New York -As an Orthodox “black hat” Jew, I was brought up with the concept of bal tashchit. This means, “not to waste”.
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For example, if a child is eating his dinner and he throws his unwanted portion on the floor, his mother might say: “Do not throw your food away, it is bal tashchit”; i.e., wasting food for no reason. This notion is not limited to food. For example, giving a baby a full box of tissues for him or her to pull out and destroy is also considered to be bal tashchit, as it is wasting tissues that could be used for a purpose.
The concept actually comes from the Torah (Deuteronomy 20:19), “It is forbidden to destroy a tree that bears fruit because you may eat from the fruit and benefit from it.” Our rabbis extend this law to include any wasteful or destructive act that will harm things that are useful to man.
So, a question comes to mind. How is it that the Orthodox communities are not activists and leaders in the eco-friendly movements? They ultimately agree on this subject 100 percent. Whether they see eye-to-eye about the subject of climate change and global warming is irrelevant. What’s important here is that they concur when it comes to the issue of not being wasteful.
I believe that recycling and renewable energy will be extremely beneficial to our environment, and that these two concepts should be the focal point of bal tashchit, not wasting. After all, the fundamental law of not wasting applies to the world and all its riches.
Take metal, for instance. It can be reused countless times. So every single piece of tin foil – and not only metal cans, broken scissors, etc. – should be recycled. This way, we would not be wasting materials; we would be reusing them to their full capacity.
Moving on to renewable energy. In 1981 the Lubavitcher Rebbe publicly said there is an open and clear way to energy independence, which is solar energy and how we should tap into the power from the healing sun. The Rebbe also said that we should not be scared of those who oppose this notion, because they have personal interests in other energies (not renewable ones) that might be more profitable for their own wallets.
Therefore, it is mind boggling to me that the Orthodox communities are not the leaders in the “green” movements. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying they are not involved at all, but I think it is fair to say they are far from the leaders; and this truly puzzles me.
After all is said and done, the Torah teaches that Man must not destroy and not be wasteful, and there is no better way to observe this than recycling and using renewable energy.
And with this I lay a challenge to every single Torah-observing home to think twice before throwing something in the garbage.
Rabbi Hanoch Hecht is the spiritual leader of the Rhinebeck NY Jewish Center and director of Chabad Dutchess.
I propose everyone shud breathe into a bag and then breathe the same air again so not to waste any air!
I once addressed a group of secular Jews. They asked me about Orthodox children and their commitment to the environment. My answer impressed them greatly. “Every Orthodox bar mitzva boy / bat mitzva girl, undertakes to avoid driving 1/7 of every week, plus about 7 – 10 additional days every year.”.
While of course, one should not deliberately squander natural resources, our refraining from driving, reduction in the use of appliances, purchasing products with non biodegradable packaging, etc. at least 60 days each year, is most impressive. Can you imagine 300 million Americans reducing their “carbon footprint” by over 16%?
Rabbi Hecht,
Baal Tashchis stems from Hakoras HaTov, not from loss of unrenewable resources. My mother never told me that holding the fridge door open is Baal Tashchis, but that it is inefficient use of cooling/heating.
My personal position on global warming, population explosion, fossil fuels etc is summed up by something I say whenever I bench: Uvtuvo Hagadol Tamid Lo Chasar Lanu VAL YECHSAR LANU MAZON LOLAM VAED. That we will never run out of resources. If we chas vshalom run short of whale blubber for lighting the electric light is invented.
Yes, do not waste – but don’t jump on a politicaly correct bandwagon.
What does “Bal Tashchit’ have to do with the man-made, politically-driven so-called “green movements?” If one doesn’t throw a can of soda into a recycling bin, he’s not over on the Lav of “Lo Tashchit.”
Non renewable fuel are not bal tashchit as they are being used appropriately just as eating food is not bal tashchit. If you wish to discuss if there is environmental impact that is another discussion .
By the way black hat orthodox ashkenazim say Bal Tashchis with an “s”
For your information in Wiiansburg and Boro Park ther are organzations if you call them, that come at the end of the chasuna and take the left over food to give to the aniyim.
Dont waste your wrods any more!
I’m sure there will be the usual sarcastic and cynical comments (i.e. hashem gave us the earth and all therein so we can use it any way we wish without regard to long term consequences since when moishiach comes he will fix global warming, pollution, etc.). Alternatively, we can behave as the article suggests and adopt some of the principles of groups like TIkun Olam and others (while ignoring those aspect of their agenda we find offensive on religious grounds).
Who said jews are not eco friendly my grandfather washes out his plastic cups?
Comment #1 by an obvious moron aside, Rabbi Hecht is very right about what he writes. We know that Chazal say that one who throws away bread crumbs will incur consequences. You can feed the bread crumbs to the birds. OK somewhat irrelevant maybe in modern society but the lesson from Chazal is not to waste. Besides the obvious fact that you can save hundreds of dollars a year in electric bills by using the new highly energy efficient bulbs, you’re also conserving energy and less oil used. Not buying huge gas guzzling clunkers would also help. Of course conservation and being “green” is a part of Yiddishkeit.
