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Rabbi Jonathan Biatch: Words to Guide Us on Our Relationship with the Environment

11/15/2021 02:53:03 PM

Nov15

by Marta Karlov

“Do not destroy My world, for if you do, there will be nobody after you to make it right again” (Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13). These are powerful words, which Rabbi Biatch introduced me to when we met to talk about his perspective on our relationship with the environment.

Even though these are ominous words, I find that our scripture provides us with words that guide us to act, to heal, to drive change. Rabbi Biatch is our community’s connection to those words. During Erev Rosh Hashanah he did just that—he reminded us about Rabbi Shimon, who said, “Three things are equally important: earth, humanity, and rain.” And exhorted us to change our eating habits to a plant-rich diet to reduce the damage caused by animal products to help save all three.

Rabbi Biatch has been thinking about how we treat the Earth since he was young. He remembers his mother, of blessed memory, saying, “I am really sad they are sending people to the moon, because all those rockets must be doing some damage to the atmosphere.” She was especially sensitive to anything happening in the environment and imparted this feeling on her children. It was also not hard to miss the impact of heavy smog in Los Angeles growing up. And at the same time there was a growing awareness of the dangers of nuclear power. Rabbi Biatch remembers how Peter, Paul and Mary’s song “Power” was a wake-up call for many.

I asked him what in scripture particularly drives him to act to help the environment, and he responded that he found inspiration in Genesis 2:15, which is traditionally translated as “our job is to take care of the garden, to till and tend it.” But the rabbi likes to interpret it as to “serve and preserve,” which is short, meaningful, and to the point.

When discussing why humankind has been willing to cause damage to their own home, he helped me put things in perspective. “It’s too immense of a problem; it’s like the story of the people in a boat in the middle of the ocean—while one is drilling a hole, others ask why, and he says, ‘The hole is only under me.’ Most people don’t see their impact and cumulative effect and how it will affect the world. They don’t believe it; they don’t think it’s possible.”

He added that while the TV news shows the terrible damage from tornadoes, fires, and floods, we tend to become disconnected. We don’t get the interdependency of this world.

In our congregation we are attempting to act locally, to help the community make stronger connections between our everyday surroundings and environmental impacts. I asked Rabbi Biatch what advice he had for us, and he was clear in saying, “Engage the community. Find positive ways to make change, focus on changing one person at a time. Look at food, how do we use resources at an Oneg Shabbat, do we use compostable materials, or reusable stuff? People have an impact even if they don’t know it. Hone in on positive ways we can make a change in our community. Find decision makers and see if they can be convinced to try something different. Start small to educate people in a way that engages them, not lecturing at people; it’s too overwhelming.”

He also called for us to remember how environmental justice intersects with social justice and with our acknowledgment of ownership of the land we inhabit. “Connect with the fact that Native Americans that came before us in Madison treated the land differently than we do.” (Here Rabbi Biatch showed me a YouTube video of the “Crying Indian” ad to make his point; check it out.) “If we don’t have a planet that’s habitable, there will be nothing.”

Judaism is about the here and now, about achieving grace through our actions. According to Rabbi Biatch, standing still in the face of the destruction of our home is not an option. “It is our responsibility to preserve, protect, and nourish our planet. We have the power to take action to create a healthy and just future for ourselves and generations to come.” These are strong words that tie us to our tradition.

April 25, 2024 17 Nisan 5784