{"article":{"id":96161,"heading":"Jewish Lessons on the Environment","author":"Rabbi Greenman","created":"2003-12-03 23:05:34","modified":"2003-12-04 00:00:18","last_modified":"Thu, 04 Dec 2003 07:00:18","article":"

Shabbat comes Friday night at sundown. The lights go off, the car is parked, and the fires go out.

One night a week, and the following day, Jews all over the world practice restraint unknown to many, even most Jews.

The restrictions on working, carrying things, lighting fire, and driving are meant to teach people that G-d is the creator, and that they must take time once a week to observe creations rather than being a creator.

One aspect of all this is often ignored.

Imagine the impact on pollution if no one drove on Saturday?

Imagine the energy crisis dissapear every Friday night when the lights go out all over the world.

Imagine, while trying to keep kosher, and it is hard to do, that you eat less meat, and you make the environment more sound by doing so.

After all, many interpret the restrictions on meat eating to G-d's will for us to all respect animal life and EAT LESS MEAT! Or so my neighbor the Cantor seems to think.

In all my years, I ran from Judaism because I thought there was nothing in it for a hippy type like me.

The sexism especially turned me off.

But did you know that there is a passage that actually says that the people were most often saved, not by the strength of the men, but by the merit of the women.

It is important to remember, when discussing failures of the Israeli government, and failures of some Jewish upper class people, that Jews have actually contributed a lot to environmentalism.

And it is important to remember, when faced with the quandry of relgious persecution or fascism, that your religion also may have things in it that you can apply to making the world better.

For Christians, my personal favorite is the line Samuel Jackson says in the Tarantino Movie, \"blessed is he who is truly his brothers keeper... blessed is he who shepherds the meek.\"

For Buddhists, restictions abound, especially vegetarianism. But they all take into account the impact we have on our planet.

I remember having lunch with an Orthodox acupuncturist who saw every prayer over food as a way to give life force energy back to what you took it from.

There is another way to use religion,,, don't let the leaders corrupt the goodness inherent in it.

If someone assumes that your religion is nothing but evil, show them the passages that outline your environmental restrictions.

I can assure you there is a multitude in every religious text.

Long ago we took the Goodness our of G-dliness.

We created words, and jumbled the meaning to fit our own ends.

But to me, the new meaning of Shabbat is one of environmental consciousness.

Although I can't as yet keep all the taboos, every light off is less energy wasted. Every prayer is life force returned.

May the shwartz be with you.

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