How Magnificent is All Creation

October 9, 2015 / 27 Tishrei 5776

Shabbat Bereisheet

Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8 / Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 42:5-43:10

“How Magnificent is All Creation”

Dear Friends,

On a recent early morning bike ride through the forest preserves, I was moved by the intense beauty all around me.  The sun filtering through the canopy gave the leaves a remarkable green color.  Bright yellow goldfinches darted by in their swooping flight paths. Deer nibbled in the underbrush.  Cicadas sang their raspy wail.  The moss smelled fresh and moist.  The air felt cool and misty.  I stopped to take in all this beauty and said a prayer – “You are praised, Wellspring of Life, for doing wondrous works of creation.”  Then I thought of Psalm 104: Ma rabu ma’asecha Adonai – How magnificent are all Your creations, Eternal One; You have made them all with wisdom.  The earth is full of your creations.  May the glory of God endure forever.”

I pedaled in this reverie until I emerged at the Edens Expressway.  Thousands of cars raced by.  Lights, buildings, concrete and blacktop brought me back to reality.  “How magnificent,” indeed.  It seems that development is everywhere.  New strip malls are being built while so many older ones remain empty and vacant.  Open space is disappearing. New hydraulic fracking technology may be polluting our groundwater as it extracts gas and oil in the heartland. What are we doing to God’s magnificent creation?  Will we ever stop our destruction?  Have we truly paved paradise to up our parking lots?

Judaism has a lot to say about stewardship of the earth.  After all, this week’s portion is Bereisheet – Creation – In the Beginning!  It tells us to till and to tend.   The earth is but lent to us and we must protect it for future generations.  Our sages remind us that if we do not keep the earth healthy and whole, there will be no one to set it right.  Judaism can provide the direction and moral compass that we need if only we will heed its wisdom.

Jewish tradition teaches that we are stewards of the earth.  Following is a list from Adventure Rabbi Jamie Korngold of things we can do to make our world a safer and healthier place.  Just as raindrops can form a raging river, our good and holy deeds at home can combine to effect collective positive change.

1.  Don’t buy things that you don’t need.

2.  Support businesses and products that have sustainable policies.

3.  Buy local products and produce, organic and free-range foods.

4.  Install compact fluorescent light bulbs and turn off lights when not in use.

5.  Buy high-efficiency appliances.

6.  Use eco-friendly cleaning products.

7.  Lower your heat and lessen you air-conditioning.

8.  Telecommute whenever possible.

9.  When it is time to replace your car, buy a fuel-efficient vehicle.

10. Use wind or solar power for your home and office.

11.  Drive less.  Ride your bike and walk more.

12.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.

13.  Install dual-flush toilets.

14.  Bring your own reusable cloth bags to the grocery store.

15.  Compost.

16.  Choose products that contain less packaging.

17.  Vacation near home so you can fly less.

18.  Make your own greeting cards and wrapping paper.

19.  Use less water.

20.  Encourage politicians to adopt responsible energy policy.

(Adapted from “God in the Wilderness.” Doubleday, 2008.  Pages 134-135)

May the New Year be a year of living in harmony with the earth, God’s magnificent creation.

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow