|
PartII - Nature and Ecology in Jewish Tradition
Even a life which one might think is completely useless, such as fleas, gnats and other creatures are included for the goodness of the Earth. Each creature
is needed for the maintenance of the Universe. The Living God did not create a single thing without a purpose. -
Talmud Shabbat 77b on Genesis 2:1
What a wonderful sentiment to discover among our ancient beliefs. Imagine what might have prompted it. Perhaps one of our rabbis of old was trying to teach a class in an ancient Babylonian yeshiva but his students were swatting at flies and complaining about how bad the mosquitoes were. Or maybe our ancestors were trying to say their morning prayers on the banks of the Jordan when attacked by swarms of gnats. Whatever the reason, our ancient teachers understood that nothing in this world is without purpose; even those things that annoy or inconvenience us. And our teachers thought that this understanding was important enough that it should be included in the Oral Tradition to be handed down from generation to generation.
The above quote addresses two of Judaism's most fundamental beliefs: the first is that there is a single Creator; the second is that God did not goof and make something superfluous or purposeless, something without value. Directly and indirectly we human creatures benefit from all parts of creation, be they the plants around our homes or the stars of the universe. Even those things that cause us inconvenience or annoyance were still created with purpose.
Gnats, black flies, horse flies, bees, wasps, mosquitoes and other pesky bugs and
insects may bother us but they are guilty of nothing more than doing precisely what the Creator instructed them to do.
"God blessed them saying, 'Be fruitful and become many...'". Why would God want these little critters to be fruitful and multiply? Perhaps the answer is found in the place insects occupy in the Food Web. Spiders, lizards, birds, carnivorous plants and lots of other animals feast on our little flying cousins. Were we to discover a means of eliminating these flying pests, we would rip apart the fabric of Oneness that encompasses the world.
No less important are all of those plants that we call "weeds." What are weeds? These are plants in which we find no value. Typical weeds include dandelions, plantain, poison ivy, ground vetch, mullein and goldenrod. You might be surprised to learn that in some parts of this country entire species of trees are considered to be weeds and are sprayed with specialized herbicides to destroy them. For example, in areas where lumber companies are harvesting cedar, spruce and fir trees, these companies routinely spray their forests to kill cherry, oak, maple and other hardwood trees. Likewise, in parts of the country where hardwoods are being harvested, herbicides are used to kill the conifers.
Weeds are plants with value. The problem is that we choose not to see the value because we have already called them "weeds", which by definition are plants without value. What better example than this is there of circular reasoning and what better example is there than the dandelion to illustrate how confused we have become about what is valuable and what is harmful?
Millions of people spend hundreds of millions of dollars to dump an unknown number of tons of poison on their lawns each summer to kill off the "dreaded" dandelion. Why? One reason, according to the real estate industry, is because yards with dandelions sell for less money than well-tailored grass lawns. Talk about being confused. People spend thousands of dollars to achieve "perfect yards" at the cost of environmental destruction and potential health hazards to themselves and their families so that they may increase the value of their property by thousands of dollars.
If we were to remember that nothing on the face of the earth is without value, we would find it far easier to follow the commandment of bal tashchit (prohibition against destroying or wasting anything). We would fulfill our roles as earth stewards and discover the awe and wonder of God's creation even in those things that seem completely useless.
|
