CCAR RESPONSA
Contemporary American Reform Responsa
12. Judaism and the Environment
QUESTION:
What is the attitude of Judaism toward environmental concerns expressed now by so many
political groups? Is this an issue for Judaism? Or as we have been an urban people for such a
long time, is this of relatively little concern to us? (F. P, Baltimore, MD)ANSWER:
As the amount of material on this question is immense, let me at the outset indicate that I will
restrict myself to some halakhic sources and ignore entirely the vast midrashic
literature, which is of a more homiletic character. It has, however, also played a major role in
forming the Jewish attitude toward the environment. A good source for this material is Louis
Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, especially the volumes of notes. Ancient
Jewish sources were quite concerned with the destruction of man’s natural environment and
dealt with it from Biblical times onward. So, for example, the Biblical ordinance (Deut. 20.19, 20)
against destroying fruit trees while besieging a city has been reinterpreted far more broadly to
include any purposeless destruction during siege. This included the diversion of water from such
trees as stated by Maimonides (Yad Hil. Malkhut. 6.8). Contrary citations from
Scripture were interpreted as referring to very specific instances, but were not allowed to
alter this basic attitude. Similarly, the land immediately outside a city was to remain clean and
pure; it could not be sold, and its use could not be changed (Lev. 25.34; Num. 35; Ar.
33b). There was specific concern about the environment of Jerusalem, especially as
the problems of garbage, dung and remnants of sacrifices were considerable. No garbage or
dung was permitted in the city (B.K. 82b), and the ashes of the Temple sacrifices could not be
scattered by the wind (Yad Hil. Tamid 2.15). Furthermore, no threshing was allowed
within fifty cubits of Jerusalem, nor tanning within forty cubits or at an upwind location (B. B. 24b;
B.K. 82b). Air pollution was of sufficient concern that altar fuel was limited to certain kinds of
wood; other species which produced excessive smoke were prohibited (Tamid 29a,
b). The countryside further away from the city also needed to be watched; it should
not be overgrazed, nor should goats or sheep be permitted in cultivated areas (B. K. 79b,
80a). The mood expressed in these paragraphs, largely based on Talmudic sources,
continued in the post-Talmudic rabbinic literature, and most of it can be summarized under the
principle bal tash-hit, cause no wanton destruction. Naturally many exceptions were also
cited in the literature. Trees could be destroyed to build the Temple, to cultivate a field, to
remove an advantage from the enemy during a siege, and even to honor a ruler through some
extravagant celebration. Yet the courts were permitted to intervene for the sake of ecology
(Shulhan Arukh Hoshen Mishpat 175.26). Special care for the environment had to be
exercised in the land of Israel (Emden, Sheelat Yabetz #71). A similar kind of
feeling was expressed about animals through ordinances concerning hunting. Of course we Jews
could not consume the meat of an animal taken during a hunt unless it had been ritually
slaughtered. This was possible when the animal was trapped. Such hunting was permissible to
provide food (M. Shab. 7.2), but it was considered wrong to hunt merely for sport. This was cruel
to animals and was also considered wasteful (Maimonides, Guide to the Perplexed,
Chap. 48; Meir of Rothenburg, Responsa #27). The same kind of attitude was expressed
in more recent centuries by Ezekiel Landau, who felt that animals could be slain if they invaded
a farm, were dangerous, or perhaps to obtain meat for someone else. Hunting for sport alone
was considered wrong (Noda Biyehuda II, Yoreh Deah #10). An appreciation
for nature has been stressed by our liturgy; many benedictions regularly thank God for the
wonders of nature. Some are conveniently listed in Hertz’s Daily Prayerbook, pp. 584 ff.
These include prayers of thanks for fruit, fragrant plants, spices, oil, the wonders of nature, lofty
mountains, great deserts, lightning, beautiful trees, animals, a rainbow, upon seeing a tree in
bloom, etc. Each of these prayers instills a feeling of reverence for the natural world and for its
maintenance. Judaism has emphasized an appreciation of the environment and
nature since the Biblical period. These issues do not play a dominant role in Jewish life, but they
remain important.November 1984
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