The Charlotte Jewish News - October, 1995 - Page?
Rabbi James Bennett
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Point
of
View
On Rosh Hashanah. we cel
ebrated as a community the tradi
tional “birthday” of the world. The
message of our tradition is clear:
God owns the world, and we are
but visitors upon God’s creation,
entrusted with the responsibility of
caring for this creation. The festi
val of Sukkot comes to remind us
of our link to this creation.
On Sukkot, we dwell for a
week as close to nature as we can.
We build the sukkah, the tempo
rary shelter which lets in the light
of the sun by day and the moon and
stars by night. We surround our
selves with the branches of leafy
trees, and sense the beauty and
presence of nature in our own
lives. For a brief time we live as
one with the universe. Like our an
cestors who traveled through the
desert completely dependent upon
God’s grace and guidance, we re
member that we, too, are here only
because God has granted us the
privilege of living in this beautiful
and wonderful world. We recog
nize just how fragile and tempo
rary our existence truly,is. Like
shaky walls of our sukkah, we re
alize that our lives can easily be
shaken by the vicissitudes of life
and the world.
This is a good time for us as
Jews to reaffirm our commitment
to the environment. Sukkot is a
holiday which can easily redirect
our attention to the interdepen
dency of humanity and nature. It
is a good time for us to remember
what our ancestors must have felt
when they were an agriculturally-
based society, whose entire exist
ence revolved around the cycles of
the year and nature. It is all too
easy for us to forget that the food
we now buy at the supermarket
was grown by a fanner, and that
the land and the world are depen
dent upon our loving care. As we
welcome friends and strangers into
our sukkah, it is a good time to re
member that there are those who
do not have enough to eat.
“Fnvironmental Justice” is a
term used to describe efforts to
view the environment as depen
dent upon human care and wis
dom. It implies a relationship
between humanity and nature, as
well as a sharing the benefits and
responsibilities of our environ
ment, across societies and cultures.
As is often the case with issues of
social justice, the burdens of envi
ronmental pfoblems are dispropor
tionately carried by the poor and
disadvantaged in our society.
This festival of Sukkot is a
wonderful time for each of us to
rededicate ourselves to the prin
ciples of Environmental Justice,
and to take more seriously the re
sponsibility of caring for our world
and our environment. There are
numerous ways to do so. For ex
ample:
’Recycle: Every Jewish family
ought to participate in a recycling
effort of some sort. Mecklenburg
County makes it relatively easy to
recycle paper, aluminum and glass.
Shalom Park ought to take a more
prominent role in participating in
this important mitzvah as well. It
would be particularly meaningful
if there were a campus-wide effort
to provide recycling opportunities.
‘Participate in a food drive: There
are numerous Social Action
projects ongoing in the Jewish and
secular communities to enable us
to share our wealth with those who
do not have enough food to eat.
There is plenty of food in the world
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to feed all the people of the earth.
The problem is largely one of dis
tribution. We can do our small part
if we remember the hungry every
day of the year. Participating in a
food drive for the hungry, or in the
important work of Mazon: A Jew
ish Response to Hunger through fi
nancial contributions at our own
times of joy is a true mitzvah.
’Adopt a street, neighborhood or
other area and dedicate yourself to
picking up the trash that others
throw there. Make a personal com
mitment never to add to the litter
of the world. Find a proper trash
receptacle and use it, wherever you
are.
’Save electricity, gas and water
whenever possible, in your home
and at your place of work.
’Follow environmental issues in the
news and develop a position on the
issues as they arise. Get involved
with advocacy for those issues that
speak to you personally. Write your
congresspcople, senators and make
your voice heard.
Our Jewish traditions are most
meaningful when they turn us back
towards the world and lead us to
live better lives. Making the issues
a part of our lives is one very real
way to make the festival of Sukkot
even more meaningful. May this
festival bring comfort and joy to
all.
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