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GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

R abbi L ord Jonathan Sack s ל“צז
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ל“צז

Guests on the Earth

ome commands in the Torah were seems to conflict with a basic prin- make up for its sabbath years” (Vay-
understood by our Sages to be far ciple of Jewish law, it will be under- ikra 26:34). Behind this are two con-
Smore extensive than they seemed stood restrictively, at least by some. If cerns. One is environmental. As the
at first sight. One striking example it exemplifies such a principle, it will Rambam points out, land which is
refers to the conduct of a siege in the be understood broadly. Law exists not overexploited eventually erodes and
course of war. just to regulate but also to educate. loses its fertility. The Israelites were
therefore commanded to conserve the
The Torah states: “When you lay In the case of bal tashchit, there is an soil by giving it periodic fallow years,
siege to a city for a long time, fighting obvious fit with much else in Jewish not pursuing short-term gain at the
against it to capture it, do not destroy law and thought. The Torah is con- 2
its trees by putting an axe to them, cerned with what we would nowa- cost of long-term desolation. The
second, no less significant, is theolog-
because you can eat their fruit. Do not days call “sustainability.” This is par-
cut them down. Are the trees people, ticularly true of the three commands ical: “The Land,” says G-d, “is Mine;
you are but strangers resident with
that you should besiege them? How- ordaining periodic rest: Shabbat, the
ever, you may cut down trees that shmittah year and the yovel year. On Me” (Vayikra 25:23). We are guests on
you know are not fruit trees and use Shabbat, all agricultural work is for- earth.
them to build siege works until the bidden, “so that your ox and your There is another group of
city at war with you falls.” (Devarim donkey may rest” (Shemot 23:12). commands which directs
20:19-20) It sets a limit to our intervention in us against over-interfer-
nature and the pursuit of economic ence with nature. The
This prohibition against destroying growth. We become conscious that
fruit-bearing trees was known as the we are creations, not just creators.
rule of bal tashchit, “Do not destroy.” The earth is not ours but G-d’s.
On the face of it, it is highly limited in For six days it is handed
scope. It does no more than forbid a over to us, but on the sev-
“scorched earth” policy in the conduct enth we symbolically abdi-
of war. It seems to have no peace- cate that power. We may per-
time application. However, our Sages form no ‘work,’ i.e. an act that
understood it very broadly, to include alters the state of something
any act of needless destruction. The for human purposes. Shabbat is
Rambam states the law thus: “Not a weekly reminder of the integ-
only does this apply to trees, but also rity of nature and the boundaries of
whoever breaks vessels or tears gar- human striving.
ments, destroys a building, blocks a
wellspring of water or destructively What Shabbat does for humans and
wastes food transgresses the com- animals, the shmittah and yovel years
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mand of bal tashchit.” This is the do for the Land. The earth too is
halachic basis of an ethic of environ- entitled to its periodic rest.
mental responsibility. The Torah warns that if the
Israelites do not respect this,
Why did the Oral tradition broaden they will suffer exile: “Then
the scope of this single law? Often, a shall the Land make up for its
posek seeking to interpret Divine law sabbatical years throughout the
in specific cases, will endeavor to do time that it is desolate and you
so in a way consistent with the total are in the land of your enemies;
are in the land of your enemies;
structure of Biblical teaching. If a text then shall the Land rest and
then shall the Land rest and
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