My mother would never say, “Do not throw your food away, it is bal tashchitenergy independence, which is solar energy”. What does that even mean?
Sefer Hachinuch on the mitzva of “oso v’es bno” – the prohibition of slaughtering a mother and calf in the same day, says this mitzva is to teach us Midas hachemlo, the idea of conservation, that we should not abuse natures resources.
Hatzlacha Rabbi Hecht and Tzivi
Destroying all those “clunkers” is also bal tashchit!
If this president gets the health care he wants, there will be bal tashchit of people too.
Once yiddin understand that hashem will judge them for trashing the earth and the environment he created during briyas h’oalm. Its not about being “politically correct”. It is about daas torah and the multiple issurim that flow from knowingly destroying or degrading hashem’s creations.
the whole thing of global warning and the so called green movement is big lie made up by liberals (like al gore with other)its junk science at best, and keneged hatorah.
You’re right but only up to a point. We don’t drive, but we still use packaged goods, electricity etc. on Shabbos & Yom Tov. Sometimes we use more than we need by leaving lights & burners on, other times we set a timer & might save energy, even if we might end up not have it on exactly when we want it. We also save 7 days a week if we don’t have that 32″ TV…
Thank you Rabbi Hecht for saying it as it is. Yes ignore the political agendas and respect Hashems earth, and use the resources properly – yes renewable energy is included in not doing bal tashchis. Maybe frum schools should be more careful of their use of things like styrafoam when serving lunch.
“Therefore, it is mind boggling to me that the Orthodox communities are not the leaders in the “green” movements. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying they are not involved at all, but I think it is fair to say they are far from the leaders; and this truly puzzles me.”
Is your name, by any chance: Al Gore?!
This whole so-called “”green” movement” and environmentalist’s has become a religion in itself…better an Avodah Zarah created by the Atheist Liberal movement…it’s not even based on factual science, its mainly theories, they pick and choose whatever fits into their agenda…All scientists who argue, are silenced by that particular movement, it has become nothing less than a crusade!
In Baltimore, the orthodox community was in an uproar over the decision to change garbage pickup to only once a week and to limit the size of the trash can. The complaints were incredible…people upset that a family with numerous children needs makes more garbage output. People were furious as suggestions that they should recycle….cutting down their garbage load. The amount of plasticware used and thrown away on shabbos is disgusting. The orthodox community for the most part stated that city had the chutzpa to suggest they recycle. People claimed it took “too much time”. As a member of this community, I was so embarrased by the frum lack of concern for the environment and the ridiculous “me, me…what’s convenient for me” attitude. My large family started to recycle cardboard food boxes, cans, bottlesm newspapers etc…it takes a few minutes, the kids do it and we make at least half the garbage we used to…..stop being so holier than thou and downright lazy!!!!!
At a first glance, any reader who has some knowledge of science will read these posts and smile, but after some evaluation, I concluded that the lack of science study is the root of all orthodox problems, their inability to differentiate between some detractors and urgings, which side is really based on science. If you do not study, the basic science how would you be able to make an informed decision. It is not wise to argue with someone who lacks the basics, sorry sitting and being engaged only in pilpil that will not help you to understand science, the only thing they could compete on, who would come up with the most ridicules proof that there is no global warming. Thank God there are hundreds of millions of none orthodox Jews or none Jews alike, who get the proper education and understand the basics of science, which are willing to fight for an eco-friendly movement for the ones who lack the basics.
To all of the above comments:
Did Rabbi Hecht discuss global warming? NO. What he is addressing is the more efficient use of G-D’s creations and world, which should concern anyone who is concerned with respecting G-D, as it says in Pirkei Avos, Chapter 5 Mishnah 1,
” The world was created with ten utterances; What does this come to teach us? Had the world not been able to be created in utterance? Rather, to discredit the wicked who that destroy the world which was ceated in ten utterances; and to give reward to the righteous that sustain the world which was created in ten utterances.”
This Mishnah, is obviously talking about a destruction and sustenance due to a judgement of the world as a whole, as Maimonides says, “envision the world as a scale, every deed that you do could tip the scale in favor of the world and sustainit, or G-D forbid…..”.
However, a person wlso has to do his part to sustain the woerld and not abuse it. if you would like to leave everything up to Hashem, don’t get a job, don’t even worry about it, he will provide, no? yes, NO he will not provide UNLESS you create a physical vessel through which to channel G-D’s abundant good and blessing.
PEACE BROTHERS!
just kidding.but the rest of the comment is meant to be taken seriously.
this is a very good article – and abt time to be addressed……..this concern of not wasting or even of ways to keep the environment “green” is of true importance and more of us should be caring and giving of our time and engergy to make sure we do our part
Actually there is a Mitzvah, as G-d sent Adam L’ovdoh Ulshimroh, which implies that man has to protect earth. See Rabeinu Bachyei. But that is when it’s done in reswc of G-d. Most envioromentalist do it because of “Kochi Votzem Yodi”, with an Atheist theory, and Chas Vsholom to join them!
