DEUT1003 This teaches us that if they repented, they were accepted (Sotah 35b)

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DEUT1004 What is evident is that the seven [Noachide] Commandments--understood to be the obligation of the sons of Noah (i.e., all mankind) fall into three categories of divine-human, human-human, human-other– than-human relationship. (For a concise discussion of the Noachide laws--the first six as we have seen are actually commandments directly to Adam--See Encyclopaedia Judaica 12, s.v., 1189-91.). Under the first is the prohibition against idolatry and blasphemy; under the second, the prohibitions against bloodshed, sexual license, theft, and the affirmative command concerning judges, that is, to establish courts of justice in order to make sure that the other commandments are observed. One may interpret this to mean the establishment of a just social order. Under the third is the prohibition against eating flesh torn from a living animal. This latter may be understood to subsume man's obligations toward a variety of other than-human things, and--without reading our own concerns into the past--may well refer to mankind's obligation to its environment. One recognizes this theme in a specific obligation imposed upon Israel: [this verse]. To sum up the argument this far: I am asserting that the ethos of ethics in Judaism, the genius of the system, is the sense of the berit, the covenantal relationship between God and Israel (in between God and mankind) seen as the paradigmatic situation of the Jew. My argument is based upon what seems to me to be the Gestalt of Scripture, the exposition of the pattern of existence over against or, perhaps better, within the sense of existence.

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DEUT1008 Do not destroy fruit-bearing trees. Key concept: Teach us to love the good and useful and cling to it. Thereby, blessing and good will cling to us. We must distance ourselves from all forms of evil and destruction, for these are practices of the wicked, who rejoice in destroying the world and causing harm. A true chasid tries to never waste or destroy anything, even a small grain of mustard. A chasid is greatly pained when he sees any senseless destruction, and will go to great lengths to prevent it.

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DEUT1010 See [[GEN693]] Genesis 9:5 reckoning DORFFBOD 29-30

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DEUT1007 [This verse]. We have been admonished herein not to cut down any fruit trees, even for building [what is necessary] to besiege [an enemy], as long as sufficient non-fruit bearing trees can be found. We have also been admonished not to squander money, not even what involves [only] a perutah's worth. Concerning this, our Sages said (Bava Kama 91b), "One who unduly rents his garments over his dead is administered lashes." This surely applies to one who out of anger shatters utensils, for he has done two wrongs: he has destroyed something of value, and he has allowed his anger to rule [over him,] leading to his violating words of Torah--from here on a war rages within him, due to the yetzer of anger, as it drives him to transgress halachah, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 29:22), "A man of wrath is full of iniquity." We have already invoked for you [the First Gate, paragraph 38] the words of our Sages, z"l (Shabbos 105b): if you see a person who shatters utensils out of anger, regard him as if he had committed idolatry, for this is the way of the yetzer hara – – today it tells him, "Do this," and tomorrow and tells him, "Serve idols."

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DEUT1009 Saadya Gaon wrote that "The only reason why human beings have been endowed with the love of money is in order that they may take good care of that which God has bestowed on them and not squander it, not for any other purpose." The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, Samuel Rosenblatt, trans. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1948), book 10 chap. 8, p. 380). Saadya's admonition not to squander wealth, and Bahya ben Asher's observation that wealth should not be wasted, relate to the biblical injunction of bal tash'hit (this verse) that enjoins one against wanton destruction or a waste of God-given resources: natural, fiscal, or human. According to a midrash: "When God created the first human beings, he took them around the Garden of Eden and said to them:' Behold My works, how beautiful and commendable they are. All that I have created in My world, I have created for your sake. Be careful not to corrupt or destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one after you to repair it.'" Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:12:1. According to the eighteenth-century preacher, Jonathan Eibshitz, of all the temptations toward immoralities one faces, the greatest is posed by money. Ya'arot Devash (Lwow, 1863), part 1, sermon 7, p. 57b. As one is admonished not to waste or misuse wealth, one is warned against the temptations of avarice and arrogance that can readily afflict the wealthy.

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DEUT1006 (Continued from [[LEV125]] Leviticus 11:44 sanctify LEHRMAN 73-4) It is a natural step from not being allowed to injure peace of mind by deprivation due to religious considerations, to the other demand of the halachah. This is, not to destroy anything even if it belongs to us -- not to mention if such destruction involves the property of another. This principle is known as bal tashit and is based on the provision in [this and following verse]. ... From this prohibition against destroying anything potential of serving a good purpose, it follows that none has a right to squander his fortune. Even for charitable causes is such uncontrolled action forbidden if the result of this excess philanthropy be that the distributor of his wealth now becomes a burden to society. Charity, too, has a limit beyond which it is not wise to go. "Let him who distributes his possessions to charity not distribute more than one fifth thereof, lest he himself become dependent on others for support" says a Rabbi. The reluctance with which the Jew regarded dependence on the bounty of another can be gauged from the prayer he utters at the conclusion of each meal: "We beseech thee, O Lord our God, let us not be in need either of gifts of mortals or of their loans, but only of Thy helping hand, which is full, open, holy and ample: so that we may not be ashamed nor confounded forever and ever." (Singer's Prayer Book, p. 281) (Birkat Hamazon)

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DEUT1012 This prohibition against destroying fruit-bearing trees was known as the rule of bal tashhit, "do not destroy." On the face of it, it is highly limited in scope. It does no more than forbid a "scorched earth" policy in the conduct of war. It seems to have no peacetime application. However, the sages understood it very broadly as including any act of needless destruction. Rambam states the law thus: "Not only does this apply to trees, but also whoever breaks vessels or tears garments, destroys a building, blocks a wellspring of water, or destructively wastes food transgressors the command of bal tashhit." (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim 6:10). This is the halachic basis of an ethic of environmental responsibility.

