As Purim approaches, many people are busy preparing their ‘Mishloach Manot’, or the gift baskets we send to each other for Purim.

Usually the focus is on what goes into the baskets. With an eye toward Jewish environmentalism, I’d like to focus on the basket itself. When my kids were little we would take paper plates and staple them into triangles so they looked like a giant Hamentaschen. We would fill them and then put coloured tissue paper in the opening to look like the filling. As the kids grew up, they began to receive gift bags from their friends and thought of also sending gift bags.

Rather than going and buying a specific bag to be used for the Mishloach Manot, I would like to suggest a few ideas that would address the idea of recycling items from within our homes to fulfill a Mitzvah.

I am often bothered by the tangerine wooden boxes. They are large and cumbersome. I have seen people at the grocery store ask the cashier if they can empty the tangerines into a plastic bag and leave the box at the counter. Now I would like to suggest taking the boxes home and storing them for use as Mishloach Manot containers. They would be a perfect size for sending something to a family or a group of friends.

For smaller Mishloach Manot, consider saving the empty tissue boxes. They’re also sturdy, a nice size and already decorated.

Instead of using tissue paper to cover the box, it would be nice to use a bandana or kitchen towel.

This way it’s old school with charm and Jewish values.
Enjoy!

There is a wonderful concept that comes through the learning of Jewish Mysticism called ‘Tzimtzum’.  It is the concept of pulling inward into yourself.  It is slightly different in process from self-constraint since self-constraint involves an imposed discipline of limitation.  ‘Tzimtzum’ on the other hand implies drawing inward in order to allow room for the other – space for growth.

I believe this concept is key to many of our interpersonal relationships in allowing room for partners, parents, children, friends etc.  If they get too close to us without our engaging in ‘tzimtzum’, then we feel they have overstepped but if we prepare ourselves by pulling inward, we have created the space for them to draw near to us without intrustion.

I’d like to bridge this concept into Jewish environmentalism.  Rather than viewing sensitivity toward the environment and limiting consumption as a negative thing (negative in the sense of something I’m NOT doing), I suggest we view it as the positive behaviour of ‘tzimtzum’.  By not needing to extend myself onto and into everything around me, I consume less, I discard less and I impose less.  I have an effect on the environment because I exercised my power to withdraw inward and I have thereby created space for the environment and for growth.

I recently had a conversation with a group of young Israelis visiting Toronto for the first time. They will be staying in Canada for the High Holidays and we were having a discussion about how Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur are celebrated in Canada.

One of the most important differences I felt I should share with them is the difference in the climate. They needed to know that in all likelihood it is rather chilly over the High Holidays and they should be prepared. They asked me how people spend their time after synagogue and I mentioned large lunches, family time, time with friends and relaxation.

It was at that point that I heard about ‘Yom Ha-ophanayim’, or ‘Bicycle Day’ in Israel. During the High Holidays and particularly on Yom Kippur, most Israeli youth, whether religiously observant or not, refrain from driving and ride their bikes. The roads are filled with these young bike riders who gather at public squares to update each other on the events of the year and what they plan for the coming year. In my mind I pictured a dozen or so cyclists but I was quickly corrected. Apparently hundreds of them could gather together in larger communities.

What a wonderful way to commemorate the time of the Jewish year that commemorates the anniversary of the creation of nature!

There’s an interesting subtlety that Judaism brings to environmentalism.  Generally we are concerned with recycling materials so they are not wasted and can be reformed into other useful items.  Judaism goes one step beyond by asking what was the purpose of the item in its original form and what is the purpose of its recycled new form.

Items that were originally used for spiritual purposes or fulfilling of commandments should continue to be reshaped into items that will likewise facilitate spirituality and commandments.  If we believe that by engaging in a holy act we are essentially effecting things then we likewise believe that we have effected them forever.  Holiness should not be undone.

For example, after a lulav has been used for Sukkot and blessings were made on it that it is no longer an ordinary tree branch and should never be treated as such.  There is a tradition to save the lulav until Pesach when it can be used for the fire that will burn our chametz.  Another example would be when the fringes on the talit are worn thin and no longer useful as a talit, it is traditional to use weave the fringes together and create a bookmark for studying Torah, or other Jewish texts.

In other words, recycling is not just about reforming something but about recognizing how it was used to begin with and maintaining the integrity of the materials and our relationships with them.

Try and think of other Jewish recycling suggestions and send them to me, or post a comment below – these ideas can easily move into our homes, to our children, our grandchildren who can enrich their commitment to the environment through their Jewish knowledge.

My desk at work and the workspace around me has gotten out of control.  My colleagues and I have clearly become complacent about the environment in which we work.  The piles of paper, the empty boxes and the office supplies strewn about became commonplace.  While I like to pride myself on being an organized person, I had regressed.  This afternoon, with some inspiration and motivation, we worked together to tidy and reorganize our office by shifting furniture, throwing things out and storing items not immediately needed. Within moments, our space was less cluttered and had a fresh, new look.

Mussar teaches us that our environment is like having someone else at the table.  In other words, I would never invite guests into my home if it were a mess. I would want it to be a reflection of who I am.  Maybe my space morphed into a mess because I don’t ever conduct meetings at my desk, but that should not have been an excuse. The environment didn’t create itself, I created it.  If I internalize what Mussar teaches us, then I will always be cognizant of my environment. Now it’s just maintaining that attitude.