Achrei Mot-Kedoshim - Weekly Torah Portion

Yesterday, the 22nd of April, it was Earth Day, celebrated since the seventies of the last century. In the last couple of decades, it has become increasingly important due to issues concerning climate change, balanced use of natural resources, and some reckless management of the situation by some of the world’s governments. As a Movement we hold sustainable use of the world’s resources as a core value, therefore calling for the use of renewable energies, reforesting, recycling, waste reduction, as well as priority changes by the public sector of parameters that impact such usage.

This week’s Haftarah, on a Shabbat where once again we read two portions, Achrei Mot and Kedoshim, is from the book of Amos. He declares, “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, / ‘When the plowman will overtake the reaper, / And the one who treads grapes will overtake him who sows the seed; / When the mountains will drip grape juice, / And all the hills will come apart.’” This is certainly a moving description of days yet to come, and still possible, even if the effort is great, especially if we shall be wise enough to make good use of the limited resources planet Earth provides us with.

In the portion Kedoshim we are told, “Now when you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. For three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. But in the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, so that its yield may increase for you; I am the Lord your God.” We have to first plant – that’s the requirement we face. We cannot simply count on what was planted on the land before we entered it. A midrash teaches us (my free translation) “When the Blessed Holly One created the first man he took him and showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: look at what I have done which is beautiful and of quality – they and all which I have created – I created for you, make sure that you do not corrupt and ruin my world, as if you corrupt it there will be nobody after you to fix it.” (Midrash Kohelet Rabah, 7, 13).

The reading from the Torah states, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” echoes this statement in many ways. This holiness manifests itself also in the way we make use of what is given to us and which we cannot claim to be all of our own. This is the essence of the call, “Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.” When we apply these principles, we protect the resources of the earth by sharing them with others. It is no different from the call we read this Shabbat, “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or volume. You shall have accurate balances, accurate weights, an accurate ephah, and an accurate hin”. Here too we are expected to use good measures and not take more than is needed from what Earth has to offer us. We can do it, we can cheat, but ultimately, we damage only ourselves.

A system where we refrain from spoiling what we have received should be paving our way today too. As we seem to be exiting the COVID19 pandemic, it was shown that we have experienced a reduction of some 6.5% in carbon dioxide emissions. However, the impact of the return to a degree of normalcy are already apparent. Returning to work and travel has already increased these emissions to pre coronavirus levels. The forecast for an economical rebound may further increase such undesirable CO2 emissions. We must be aware of this and therefore use electricity wisely, public transportation when possible, recycling over and over, and much more. At least in this way we may help overcome some of the irresponsible behavior of so-called leaders who ignore the long-term future. Even if one may think that climate change is not a thing this does not mean that we can simply exhaust our natural resources, ruin every patch of green land, consume all fresh water, and avoid any accountability of such ruthless usage of resource. Ultimately we all understand that there is nobody there other than us who can fix it, and fix it now, so that for generations to come the mountains will be plentiful.

Shabbat Shalom and wishes for Good Health.

Reuven Marko, 23 April 2021, 12 Iyar, 5781