Ecology In Jewish Thought

Judaic practices described in the Torah may easily be regarded as the expression of a fully indigenous, earth-centered tradition. The natural world plays a central role in Jewish law, literature, liturgy, and other practices; the Bible and other primary Jewish texts are filled with a variety of ecological concepts.

However, neither the seven to eight centuries of Biblical corpus itself, nor the postbiblical exegesis, contains a single view of nature, but rather presents a variety of views. Regardless, many Jewish texts express a strong, consistent environmental ethic of some kind- imposing numerous restrictions on how, when, and to what extent the Jewish people may use nature- many of which evoke an understanding of the relationship between people and nature.

Some of these examples include the Biblical protection for fruit trees and restrictions on cruelty to animals; Mishnaic rules against harming the public domain; Talmudic debate over noise and smoke damage; and contemporary responsa on agricultural pollution.

It is a complex subject, however, as Judaic texts support both the idea that Humanity is sovereign over nature, as well as its steward and protector. For instance, in Genesis 1:26 HaShem says:

And yet a classic Midrash (Kohelet Rabbah 7:13) on this same passage says that:

And in Genesis 2:15– which is frequently interpreted in Jewish tradition as explicitly invoking the principle of ecological stewardship- HaShem places Adam in the Garden of Eden specifically

In general ideology, it holds that Humanity isn't just a part of nature, but also has a distinctive moral and ethical claim to it, both as it's steward and as its subduer- arguing that nature should be used and enjoyed as well as protected. And according to Jewish thought, Human efforts to subdue nature do not stem from their inherent urge to dominate it, nor an active commandment to do so, but rather represent a response to real challenges nature presents to Human survival.

This comes from the fact that Jewish tradition also does not view nature as inherently benevolent as some other traditions do. Nature may act destructively against Humanity, just as Humanity may act destructively against nature. Indeed nature’s destructiveness plays a central role in a number of important biblical narratives- such as the Flood featured in the story of Noach. So great was the destructiveness of the flood, in fact, that HaShem create the Rainbow to assure Humanity that such a natural catastrophe would never reoccur. It is far from the only Biblical story, however, to show nature as a life-threatening force.

Every interaction with nature is ultimately a two-way street, then, and neither nature nor Humanity's claim is absolute: Nature both exists for the sake of Humanity, as well as for nature's own sake- and both may impact one another equally. The key in Jewish ideology about nature, then, lies in the concept of balance between these two ideals.

In other words: HaShem can be assumed not to want us to live in a world in which we are forbidden from natural destruction, since such a prohibition would make the preservation of Human life impossible. But neither does HaShem appear to want us to believe that the entire natural world exists solely to satisfy our material needs. Furthermore, the Torah actively prohibits the wasteful consumption of anything. Nature must ultimately be valued for its own sake alone, then, with a balanced perspective; as Maimonides writes in his Guide of the Perplexed 3:13

There is also the ideology that HaShem created the universe, which inherently implies- in Jewish thought and practice- that only HaShem has absolute ownership over creation. So while only Humanity possesses the power to disrupt nature in a similar manner to HaShem (being B'tzelem Elohim- or Created In It's Image)? This does not give Humanity unrestricted freedom to misuse or abuse nature. Instead, Humanity is supposed to view nature with love and awe, and exercise its power and free will towards being its stewards- helping to maintain order, even while they are allowed to use nature for its own benefit within the limits established by HaShem.

However, at the same time, in Judaism, nature isn't considered to have inherent rights. Humanity only has a responsibility for it. And it's clear throughout the texts that Judaism doesn't regard the preservation of nature as the most important value. In fact, the Torah mandates an obligation for preserving and maintaining Human life above all the other commandments in Judaism- to the point that one is actively required to disregard all Mitzvah (save Idolatry and Murder) in order to save a life or safeguard one's health.

Leviticus 18:5 states that:

So while Humans do have responsibilities toward nature, these responsibilities should not come at the expense of human welfare; any Jewish concern for nature ultimately stops where the need for the preservation of Human life begins.

Some do argue against this, though. In doing so, they state that the greater good of Humanity overrides any individual desires and needs- and that, naturally extending from that, we therefore have an obligation to be cautious about those things which harm the Earth in the pursuit of Human life and activity; that the mandate of Pikuach Nefesh (Saving a Life) demands we actively consider our impact on the Earth in both the long and short term, and how that impacts future Human life as a byproduct. In these discussions, this ideology is closely tied to the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam: The Repair of the World.