One Chabad rabbi calls Tu B’Shevat “Rosh Hashanah for Trees.”[1] A Reform Jewish writer refers to the day as “Jewish Arbor Day.”[2] In Israel, Tu B’Shevat marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. Marked with eating certain fruit, drinking wine, and planting trees, it is observed more as an agricultural celebration than a holiday. Certainly, this is a minor holiday on the Jewish calendar. The question arises: exactly how significant is it?
ReformJudaism.org explains that “although the celebration of Tu BiShvat [sic] has a long and varied history, the theme most commonly ascribed to the holiday today is the environment.” Referring to Leviticus, 25:23, the : “Environmental protection is a fundamental Jewish concern (‘the Earth is Mine, you are but strangers and sojourners with Me.’).”[3]
To what extent does the holiday remind us of our responsibilities as tenants of the Earth? What are our obligations to the environment?
We begin with the mandate of the first mitzvah (Jewish law) contained in the Bible:
G‑d blessed them and G‑d said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the bird of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
In “Judaism, Nature and the Environment” published on Aish.com, Rabbi Mordechai Becher argues that we each have personal responsibility to take care of the Earth: “A wonderful Rabbinic commentary in the Midrash relates that God showed Adam and Eve around the world and told them, ‘Look at my works! See how beautiful they are — how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.’”
On the one hand, mankind is given dominion over the Earth. We are mandated to “subdue it” and rule over every living thing. On the other, we must bear in mind that it is His, not ours. At most we are here for a short time, mere “sojourners.”
Climate scientists around the world equate the burning of fossil fuels as the leading cause of climate change. Bearing that in mind, consider this statement from the IPCC, the leading research entity on climate change:
Human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. Evidence of observed changes in extremes such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and tropical cyclones, and, in particular, their attribution to human influence, has strengthened since 2014.[4]
Here are a few considerations:
- Recently, the US EPA has said methane (i.e. natural gas) is a strong greenhouse gas. It is “more than 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Over the last two centuries, methane concentrations in the atmosphere have more than doubled, largely due to human-related activities.”[5]
- In my home state, Pennsylvania, 95% of all electricity is generated by fossil fuels (over half is from natural gas). Only 5% comes from renewables.
- Would it be feasible to just stop using natural gas, coal, and/or nuclear and transition immediately to solar, wind and conservation?
- Will climate change devastation and environmental harm fall disproportionately on poor people and poor nations? If so, how do we take care of our responsibility toward them?
- The UN and virtually every scientific organization in the world that studies climate change asserts the continued use of fossil fuel and the resulting increase in greenhouse gasses will cause huge harm to the Earth. What is our duty?
Scripture presents us with two positions, both of which find their basis in the mitzvot. Should we “subdue” the Earth and rule over every living thing? Fossil fuels provide energy for people so they can live decent lives, produce food, provide transportation, heat and power their homes, and make a plethora of products. Despite the potential environmental harm, in the short run, the more fossil energy that is produced, the better off people will live. One could argue that the US and other countries should produce more fossil fuel and lower the cost of energy.
Or is it more important to treat the Earth as G‑d’s property, since we are nothing more than “strangers and sojourners”? Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) cause pollution when they are extracted, pollution when burned, and contribute to climate change. There is great harm to people caused by the use of fossil fuel. One could argue that countries should move away from using fossil fuel as quickly as possible, even if that means that the cost of energy and necessities may go up.
Which solution adheres more closely to Jewish values? My view is that the science of climate change — as opposed to the politics of it — is clear. Greenhouse gasses generated by the use of fossil fuels pose an existential risk to the planet and will affect all people, especially poor people and poorer nations. We, as Jews, have a religious obligation to do what we can to fulfill our sacred commandment — taking care of and repairing the Earth.
Tu B’Shevat is a good time to pause and consider these challenging questions about the environment and human impact on our Earth.
Perhaps that is the larger meaning of this seemingly minor holiday.
[1] Tu BiShvat: What and How, Naftali Silberberg, Chabad.org.
[2] Tu BiShvat or the “New Year of the Trees” is Jewish Arbor Day, ReformJudaism.org (“ReformJudaism.org.”).
[3] Id. Quoting Leviticus, 25:23.
[4] Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policymakers, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (August 19, 2021)
[5] Importance of Methane, Global Methane Initiative, US EPA (Nov. 1, 2023).
A graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and Vermont Law School, Joel Burcat has written short stories for The Montreal Review, Kaleidoscope, Diverse Voices Quarterly, the Northern Appalachia Review, and anthologies, among others. Before becoming a full-time author, he was an environmental lawyer. He worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Resources and was in private practice. His first three novels were environmental legal thrillers, including Strange Fire, a thriller about fracking for natural gas. Reap the Wind, his new climate change novel about three lawyers fleeing a hurricane hitting Houston, is his fourth novel. He lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. https://joelburcat.com/