Also why is he worried about this Mizvah more than many other Mitzvos. Chilul Shabbos, Shmittah & other Aveiros are mentioned explicitly in the Torah to cause distruction to Israel. So worry about these true worries.
I think the article is very timely and thought-provoking. I agree that Orthodox Jews should pay more attention to respect for the environment. I have often thought that our Rabbis should stress this important ethic, and have discussed with several why there appeared to be indifference to the environment in Halakhic discussions. The only cogent answer I have ever received is that Jews have traditionally regarded the natural environment as hostile to them and therefore something that had to be tamed rather than appreciated.
Another question I have often raised with Rabbis is whether a Torah-observant Jew is allowed to believe in the extravagant predictions of global catastrophe due to global warming. HaShem promised Noach, after he emerged from the Ark, that there would always be seasons and that He would never again visit destruction on the Earth. Can I accept this and accept the Gore version of the effects of global warming?
if we do not take car of global warming, in a hundred years or so when things start getting bad
there will be screams . g-d is warning us do tuhva now. or it is the gays or whatever in bothering the religious of that time Jew and non jew
You can compost your produce scraps, you can reuse aluminum foil and plastic bags several times, but, I don’t get too carried away by the environmentalists, because Hashem created this world and is the one who is ultimately in charge and He will take care of us.
Going green is a concept of evildoers!.. It is born from the fear that al pi “tevah” the world will b destroyed unless we “activaly” save it… Shtusssim!!!!!! There is no such future in the prophets! No such power in man!! And u wonder y the rabbis don’t get involved in this heresy!!!!!!!!! Woo unto people who think that they can destroy this planet!
Hashem may have promised that He would not destroy the world but I don’t recall the Torah telling us that Hashem would keep us from damaging it. “Shomer pisaim Hashem” is pretty shaky theology, if you ask me.
I am heavily involved in the Jewish environmental movement from a pure Torah perspective. Many of the commentators above miss the point completely. I speak all over the world on Jewish environmental topics and I am always asked why it is not a cause célèbre for the Orthodox community. I’ve come up with two answers. Firstly, there is an educational shortage in mainstream Jewish environmental education — everything is tikun olam, bal tashchis and tazaar baalei chayim. Unfortunately my experience has been that these translate into a) an amorphous social action agenda — save the whales, Darfur etc. b) bal tashchis is used to invest the natural earth with some sort of independent rights beyond man’s needs and C.) this becomes a thinly veiled slogan with a Jewish flavor for animal rights.
Secondly, unfortunately the liberal left has hijacked and co-opted environmentalism within the broad liberal agenda within which many things are simply unacceptable to Torah Jews — civil unions and gay marriage is for example. Quite understandably, most Torah Jews have neither the time or the patience to unbundle this agenda and salvage things to which there is a bona fide Torah basis — they end up throwing out many good babies with some profoundly objectionable bathwater.
I live in Baltimore and candidly I was appalled by the reaction of the Torah community to the recycling rules – you’d think that today it was recycling and tomorrow they were going to outlaw shabbos and bris mila. The community at large lost an opportunity to make a huge kiddush Hashem by taking a leadership role in this otherwise innocuous legislation. Further, for a city which prides itself on the amount of kiruv it does, it missed a huge opportunity to incorporate the recycling effort into the Kiruv effort. Imagine your garden-variety college kid comes to shabbos dinner and the tatty is discussing Borer with his kids and the problems inherent in recycling on shabbos. That guest will go home with a positive feeling and it will go a long way towards bringing someone who’s been brought up with the organic lifestyle into the fold.
former NASA Senior Research Scientist Dr. Leonard Weinstein wrote a artical, the the whole global warming is a hoax.
google “global warming hoax” youll be suprised.. you will see what the scientific community really thinks about global warming..
One Single volcano is far far more “warming” than total usage of the five largest countries combined! And we have hundreds recently .Google it
Also there is are natural forest fires/Mine fires etc. world wide that never go out they burn constantly’, (don’t believe me Google it) this its real
Hashem is the Master Designer .. SO don’t you worry ! The sky is not falling !
Its the NWO crowd that is using this as an Excuse to organise a worldwide Tax and One world goverment , with reduced populations . Hashem Yishmor .
Casey Stengel was not a great baseball player but he tremendous success as a manager. Likewise, who cares if Al Gore leaves the lights on in his mansion and flies in a private plane? It’s the message that counts, not what he does in private life. As Momma used to say, do as I say and not as I do. Furthermore, I know people at JFK Airport who have seen Al Gore disembarking from commercial flights.
One of the great myths perpetrated by the over-righteous right is that the whole science of global warming is an invention of Al Gore. Nothing could be further from the truth, for while it is Al Gore who has brought the most attention to this problem, the fact that the earth is warming up due to mankind’s machinations with the environment was first suggested by a well-known and respected scientist of the late 19th century. I refer to Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927), a Swedish scientist who first propounded the theory of global warming in 1896, He formulated his greenhouse law. In its original form, Arrhenius’ greenhouse law reads as follows:
If the quantity of carbonic acid increases in geometric progression, the augmentation of the temperature will increase nearly in arithmetic progression.
This simplified expression is still used today:
ΔF = α ln(C/C0)