Climate Change Living Shimon Bar Yochai said, three "The land shall not In any case the terms avodah and shmirah include "Do not subvert the rights things are of equal importance: earth, not only the direct work and care of the ground, but be sold forever; for of your needy" (Exodus humans, and rain. Rabbi Levi ben Hiy- also the whole moral behavior of Man in acting and the land is Mine; you 23:6) yata said: ... to teach that without refraining from acting in accordance with his are strangers and duty. Indeed, as already indicated, Nature itself finds earth, there is no rain, and without sojourners with its appointed purpose promoted, as well as the neces- rain, the earth cannot endure, and “Do not favor the poor or me." (Leviticus sary condition for its continuance. show deference to the without either, humans cannot exist ~ Samson Raphael Hirsch, Modern Orthodox Move- (Genesis Rabbah, 13:3) 25:23) ment rich" (Leviticus 19:15)

If there is a needy person among you... do not harden God took the man and When God created the first human be- your heart and shut your hand against your kin. placed him in the Gar- ings, God led them around the garden of Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient" (Deuteronomy 15:7-11). den of Eden, to till Eden and said: Look at my works! See (L’aved) it and tend how beautiful they are, how excellent! (L’shmreh) it." (Genesis For your sake I created them all. Take ‘And the Lord God took the man and put him into the 2:15). Garden of Eden to work it and watch of it’ (Genesis care not to spoil or destroy My world, 2:15). The undefiled world was given over to man ‘to for if you do, there will be no one to re- work it’ to apply to it his creative resources in order We do not inherit the pair it after you. (Midrash Ecclesiastes that it yield up to him its riches. But alongside the earth from our ances- mandate to work and subdue it, he was appointed its Rabbah 7:13) watchman to guard over it, to keep it safe to protect it tors, we borrow it from even from his own rapaciousness and greed. Man is our children. "In the end, our society will be defined not only an aved, a worker and fabricator: his is also a ~Native American not only by what we create, but by what shomer, a trustee who according to halachah, is obli- Proverb gated to keep the world whole for its true we refuse to destroy." - John C. Sawhill, Owner. ~ , former President and CEO of the University Nature Conservancy