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DEUT1005 “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). The message embedded in this midrash acknowledges and praises God as the creator of the earth and then charges the human race with the task of using our planet's precious resources wisely. [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 Genesis 2:15 in which God commands human beings to “work [l’ovdah]” the earth and “keep [ul’shomrah]” the earth.] The last line in this text is a forewarning: we must be responsible caretakers of the planet's resources, to use only what is necessary, and to be conscious of the negative impact that human beings can have on the ecosystems of the earth if we are not careful. God reminds Adam, the first human, that there is only one world to provide for the needs of human beings, plants, and animals. Then, God leaves the fate of the world in our hands. Throughout history, human beings have depended on balance in the natural world: everything necessary for survival comes from the earth. Food, raw materials for clothing and shelter, and energy sources are all grown on and extracted from the land. Our ancestors knew that they had to treat the earth with care, lest they go without these necessities of life, putting into question their own fate. For the past few hundred years, though, this wisdom in this midrash has been overshadowed by the human tendency to accumulate more than what is necessary for survival. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, our society has been able to produce and distribute more food and goods at a lower cost than ever before. We have been trained to eat things and buy things without thinking about the resources needed to produce and ship them all over the world, without thought of the human labor required to grow and harvest food and assemble products. It is time to return to the wisdom of our ancient texts and traditions; time to examine our patterns of consumption and disposal of food, energy, and material goods; time to cultivate a different ethic. This paradigm shift will allow us to recognize our species’ unnecessary wanton destruction of the planet’s finite resources and ultimately give us opportunities to live truly in partnership with God. It will also give us guidance for ways that we can allow the earth to heal and, as a result, create a healthier society, since what is good for the earth is ultimately good for humanity. Guiding these ethics are the prohibitions of bal tashchit, the biblical and Rabbinic laws forbidding unnecessary waste and reckless destruction of resources that are beneficial to human beings. The laws of bal tashchit originate in Deuteronomy 20:19-20 ... This chapter will illustrate how they are expanded in talmudic literature to prevent wasting all other food resources, energy sources, and material goods. In the Middle Ages, the author of Sefer HaChunuch refined the guidelines of bal tashchit to forbid wasting any edible food sources, down to even the tiniest of morsels of food. Rambam made the equitable distribution of resources a social justice issue under the category of the laws of bal tashchit in the Mishneh Torah. [Hilchot Eivel 13:24]. Finally, we must continue to cultivate a bal tashchit ethic for today, standing firmly on the shoulders of our ancestors, and fulfilling our responsibility to guard and protect our world, especially when it comes to choosing the types of food we eat and understanding the impact those choices make on our own health and the health of our planet. In the following pages, we will explore a sampling of texts that define the development of these laws. (By Kevin M. Kleinman, “CURB YOUR CONSUMERISM: Developing a Bal Tashchit Food Ethic for Today”) (Continued at [[DEUT1022]] Deuteronomy 20:20 fruit SACTAB 165-6).

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DEUT1011 The push for local, organic, and other alternatives to industrial agriculture is grounded in the need for healthy food and environmental stewardship, goals that reflect Jewish values as important as the impulse to feed everyone for as little cost as possible. From Leviticus to Maimonides, we are commanded to keep our bodies healthy, so that we might better serve God (or pursue tikkun olam). The commandment bal talchit, which enjoins, “Do not destroy things from which humanity may benefit,” reminds us to be good caretakers of our limited natural resources (Deuteronomy 20:19-20). The environmental and health effects of industrial agricultural--the contaminating sewage pools common at Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs, or factory farms), the air pollution and energy consumption that results from moving the average food item fifteen hundred miles from farm to fork, and the exploding levels of childhood obesity--make it increasingly clear that our Jewish tradition demands a change. The philosophy behind the Fresh Food Financing Initiative argues for a different set of food justice values than our traditional food policy: it's not just the quantity of food that matters, but quality, location, impact, and access. This vision of food justice means that all people should be able to obtain healthy food in their communities, not just buy massive quantities of cheap corn-based processed food products. It requires a turn away from subsidized corn and soy to a focus on producing fresh food and vegetables and consuming food grown within a few dozen miles of our homes instead of thousands of miles away. After all, the Talmud teaches that “it is forbidden to live in a city that does not have a green garden” (Kiddushin 4:12). (By Michael Namath and Rachel Cohen, “RAISING OUR VOICES FOR FOOD JUSTICE”)

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