Diversity Q & A

Does your religion or culture influence the way you think about the environment?

Donna

In Judaism there are many laws and practices that are related to caring for the environment.  We have a special festival called Tu B'Shvat which is a day for celebrating and showing gratitude to trees.  When we eat, we say a blessing that is specifically about the source of that which we are eating.  If is bread, we give thanks for the grain.  If it is an apple we are eating, we give thanks for the tree.  In this way we are reminded that the earth has provided for the food we eat.  Jews have blessings for many natural occurrences; on seeing a rainbow, a tree in full bloom, the sea, or on smelling a beautiful scent – and these blessings are a way to appreciate the world around us.  There are also agricultural laws that serve to preserve the land, and other commandments such as Baal tashhit, which means Do not waste.