[Avodah] Environmentalism and Halacha

[Jonathan Baker]

RMYG:
> JJB:

>>Then there's the SmartCar.  Gets almost 100 mpg.  Except, to fit
>>American emissions standards, it only gets about 50-60 mpg on the
>>few models that make it to the States.

>OK, someone had to do this - what Mekor is there that Jews should be
>environmentally friendly? (Answers on Avodah.)

Well, the most obvious is bal tashchis - if there's another use for a 
tree, don't just destroy it.

There's the whole stewardship issue: yes, Genesis says to conquer the
earth, that is, make it useful to yourself.  But there's also shmitta,
and similarly Shabbos, which makes clear that we don't actually own the
world, God does, we just have to take care of it, and we know the halachos
of she'eilah and shemirah - we can't just wantonly destroy the Earth without
incurring liability.  LaH' haaretz umelo'ah, tevel veyoshvei vah.

Here's a quote from the Chinuch 529: "This is the way of pious and
elevated people... they will not waste even a mustard seed, and they
are distressed at every ruination and spoilage they see, and if they
are able to save, they will save anything from destruction with all of
their power... 

There's a lot of stuff at http://www.brook.com/jveg/, although you can 
probably ignore a lot of the vegetarianism-specific stuff.

There are lots of sources, but I can't place a finger on them now.  Let
me contact some people and get back to you.

One place to start would be http://www.canfeinesharim.org/

Also, listmember R' Eli Turkel wrote an article on Judaism and the
Environment for the Fall 1991 Journal of Halacha & Contemporary Society.

--
        name: jon baker              web: http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker
     address: jjbaker at panix.com     blog: http://thanbook.blogspot.com