GEN262 See [[GEN102]] Genesis 1:27 image AMEMEI 100 

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GEN263 From the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy Blessed One was involved first only with planting, as it is written: “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden” (Genesis 2:8). You, too, when you enter the land, don't begin with anything other than planting, as it is written, “When you enter the Land and plant” (Leviticus 19:23). (Midrash, Vayikra Rabbah 16:3)

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GEN264 See [[GEN171]] Genesis 1:28 subdue GORLAW 113-4

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GEN265 See [[DEUT1005]] Deuteronomy 20:19 destroy SACTAB 163-5

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GEN266 See [[DEUT747]] Deuteronomy 15:8 open SACTAB 396-8

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GEN274 See [[GEN162]] Genesis 1:28 rule AMEMEI 61

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GEN269 It is clear that Judaism, with its mystical orientation and insistence that God is found in all things, is profoundly concerned with the environment, ecology, and all living things. Several times in the creation story in Genesis we read that “God saw that it was good.” Central to Jewish thought is the idea that man, as the jewel of creation, was placed by God as custodian over the garden of creation.  God’s commandment to Adam and Eve when He placed them in the Garden of Eden was to protect the garden [this verse]. Man therefore is held accountable for the state of the world.  BOTEACH 370

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GEN267 … values and ideas are at the heart of what it means to be a person and a Jew, and yet we live in a world of objects and forces. Thoughts and values can become part of our lives only if they are somehow translated into a world of concrete objects.  Law does that.  It coordinates ideas and values with specific patterns of action that express them.  In so doing, law enables us to make them an active part of our lives. So, for example, providing for the poor, as demanded and delineated in Jewish law, is no longer exclusively a matter of emotion or a pious but ephemeral idea; it is instead the value that requires us to provide food, shelter, and clothing for others as we teach them how to support themselves. Obeying this command can be a reminder of our obligations to God and of the ways in which the Jewish tradition pushes us toward its ideals. Ritual laws function in the same way. So, for example, God’s creation of the world is not restricted to the world of metaphysical principles when the Sabbath laws transform that tenet into a special day to experience its import in what we say and do. The laws requiring Jews to perform specific acts on the Sabbath and refrain from others make up the principal part of our consciousness and behavior. We not only think about God’s continuing ownership of everything and everyone but experienced the ramifications of it. With that principle embedded in our minds throughout the week, we are less likely to take the world for granted and more likely “to use it and safeguard it” [this verse].  DORFFDRAG 274

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GEN271 Man was set in the garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it” [this verse]. The two Hebrew verbs are significant. The first - le’avda – literally means “to serve it.” Man is not just a master but also a servant of nature. The second double -- leshamra – means “to guard it.” This is the verb used in later Torah legislation to describe the responsibilities of a guardian of property that does not belong to him. He must exercise vigilance in his protection and is liable for loss through negligence. This is perhaps the best short definition of man’s responsibility for nature as the Bible conceives it. Man’s domination over nature is thus limited by the requirement to serve and conserve. The famous story of Genesis 2 – 3—eating the forbidden fruit and the subsequent exile from Eden—makes just this point.  Not everything that we can do, may we do. Transgress the limits, and disaster follows. All this is summed up by simple midrash: “When G– d made man, He showed him the panoply of creation and said to him: ‘See all My works, how beautiful they are. All I have made, I have made for you. Take care, therefore that you do not destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one left to mend what you have destroyed.’” Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13. We know much more than we once did about the dangers to the Earth’s ecology by the ceaseless pursuit of economic gain. The guidance of the Oral Tradition interpreting “do not destroy” expansively, not restrictively, should inspire us now. We should expand our horizons of environmental responsibility for the sake of generations not yet born, and for the sake of God whose guests on earth we are.  SACKS 303-4

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GEN268 When the Holy Blessed One created the first human, God took Adam and led him around all the trees of the Garden of Eden. And God said to Adam, “See My works how good and praiseworthy they are! And all I have created, I made for you. [But,] be mindful then that you do not spoil and destroy My world. For if you spoil it, there is no one after you to repair it.  Kohelet Rabbah 7:13. Modern Jewish environmental teachings use the term shomrei adamah, “guardians of the earth,” to emphasize our responsibility as the earth’s caretakers.  This phrase comes from the Hebrew in [this verse] in which God commands human beings to “work [l’ovdah]” the earth and “keep [ul’shomrah]” the earth. (By Kevin M. Kleinman, "Curb Your Consumerism: Developing a Bal Tashchit Food Ethic for Today")  SACTAB 171 (ft. 1).

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