What is our obligation to the earth? And what are the consequences of reneging on that obligation?
This week’s portion,
Behukotai, closes the Book of Leviticus. This portion contains a section known as the Tochecha,
the Reprimand. Similar to a section near the end of Deuteronomy, also called
the Tochecha, this section starkly
contrasts the rewards and punishments that follow when the people either follow
the laws or disobey them. In many congregations, the words of the Tochecha are so frightening that they
are chanted in an undertone, as if to speak them aloud might cause them to come
into being.
Unlike the horrific
passage towards the end of Deuteronomy, Leviticus chapter 26 is shorter and
less graphic. There are no “blessings” or “curses.” Could the section in our portion have a
different message? While the version in Deuteronomy begins with the phrase
“When you enter the land,” this portion opens with “If you follow My laws and
faithfully observe My commandments….” (Lev.26:3) The two occasions for the reprimand may have
different purposes.
What does Behukotai mean
by “follow My laws”? The closing verse of
last week’s portion, Behar, was, “You
shall observe My Sabbaths and give reverence to My sanctuary, Mine, the
Lord’s.” (Lev. 26:2) Medieval
commentator Ibn Ezra interprets “My Sabbaths” not as the weekly day of rest,
but the sabbatical year, which was the subject of Behar. Throughout that portion, we were reminded that the earth
does not belong to us; it is a gift. In the sabbatical year, we must allow the
earth a Sabbath of its own, a time to lie fallow. Every seventh year we are to
cease from working the fields and vineyards. “For the land is Mine; you are but
strangers resident with Me.” (Lev. 25:22) We do not own the land and have no
right to abuse it for our own benefit.
In this context, we might
conclude that “My sanctuary” is not a building or a single place, but the whole
planet. Therefore, to “observe My Sabbaths” would mean to give the land a rest,
and to “give reverence to My sanctuary” would mean to respect and care for
God’s dwelling-place, the earth and sky.
With this
interpretation, the Tochecha of our
portion makes sense. As the 12th century French commentator, Bechor
Shor, teaches “If you do what you are supposed to do, then the clouds and the
land and the trees that were created for your benefit will do what they are
supposed to do.” There is an integral
relationship between our actions and the natural world.
When one follows these
rules, the immediate result will be rain in its proper season, so that the
fields will yield abundant produce and the trees will bear rich fruit. “You
shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land.” (Lev. 26:4) One midrash explains that “rain in its proper
season” is a rain that gives us security and comfort, falling when we need it. This
rain feeds the earth and helps humanity.
However, if we refuse
to obey, the sky will turn to iron and earth to copper. We will face drought
and destruction. Social unrest will
ensue: “Your land shall become a desolation and your cities a ruin.” (Lev.
26:33) The earth will turn against us
because we have turned against it: “Then shall the land make up for its Sabbath
years throughout the time that it is desolate…throughout the time that it is
desolate, it shall observe the rest that it did not observe in your Sabbath
years…” (Lev. 26:34-35) If we rebel and do not pay reverence to the land, the
land will respond by rebelling against us. These are the consequences of our
own abuse of the earth.
This ancient warning of
reward and punishment is eerily similar to the description of the impact of
climate change found in the 2014
National Climate Assessment (NCA) released last week. It’s here. It’s
happening. And it’s already having a big impact on our lives and the lives of
our children. Drought. Intense storms. Coastal flooding due to sea level rise
and storm surge. Longer growing seasons
that will also foster more insect pests and disease. These will, in turn, lead
to food shortages, diminishing supplies of clean water, illness, and death.
Much like the Tochecha describes.
Furthermore, the NCA
demonstrates that we humans are responsible for the dramatic warming over the
past fifty years, primarily through burning coal, oil and gas. As our portion
teaches, our actions toward the created world have consequences.
The natural world can
be saved, if we change our ways. The Rabbis observed that the earth itself
provides a model for human beings to change. They noted a discrepancy in the
first chapter of Genesis between how the earth was supposed to be and how it
turned out. On the third day of Creation, God calls forth “fruit trees of every
kind.” (Gen. 1:11). What the earth brought forth, however, were “trees that bear
fruit.” (Gen.1:12) With this tiny linguistic change, the Rabbis imagined that
every part of the tree was supposed to be edible. The earth sinned by producing
trees whose fruit alone could be eaten. For this, the Torah tells us that the
earth was cursed. (Gen. 3:17) What caused the earth itself to rebel against the
divine command?
A Hasidic teacher, the
Ohev Yisrael, explains that the earth was acting out of compassion for human
beings, recognizing that the first human, Adam, was imperfect and was bound to
disobey God. The earth feared that humanity would be so devastated by this act
of rebellion that we would never recover. By choosing to disobey God first, the
earth sacrificed itself for our sake. At the same time, it demonstrated the
power of teshuvah, the fundamental
ability to repent and change.
In this sense, the
earth gives us the ability to change our ways. We must exercise this
opportunity. Because the earth took care of us, we are forever obligated to
care for and protect the earth.
This column was originally published in The Jewish Advocate, May 16, 2014
