SA/TO By Month
Topic Information: April

Nature:
By April, some USYers are well into their spring; others are just beginning to see green grass, and still others are just glad to know it’s coming! Everywhere, though, spring brings a reemergence of short sleeves and an appreciation of the outdoors. Let’s take this time to enjoy our planet and, more importantly, protect it.

“Tikun Olam” literally means “repairing the world.” Usually we use this in the context of all that needs to be fixed in the world, but this month, we’ll concentrate on the planet that is our world. As in Genesis 2:15, God takes his newly created human, “…and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate it and to guard it.”

Our little planet is perfectly suited to our needs, and in that whole space outside of our atmosphere we are yet to find another like it. The sun is just far enough away to warm us, as our ozone protects us from the harmful effects. We have liquid water and oxygen, courtesy to a vast amount of lush vegetation. Animals adapt to suit their surroundings, and surroundings change in endless cycles. Without this delicate and perfect balance, life would not be able to exist.

Our planet is showing signs of wear and tear, though, that just must be fixed. We have a hole in our ozone layer, vanishing forests, mighty rivers are running to a trickle, and our air is thick with smog. Now is the time to help repair our world.

The Jewish Take on Preserving Nature:
There is a story of a very old man, laboriously planting a small fig sapling in the yard in front of his house. A passerby yelled from the street, "Sir, why do you bother planting such a young tree? Surely you know that you will never live to see it bear fruit!" The old man nodded and explained, "This is true, but surely my grandchildren will. The tree behind me was planted by a previous generation for me, and that is why I will do the same." This little story teaches us that the environment is bigger than ourselves, and it requires continuous help from each generation to flourish.

Let's put the spotlight on trees:
Trees have always been important in Judaism, shown in laws that specifically protect fruit bearing trees during wartimes to those restricting a time limit on when collecting fruit is permissible. We even have Tu Bishvat, a holiday completely dedicated to trees! And then, Jews have always recognized the importance of nature and trees with the comparison to the Torah, “the Tree of Life.”

Even in recent times, Jews have been rediscovering the wonders that are trees. In 1967, Israel had a spy planted in the Syrian government who had worked himself very high up. This Eli Cohen suggested to his government that they plant their Golan Heights with eucalyptus trees to provide their soldiers with shade. The Syrian government embraced this idea, allowing the Israeli soldiers to easily pick out the hiding spots of the Syrian soldiers amongst the unnatural eucalyptus trees. These trees saved the lives of many Israeli soldiers because of Cohen’s ingenuity.

Facts and Myths About Nature:

MYTH:
There are plenty of trees left in the world. Even if we’re a little low, it doesn’t have that big of an effect anyway.

FACT:
We can proudly say that the state of Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with more trees than it had at the beginning of the 20th century. The rainforests of the world, on the other hand, have been going in the opposite direction. Right now, one and a half acres of rainforests are lost every second. At this rate, experts estimate that the rainforests that now cover 6% of the planet will be gone in less than 40 years. Why is this important? 25% of active ingredients in today’s cancer fighting drugs are only found in rainforests. The Amazon Rainforest alone produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen, earning its nickname of “the Lungs of the Planet.” In addition, without the trees to hold down the topsoil of these regions, the soil is swept off leaving a desert in place of the lush forests.

MYTH:
You can throw away whatever you want to; it will all break down eventually.

FACT:
Americans, on average, throw away over 5 pounds of garbage every day. And that garbage does not break down overnight. Even organic materials take over 6 months, while things like tin cans and plastics can take over 500 years!

MYTH:
Those natural features that have been around since forever are going to keep.

FACT:
Today’s world is much harsher than ever before, testing even the most time worn natural features, for example, the Jordan River. The Jordan river's annual flow has dropped from over 1.3 billion cubic meters to less than 100 million cubic meters over the past 50 years. Its water is being diverted by Israel's National Water Carrier, Jordan's King Abdullah Canal, and dams across tributaries into the river in Israel, Syria, and Jordan. The summer heat threatens to dry up the mighty historic river completely in various places that traditionally run thin.

For the Americans concerned about protecting our National Forests, click here.

A SA/TO-Israeli Bonus: a great site about environmental issues in Israel.