THE JEWISH NEWS FEB. 7. 1992 A Toast To Jewish Living '(b 004 Regaining Our Love Of Creation By RABBI ARNIE SLEUTELBERG Our Jewish heritage is rich with references about the relationship between humankind, the earth, and God. The Torah as well as the rest of Tanach, the Talmud, Commentaries and wisdom literature are replete with laws and parables teaching us how to live harmoniously with all of God's creations. Many of these references concern our relationships to animals and trees. The rabbis knew well that human survival was dependent on all other species in God's world. Many citations call on us to plant trees. In fact, we are taught by Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai that "If you are in the midst of planting when word reaches you that the Messiah has arrived, do not interrupt your work; first finish your planting, and only then go out to welcome the Messiah." Numerous other laws tell us how to respect trees and never to destroy them unless absolutely necessary. Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:28 teaches us: "In the hour when the Holy One created the first human being, God took the person before all the trees of the Garden of Eden, and said to the person: 'See my works, how fine and excellent they are! Now all that I have created, for you have I created. Think upon this, and do not corrupt and desolate My world; for if you corrupt it, there is no one to set it right after you' " Though we are taught that God created the world for our use, the land remains the possession of its Creator. From a source unknown, "Two people were once fighting over a piece of land. Each claimed ownership, and each bolstered the claim with apparent proof-. After arguing for a long time, they agreed to resolve their conflict by putting the case before a rabbi. The rabbi sat as an arbitrator Was 1 Asleep . . . Or What? Or How I Became A Recycling Nut By BETSY WINKELMAN It didn't happen overnight, and yes, I had been prOgrammed as a kid not to waste and all that. I remember my grandmother and parents saying "lights cost money" while trying to change the kids' habits of leaving lights blazing and unused throughout the house. Although those were voices of more frugal times, and they were right, that's only part of the story. We've learned lights cost more than just money. Making all the electricity to fill our society's insatiable appetite has had some bad environmental side effects. Perhaps we need to control our appetites and to look creatively at developing "friendlier" sources of power. By the time an American becomes 75 years old she or he will have used five times the world average of electricity. But back to my story — what happened to me over the years? I so easily fell in step with all those "convenient" wasteful ways of living of which we've all become accustomed, until a special few weeks several years ago. Our son Steven was at home between semesters at college, and life really changed at our house. He went around the house turning off lights we weren't using. We couldn't throw away ANYTHING. He would say, in a voice reminiscent of my childhood. "You can only throw — and listened carefully, but despite years of legal training, he could not reach a decision. Both parties seemed to be right. Finally the rabbi said, "Since I cannot decide to whom this land belongs, let's ask the land." The rabbi put an ear to the ground, and after a moment stood up. "My friends, the land says it • •• ■■ ••• belongs to neither of you — but that you belong to it." So it is. We are but dust. The land endures far beyond our own days upon it. We, of course, did not inherit the land from our parents. We are borrowing it from our children. Oftentimes we consider some Continued on page L-2 Illirmarri1111111111111,111111 • .111111•11•11014111•1111M111111•Jp, • ■ a •• • • 6 • • • • • • • • • a • • • ■ • a V ■ • • • • ■ a ■ • • there is no away" Oh boy, was it radical! Bringing my own bags to the grocery to REDUCE the number used. Continued on Page L-2 • .E? • • 1111"11"11 11 m aaa 1% 4:46111111111 masaae••11111111•••• 1#4.•..../1•13 .1-7114#ef,r,--