in fact, a transgression at all.

Rashi gives the following example of such a case[2]: [a piece of] prohibited animal fat and [a piece of] permissible animal fat are placed before someone, and, thinking that both were permissible [fats], the person ate one. Then, people told that person, “One of those pieces was prohibited fat!” Now, if the person knew that the piece consumed was the forbidden piece they would bring a regular sin offering. But since it is unknown which piece was eaten, the permitted or the forbidden, the asham talui offering is proscribed.

But why does one need to bring any offering at all? The 16^th century Italian commentator Sforno[3] even suggests that maybe a person in this situation would worry that bringing a sacrifice would be wrong. Since maybe the permitted piece of meat was actually eaten and there is no sin, this sacrificial offering would be unnecessary and therefore invalid. It would be bringing unconsecrated meat into the Temple.

Sforno writes that regardless of which piece of meat was actually consumed, even if it luckily was the right one, this person is still guilty of not paying closer attention to their actions and making sure that their food was kosher before eating. The asham talui teaches us that we may not engage in careless or risky behavior. We must take responsibility for questionable actions even in the absence of conclusive proof that we have done something wrong.

The logic of the asham talui offering is relevant to environmental consciousness. There are many instances where the negative environmental impact of our actions is not immediately evident or scientifically verified. Does shutting the water while I brush my teeth matter? Will carpooling to work really affect air quality? These kinds of doubts often prevent well-meaning people from making changes that could positively affect the environment.

Perhaps the most significant example is humanity's impact on the global climate. The basic premise of this impact is that modern industrial society has increased greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, with 85% of emissions caused by burning fossil fuels for energy.[4] This increase is purported to affect the makeup of the earth's atmosphere, impacting climate.

For years, debate raged whether there was any real connection between human activity, greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Today, most reliable scientific sources agree that the earth is getting warmer, and human activity contributes to that warming.[5] The uncertainty that remains generally concerns the degree of impact and the effectiveness of our potential response to drastic change- that is, whether human adaptation (sea walls and dikes, population transfers from low-lying regions, hurricane and other disaster response and rebuilding) will be possible, or whether climate change will threaten the very fabric of human civilization.[6]

According to the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, (the most authoritative body on climate change science in the world, comprised of hundreds of scientists from tens of countries), “It is very likely that hot extremes, heat waves, and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more frequent.”[7] The US Environmental Protection Agency states that, by the end of this century, the average surface temperature of the earth is likely to increase within the range of 2.5 to 10.4°F. This means an increase in warming up to ten times that recorded in the 20th century, potentially the highest warming in the last 10,000 years.[8]

If the warming stays in the low end of this range, the consequences may not be severe. The middle range forecast will likely be quite negative for humanity. According to the upper range scenario, the consequences would be dire: warming would melt polar ice caps, causing massive flooding, wreaking havoc on agriculture, and fueling powerful, destructive storms.[9]

In spite of the wealth of evidence from various US and international government agencies, skepticism still exists. Some say that it would be rash to take costly measures to stop the release of greenhouse gases while there is still scientific uncertainty as to the extent of their affect. Even if the naysayers are right, and global warming is not a pressing problem, reducing our need for fossil fuels would still result in positive benefits– air will be cleaner, the chance of oil spills and other disasters will be reduced, pristine lands will not be threatened by drilling plans, and energy politics will no longer be at the center of global affairs.

The very message of the asham talui offering is that atonement must be sought even in the absence of certainty. Since what is at stake could be the continuation of life as we know it, our use of fossil fuels has tremendous bearing on how we serve G-d and act as stewards of Creation[10]. Thus, as Sforno says, we should avoid behaviors that might bring us into guilt. Burning fossil fuels to support the global industrial economy has led us into just such a situation, and will continue to do so if we do not respond accordingly. The Torah thus underlies a contemporary moral and political guiding value, the precautionary principle. It implies "…a willingness to take action in advance of scientific proof [or] evidence of the need for the proposed action on the grounds that further delay will prove ultimately most costly to society and nature, and, in the longer term, selfish and unfair to future generations."[11]

The Midrash to our verse teaches, “Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: Scripture punishes someone who did not know [whether he had sinned or not]; how much more so will Scripture punish someone who does indeed know!”[12] Thus our tradition emphasizes how a person's sin becomes more severe as awareness increases. Today, a global consensus of scientists has become more and more adamant about the urgent need for human action to curb global climate change. Even if we are not certain of the long-term impacts of global warming today, we must prepare for the future, or know that our guilt is before G-d.

_________________________________

Suggested Action Items:

• Calculate your carbon footprint.

• Consider the frequency of your air travel. Flying contributes even more to climate change than driving because much more of the carbon emitted by the plane goes directly to the atmosphere.

• Try carpooling to work or riding public transportation once a week. Reducing our reliance on the personal automobile for all of our transportation needs will be important to slowing the rate of global climate change and will also reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

Rabbi Shlomo Levin joined Lake Park Synagogue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as its Rabbi in September of 2003. He received his Rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and from Rabbis Shlomo Riskin and Chaim Brovender of Yeshivat Hamivtar in Efrat, Israel. He is also a graduate of the Sha'al and Amiel Rabbinic training programs. Prior to coming to Lake Park Synagogue Rabbi Levin served as the Rabbi of Congregation Temple Beth El of Rutherford, NJ, taught Talmud at the Ramaz Upper School in New York, and
served as the first director of the Omaha Center for Jewish Learning in Omaha, NE. Rabbi Levin and his wife Noa have 5 children.

Yonatan Neril is the founder and director of Jewish Eco Seminars. He holds an MA and a BA from Stanford University with an emphasis on global environmental issues. He serves as Canfei Nesharim's project manager for Eitz Chayim Hee: A Weekly Environmental Torah Commentary for Learning and Action and is involved in Canfei Nesharim's pilot-program, Seminars for San Francisco-area Jewish Educators on Judaism and the Environment. He and his wife Shana live in Gush Etzion.

_________________________________

[1] The authors would like to acknowledge Sareet Benayahu and Shimshon Stuart Siegel for their involvement in editing this piece

[2] Rashi (France, 2^nd century) Vayikra 5:17

[3] Sforno, Vayikra 5:17

[4] EPA, Executive Summary of the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2005.

[5] Dissent still exists, though. Notable is the recent film The Great Global Warming Swindle, a response to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth

[6] See the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), specifically the Working Group I Report "The Physical Science Basis"

[7] See also the IPCC's Working Group II Report "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability," available online at http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg2.htm

[8] IPCC. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. page 16. Also see chart on page 9.

[9] Environmental Protection Agency website.

[10] Although we can not necessarily blame global warming for Hurricane Katrina, she is a perfect example of how devastating storms can be. Click here for a list of other predicted effects of projected climate change,

[11] Because of the burning of fossil fuels contributes to global climate change in an indirect way (for example, due to a time-lapse between emissions from cars and factories and the greenhouse-gases' entry into the atmosphere), a Jewish law would not see fit to punish a person in a formal legal sense for damages that climate change brings on. Yet actions that contribute to damages even indirectly are frowned upon by the Sages for those who seek to live in resonance with G-d's will.

[12] Precaution, uncertainty and causation in environmental decisions. Environ Int. 2003 Apr;29(1):1-19. Ricci PF, Rice D, Ziagos J, Cox LA Jr,

[13] Torat Kohamin, Chovah, 12:7, quoted in Rashi to Vayikra 5:17, translation by The Judaica Press. (Torat Kohanim is generally acknowledged to have been compiled by the tannaitic sage R. Hiyya around 200 CE)