There are interesting differences between the concept if Jewish environmentalism and secular environmentalism. Within the secular world there is a vast latitude to the meaning of being an environmentalist. That could mean anything from being a person who recycles a newspaper all the way through to Eco-terrorist gardeners (those people who go out in the dead of night to break a concrete sidewalk and plant a garden). One way or another, secular environmentalism seems to imply that one choose nature in its pristine form and preserve it.

Jewish environmentalism has a different perspective on the process. While acknowledging that the Torah records God’s commandment to guard the earth, it also includes God’s commandment to govern and gain sovereignty over the earth. In other words, the Torah has included the idea that humanity and nature will be at odds over certain things. Nature may opt for chaotic and wild expression while humanity must safeguard and fringe order from chaos.

Jewish environmentalism may well include the possibility of needing to level a forest in order to control the chaotic overgrowth of a region, precluding the cultivation of certain other regions. In other words, where environmentalism in general might argue for guarding nature over and above all else, Jewish environmentalism would argue for guarding the total natural picture as it speaks to and from the total created picture.

At times it may look like the same thing, but in it’s essence it is fundamentally different.

There are wonderful collections of children’s prayers written to God which give us lovely moments.  I’m always fascinated by the fact that children will begin their prayers with “Dear God” and end with “Yours truly” or “Sincerely” followed by their name.  As a teacher I always wonder if we really have a handle on the ‘all-knowing’ thing.

One of these prayer notes that I’ve seen struck me as particularly powerful.  It began “Dear God” and continued by thanking God for the new baby brother his parents brought home.  The final line of the letter reminded God that what he really asked for was a puppy.

We should never underestimate the value of an honest prayer.

In this video reflection, Rachael talks about this week’s Torah Portion, Parshat Korach. This Parsha begins with an Israelite named Korach, stirring up a rebellion against Moses and his leadership and ends with Korach’s coup being spoiled by a little ‘Divine Intervention.’ Find out what happens.

RACHAEL posted:

Today was a difficult day.  I attended the funeral of a student of mine.  This woman had studied with me for years – I met her when she was already a grandmother and had set aside time to study Torah.  She was quirky, eccentric at times, always smiling.   She was insightful, passionate about Torah concepts – though perhaps this passion may have led her to occasional impatience with fellow students.

To attend this woman’s funeral, I had to cancel a Torah class.  We are nearing the end of our course in Women & Prayer and the students have been immersed in this study for almost a year and we are now entering the Modern Era of tracking Jewish women and their prayers.  I understand the excitement, I understand the passion-  but I was a bit taken aback when I received an email from a student criticizing my decision to cancel.  This woman is equally passionate about her learning and I assume it is this passion that lead to the unfortunate email.

It’s always hard to attend a funeral.  Whether or not I was close to the person who has died, I am always touched deeply with the loss expressed by the mourners.  Maybe that’s the sadness I feel…or maybe the sadness is remembering a woman whose passion for Torah lead to impatience with others and another woman whose passion for learning lead to an expression of insensitivity toward a fellow student.

I can’t help but think of the blessing that is said in the morning to cover all our Jewish learning that day: ‘Blessed is God…Who commanded us to engage actively with the words of Torah’ – passion with a behavioural outcome.