Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Environmental Ethics:
Syllabus Dot Points:
- Students learn about Environmental Ethics
- Students learn to describe and explain Jewish environmental ethics
1. L’ovolah ul’shomrah
Definition:
Humanity is appointed by God as stewards of his creation. Therefore, it is important that they
are to serve and protect the Earth.
Source:
Deuteronomy 5:14-16 - "the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall perform
no labor…on the land that the Lord, your God, is giving you"
2. Bal Taschit
Definition:
Defined as “Do not Destroy”. It sums up how humanity must not unnecessarily destroy and
waste the natural resources on Earth
Source:
Tanakh:
Deuteronomy 20:19 - "you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them"
Talmud:
Shabbath 67b – Those who burn more fuel than necessary violate the mandate
- The mandate refers to the law which prohibits waste
Issue: Deforestation
- Deforestation threatens the environment and unnecessarily destroys natural resources
due to human greed, thereby negating Bal Taschit
- To combat this, it is essential that Jews are mindful about the sustainability of their
purchases (e.g. buying products made of recycled materials) in order to uphold Bal
Taschit
3. Tikkun Olam
Definition:
Defined as “Repair the World”. It emphasises the idea that Jews should act constructively and
beneficially which contributes to the eradication of the worlds issues. In relation to
Environmental ethics, it pushes Jews to make an effort to work for the maintenance of the
environment and their physical surroundings.
Source
Mirdash:
Midrash Kohelet Rabbah 1 - "See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My World; for if you do
there will be no one else to repair it"
Definition:
Defined as the right treatment of Animals. It outlines how animals have to be treated with
respect and be used wisely. Animals are viewed as God-given resources as they provide food for
humanity.
Source
Tankah:
Proverbs 12:10 - "A righteous man has regard for his animals"
Talmud:
Berachot 40a - "A man must not sit down to his own meal before he has fed his animals"
Conservative:
- Influences adherents to engage in wider social discussion issues such as animal cruelty
and extinction
- This is done through the synagogue’s dedication to such issues
Reform:
- Like the conservative variant, they too engage in wider social discussion issues such as
animal cruelty and extinction to spread awareness
- There is also freedom for individual expression and they are able to adhere to their own
interpretation of environmental ethics (e.g. one is able to choose if they want to eat
Kosher, non-Kosher or vegetarian)
5. Laws of Shemitah
Definition:
Defined as the Sabbatical Year. The Laws of Shemitah promotes the idea that it is necessary to
give the environment time to replenish and refresh itself. They are to observe seven-year cycles,
where every seven years, they are to rotate the activity that occurs on a particular section of land.
Source:
Tanakh:
Leviticus 25:4 - "In the seventh year, the land shall have a complete rest, a Sabbath to the Lord"
- This quote links to preserving the Earth and making an effort to make it more fertile
Leviticus 25:24 - "You must provide for the redemption of the land"
Leviticus 18:5 - You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live.”
• Emphasis placed on “which man shall live”
• If ones life’s is in danger, most laws obstructing ones potential to live overturned
• Therefore, almost every Mitzvah can be overruled in order to save a human life
• Pikauch Nefesh is designed to enable humans to live in the image of God to the fullest
extent
The Practice
Death
Spiritually Impure
• The body is considered to be spiritually impure those in contact with the body are
expected to wash their hands to remove the impurity
Funeral Laws
• Funerals are to take place as soon as possible
• Funerals cannot occur on the Sabbath, the Day of Atonement or the first or last day of
festivals
• Some flexibility is allowed in these funeral laws in order to comply with civil procedures
Burial Practices
• Every Jew is buried in a plain pine coffin ensures there is no differentiation between
rich and poor as every Jew has equal value in the eyes of God
• A service will take place in the Chevra Kadisha prayer hall known as an Ohel
• Eulogies by family members and close friends are allowed to take place during the
service
• Following the service, the body is carried to the grave site with honoured friends
• The coffin is then lowered into the ground
• The coffin is required to have holes drilled into it to ensure that the Earth can come in
contact with the body
Funeral Service
• The actual funeral service takes place at the grave site
• Following the funeral service, those present will take part in filling the grave
• People are required to wash their hands after the funeral before entering their homes
Mourning
• There are four main stages of death in Jewish mourning
• These stages decrease in intensity
• When a close relative or friend of the deceased hears about their death, they will
immediately tear a piece of their clothing Keriyah
• The mourners will recite a mourners prayer
• Judaism specifies seven immediate family members who are expected to observe the
mourning period Parents, children, siblings and spouse
Anuit – Death to Burial
• The family is left alone during this period – this is done so they can fully express their
grief
• Visits to express condolence aren’t made
• The funeral happens during the Anuit period
Se’udat Havra’ah
- Called the meal of condolence
- Prepared following the burial
- Consists of bread and eggs – symbol of life
• Prayer services are to be held where Shivah is occurring with friends, neighbours and
relatives – this conglomerate makes up the minyan
• The Sabbath day occurs during the Shivah but is not counted as a day of mourning
Beliefs
• The mourning process is an expression of intrinsic Jewish beliefs
There are four central beliefs expressed during the mourning period:
- Human beings are created in the image of God
- God has established a covenant with humans
- God has a plan
- Belief in the Afterlife
Gods Plan
Meaning of Belief
- Life is part of God’s plan and therefore the inevitable death must also be part of his plan
- The acceptance of death is viewed as an individual and communal affirmation of trust in
God
Individual:
It forces the individual to ask the questions of life
Death and Mourning places an individual in the environment where they can
contemplate on the various aspects of life and its abstract meaning
When individuals are bombarded with the day-to-day decisions of ‘normal life’, they
are distracted from being able to assess and ponder the questions of life – this
mourning period gives them the time and space where they are forced to ask the
questions of life
Community
The belief concepts of Judaism are reaffirmed and upheld
Millions of individuals will partake in death and mourning traditions, rituals and
obligations which is an expression of belief for Judaism.
