GEN174 There is no justification to the accusation that the ecological crisis has its roots in attitudes engendered by the biblical doctrine that gives humanity dominion over the world of nature.  The Bible cannot be blamed for the damage caused to the environment by irresponsible employment of technology.  The charge “fill the earth and subdue it” [this verse] is counterbalanced in the next chapter with the observation that Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden “to work it and guard it.”  This implies that human beings are responsible not to nature but to God for proper stewardship of resources placed at their disposal. Although the bulk of ethical commandments address themselves to interpersonal relationships, the Torah also contains many laws designed to protect the animal world from unnecessary pain Deuteronomy 25:4 or extinction Nachmanides, Torah Commentary, Deuteronomy 22:6 and to prevent the wanton destruction of fruit trees. Deuteronomy 20:19-20. The Rabbis extended the prohibition to encompass all unnecessary destruction of propery and even to the wasting of materials.  ETHRESP 12

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GEN171 … the same opening chapter of Genesis, in which man is given the right to “subdue” the earth and to “have dominion” over all living things does not even permit him to use animals for food.  For the very next verse – Genesis 1:29 – declares: "… I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruits; you shall have them for food.”  This is surely a drastic limitation upon man’s rights.  Not until many centuries later, after the Flood, is man (in the person of Noah and his family) permitted to eat meat Genesis 9:3-4.  And even then, all men are forbidden to eat the blood of the creatures they have used for food, because the blood is the seat of life.  Reverence for life dictates that the blood be poured out and not consumed.  This ritual is a symbolic recognition that all life is sacred—all life, even the life of animals that men kill for sake of sustenance.  Actually the paradigm of man’s relationship to his environment is expressed in the task assigned to Adam in the Garden of Eden before the Fall: “He placed him in the Garden of Eden to till it and to guard it” Genesis 2:15.  What is the meaning of the Hebrew phrase in the opening chapter of Genesis, “and subdue it”?  The truth is that the passage in Genesis was never used to establish a principle of aggressive action by man vis-à-vis the environment. GORLAW 113-4

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GEN173 There is a view of man’s obligations under the Torah, found in the writing of Bachya Ibn Paquda, which leaves no room for the morally optional. Duties of the Heart, pp 213-217. In examining the nature of the service that ma is duty-bound to render God, his creator and benefactor, Bachya initially speaks of a threefold division of human activities: those that are commanded, those that are prohibited, and those that are permitted. The commanded and prohibited are, of course, all of those beliefs and emotions, speech acts, and deeds, whether by commission or omission, which are the subject of specific rules in the Torah. But when he begins to examine the area of the permitted, which covers all of the practical activities involved in preserving one’s health, managing one’s affairs, and transacting business and basic social activities, Bachya makes some further distinctions depending on the manner in which these aforementioned activities are performed. If, for example, one provides for one’s basic needs in a way which can be regarded as adequate and sufficient, and one does this for the sake of God, then one has actually fulfilled a divine command. For man has been told, “…be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it,” and “Good is the man who … guideth his affairs with discretion.” [this verse, Psalm 112:5]  However, should one go about these practical affairs in a manner which is extravagant and excessive; should one overindulge in the pleasures of life and the pursuit of riches, against which we have been warned that they may lead to transgression and immorality, then one is doing what has been forbidden. For the Torah warns us: “Be not among winebibbers, among greedy eaters of meat,” and, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin,” and, “Labor not to be rich.”  Proverbs 23:20, 10:19, 23:4 Should a person deny himself what is necessary in any of these, but if his motive is neither piety nor a desire for closer communion with God, then he too is doing that which is prohibited. Bachya therefore concludes that in reality all human actions fall into two classes only: those that are commanded and those that are prohibited. SPERO 172

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GEN175 See [[GEN293]] Genesis 2:17 knowledge SINAI2 201-2

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GEN177 Concern for minimizing or avoiding pain to animals (tza’ar ba’aley hayim) underlies many regulations regarding kosher slaughtering.  This concern may lead some people to become vegetarians.  The book of Genesis suggests this in the Garden of Eden story, where Adam and Eve live in an ideal state as vegetarians.  Maimonides, the medieval commentator, made the same point but, recognizing the long history of eating meat embodies in the practice of kashrut embedded in the halakha, acknowledged that becoming vegetarian is out of the question for most people.  From this perspective the laws of kashrut, which permit meat to be eaten but only under specific conditions, represents a compromise.  That is why some commentators suggest that in messianic days everyone will be a vegetarian. Some contemporary Jews consciously elect vegetarianism as their form of kashrut.  This reflects a concern not only with tza’ar ba’aley hayim, but also with issues of consumption and concern for the environment (haganat hateva) since vegetarians use fewer natural resources.  The production of meat consumes many times more resources than the production of an equally nutritious amount of vegetarian food.  [A whole pound of tofu has the same environmental impact as just an ounce of beef! Greenhouse gas emission, water table depletion, pesticide use—all are markedly higher for the production of meat than for the production of dairy products (although the production of dairy and egg products, in turn, is still more environmentally damaging than the production of food for a vegan diet).] This is of particular concern since resources are so unevenly distributed in our world.  Vegetarians also have the advantage of needing only one set of dishes and cooking utensils.  Since poultry production is less than that of beef, pork or mutton, and since people have less empathy for non-mammals, some Jews compromise by limiting their meat consumption to kosher poultry, which is available in many supermarkets.  People with this concern also tend to buy products with a minimum of wasteful packaging (bal tash’hit) avoiding waste.  Attending to environmental concerns when deciding what to eat has become known as eco-kashrut, which adds the consideration of environmental damage, such as waste and pollution, to traditional concerns.  Some people add the working conditions of those involved in food production to the list of eco-kashrut concerns.  AGTJL 524-7

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GEN181 See [[GEN167]] Genesis 1:28 rule GOODSOC 214-5

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GEN182 See [[GEN171]] Genesis 1:28 subdue GORLAW 113-4

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GEN178 Genesis 1:29-30 is interpreted with near unanimity by classic Jewish and Christian biblical commentators as indicating that God originally commanded humans to be vegetarian. (By Aaron S. Gross, "Jewish Animal Ethics")  OXFORD 429 nt. 1.

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GEN180 See [[DEUT3]] Deuteronomy 1:11 bless ROSNER-BLEICH 61

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GEN183 See [[GEN493]] Genesis 4:8 killed SACKS 159-60

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