Page 26 - HaMizrachi #26 Tu Bishvat USA 2021

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ל“צז

Guests on the Earth

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

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