This notion is evident on a communal perspective as the recitation of the Kaddish as
a collective remembers the idea of one God and the justice and love that this God
provides.
Community is strengthened
Although mourning is a personal process, the traditions and obligations within mourning
are important in bringing people together
This maintains the essence of community which is a traditioned valued highly in
Judaism
• Genesis 37:34 – “Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son
many days”
o The act of ‘Keriyah’ is performed to support the biblical act of Jacob
• Deuteronomy 21:23 – “You must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be
sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s
curse”
o The urgency of burial in Judaism is due to the interpretation of this bible verse.
Jewish adherents should honour biblical law and thus there is urgency in the
body’s burial.
Holocaust Theology:
Holocaust theology is the study of the various theological responses to the Shoah. It rose from
the Jewish frustration and the questioning to why they experienced suffering. The idea of
theodicy is incorporated into Holocaust Theology which in essence means to justify God. These
pressing questions needed to be answered and thus theologians attempted to provide their
insight on these issues, thus Holocaust Theology arose.
Traditional:
A traditional response maintains fundamental beliefs in the covenant and the halakha (Jewish
law). It believes traditions should be maintained and that God should never be questioned, even
in times of extreme uncertainty.
Continuity/Change
This response believes that the Shoah ignites a change and reassessment of the faith and its
values. It believes reformation is required but the key, central beliefs of Judaism must be
maintained.
Radical:
The events of the Shoah were so tragic that it calls for a complete re-evaluation and reformation
of all aspects of Judaism.
Free Will
• Free will is the God given ability to freely choose one’s actions whether it be right or
wrong
• God does not intervene in the created order as he gives humans the right to make their
own choices – if God was to interfere then will wouldn’t be free
• The Holocaust is not a dilemma of the whereabouts of God, his righteousness or his
power, rather it is an expression of the ability that man has to freely choose his actions
Quote: “The God who hides himself is the God who saves”
Quote: “Never take freedom for granted, it needs a hundred acts of self-control daily”
Quote: “Jews are commanded to survive as Jews, lest the Jewish people perish”
Quote: “When Jews pronounce the end of humanity in Auschwitz, do they also proclaim it in
the prison cells where Hebrew-speaking soldiers torture Palestinian men and women
Mystery
• God is unfathomable – humans are unable to understand his ways or actions
• When humans question God, they are like Job in the bible, asking questions they have no
right to ask
• Instead of questioning God, humans should have faith in God
Quote: “We really don’t have any conclusive answer for why human beings are doomed to
suffer”
Quote: “Job learns from his experience because he is open to what God can teach him”
Theological:
- There is a diverse range of thought – aspects addressed are the covenant, law, God,
rituals, and scripture
- The theological responses exist on a spectrum which range from those that believe that
fundamental values should be continued to be upheld to those which believe in the
complete reformation of the faith
Political:
- Theologians such as Fackenheim believe that the Holocaust has allowed for the creation
of the state of Israel – This belief accounts for the Zionist movement which was a
movement that was boosted in response to the Holocaust
- Theologians such as Marc Ellis believe that Jewish people have no right to take over
someone else’s land and persecute the inhabitants – it proves that Jews have learnt
nothing from the Holocaust
- Holocaust theology has propelled the idea of “Jewish survival and identity” which
allowed for the political climate where there is a debate on how this Jewish survival and
identity relates to the Palestinian conflict
Socio-Cultural:
- Holocaust Theology arises the question on ‘what it means to be a Jew’
- This is because theologians impose their perspective onto the question
- Traditional theologians believe that to be a Jew they are to advocate tradtional Jewish
beliefs (e.g. reading the Torah as Jewish history)
- Continuity/Change theologians believe that to be a Jew, they should have a large
presence in the community
- The impact of Holocaust Theology is seen in its ability to ask the question on what it
means to be a Jew – this strengthens the faith as any response to this question (e.g.
community, Torah) reaffirms the fundamental beliefs of the faith
Arts/Literature/Remembrance
- Yom Hashoah – day of remembrance celebrated every year to remember the 6 million
who died in the Holocaust (Emil Fackenheim helped establish this day)
- Yad Vashem – Museum dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust (allows the victims to
tell their story)
- Films dedicated to the Holocaust (e.g. Boy in Striped Pyjamas) – relays the events of the
Holocaust
- Holocaust Theology pushed for the events to be etched into history, so these events are
not forgotten, this resulted in various forms of arts, literature and remembrance which
allows for the voices and memories of the dead to be heard
Faith Dialogue
- Faith dialogue with other Abrahamic faiths has been opened up due to the events of the
Holocaust
- Nostra Aetate – a document published by the Catholic Church which validates the
Jewish covenant and denotes respect for Jewish theology
- Holocaust theology communicates the destructiveness of the Holocaust, this resulted in
the Abrahamic faiths banding together and reaffirming their respect for each other. This
is done to curate a respect and understanding for other faiths among the populous to
help ensure that events such as the Holocaust doesn’t occur again.