Bal Tashchit & Going Green: A Torah Perspective

A story is told of the young Rav Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch, out walking one day alongside his father. The young Yosef Yitzchak casually plucked a leaf off a nearby tree to which his father, Rav Shalom Dov Ber responded “Hashem had His intention for that leaf, we may not damage it unnecessarily.” This story sheds light on what has become a trending, perhaps even controversial topic: what is the Torah’s view on ‘going green?’ What is our responsibility as Torah Jews with regards to the environment and the planet at large? To what extent do the halachot of bal tashchit and the like link with the modern-day movements to protect the planet?  This article will touch on these ideas and more, clarifying our role not only as Torah Jews, but as Jewish women. 

The Torah values the physical benefits which the natural world provides and through the mitzva of bal tashchit, seeks to encourage us to do the same. The mitzva of bal tashchit (lit. do not destroy) is rooted in the prohibition to cut down a fruit tree during a time of war¹. War is a time where morals are at their lowest and man’s behaviour inevitably spirals downwards. Yet, the Torah specifically instructs us that even while a battle is raging, we are forbidden to cut down a fruit tree. The Gemara therefore interprets this as a kal v’chomer – if we are forbidden to cut down a fruit tree during times of war, how much more so are we forbidden from causing needless waste and destruction in regular time. The Rambam² clarifies that this includes smashing household items, tearing clothes, demolishing a building, stopping up a spring or destroying articles of food. The Sefer Hachinuch records this under mitzva 529 and lists that it constitutes any form of loss; burning or tearing clothing, or breaking a vessel for no purpose.

The laws governing what we can and cannot waste are strict, especially concerning fruit trees. The Gemara records the words of Rabbi Chanina who linked his son’s early passing to his cutting down of a fig tree. There are few leniencies to cut down a fruit tree, however, the Gemara³ allows for the removal of a fruit tree if the wood is more useful than the tree. Additionally, Rav Doniel Neustadt⁴ explains that although rotten fruit on a tree is not a stand-alone heter to cut down the fruit tree, if there is concern that people will eat the rotten fruit, it may be cut down. Other leniencies include if the tree is causing damage in a field or so old that it is no longer producing fruit⁵, but a Rabbi should be consulted. 

Nowadays, we often fall into the 21st century challenge of over-consumption which leads to waste. Rav Shaya Karlinsky⁶ is one example of a modern-day posek who wrote against the practice of overindulging at a buffet (i.e. a kiddush) and wrote that such a practice could constitute bal tashchit. The Aruch HaShulchan⁷ cautions that a person should not fill his plate with items he may not eat and also encourages people to reuse their leftover food – a practice we may not have known had a source in Torah. 

Additionally, as debate rages nowadays about petrol vs electric cars, the Gemara long established its position as extremely careful to conserve as much as fuel as possible. The Gemara⁸ writes that a person who covers an oil lamp or uncovers a kerosene lamp, causes it to burn out quicker and is therefore guilty of bal tashchit. Using up fuel quicker than necessary is deemed by the Torah as wastefulness. This provides food for thought for our modern issues such as leaving a tap running and not switching off lights, AC or heating at appropriate times. 

The Torah hashkafa on waste can be found in the Sefer Hachinuch who writes that the roots of this mitzva are to encourage us to love good, to value the world and to distance ourselves from any destruction. In fact, the Sefer Hachinuch writes that a righteous person will be distressed by any loss or waste, and will not even waste a grain of mustard. Reshaim rejoice at any destruction in the world, whereas tzadikim will do anything they can to prevent it.

Further, the Gemara⁹ prohibits the construction of furnaces in Yerushalayim due to the unsightly smoke it produces. Together with treating Yerushalayim as the glorious city it is, perhaps this is the first ever mention of air pollution in the Torah. However, the same city was host to the Beit Hamikdash where animals were sacrificed every day. It is Hashem who determines which smoke is considered a pollutant, and which is holy and desired. The same Hashem who prohibited the smashing of vessels commanded that every Jew smash a glass under the chuppa. Protection of the environment, though sweeping eagerly as a movement in the secular world, must remain according to the specific definitions of the Torah.

The Torah hashkafa on waste can be found in the Sefer Hachinuch who writes that the roots of this mitzva are to encourage us to love good, to value the world and to distance ourselves from any destruction. In fact, the Sefer Hachinuch writes that a righteous person will be distressed by any loss or waste, and will not even waste a grain of mustard. Reshaim rejoice at any destruction in the world, whereas tzadikim will do anything they can to prevent it. We see this with Yaakov who risked his life to return to the Yabok river and collect his forgotten jugs. Yaakov was wealthy and easily could have replaced the jugs, but as a tzaddik he valued the material possessions he owned and spurned any waste or careless loss so he went back for them. Conversely, we see that David Hamelech is punished for cutting off a corner of Shaul Hamelech’s cloak as the Torah considers it wanton destruction. A Torah Jew is a lover of the environment, in the deepest sense. Someone who truly values each material item.

We can sometimes misinterpret the Torah’s view of our role in the world, leading us to engage in acts which constitute bal tashchit. In Bereishit, Hashem tells Adam to rule over the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. As we sing in Hallel “the Heavens are the Heavens for Hashem, but the earth He gave to the sons of man.” Without the proper perspective, we may therefore conclude that if the world is ours, it is at our disposal to do as we wish. Rav Hirsch speaks strongly against this in Horeb (397). He writes that “there is no one nearer idolatry than one who can disregard the fact that all things are the creatures and property of G‑d.” Rav Hirsch explains that bal tashchit is not just destruction, but an act of corruption. Bal tashchit is an act which halts progress, overthrows good and changes something which once prospered. A leaf plucked off a tree may seem harmless, but Hashem placed that leaf on that tree for a particular purpose. It is our responsibility to value the gifts which fill our material world, protect them and view them as the G-dly vessels they are.

The Midrash Kohelet writes that Hashem warned Adam “take care not to destroy my world because there is no one to fix it after you.” As women who are often engaged in mundane tasks such as cooking or cleaning, we are naturally able to appreciate the G-dliness in something as ordinary as a mug. And as the akeret habayit, the essence of the home, we know that the way we view the world is the way our children will view it. If we engage in destruction and waste, our children will be left with a lost legacy. If we protect our environment and truly love the material blessings in our world, we have demonstrated to our children the true path of continuity, the path of the righteous. 

1. Devarim 20:19 ↩︎
2. Hilchot Melachim 6:10 ↩︎
3. Bava Kamma 91b ↩︎
4. https://torah.org/torah-portion/weekly-halacha-5774-pekudei/
   ↩︎
5. Shiur by Rabbi Ian Pear ↩︎
6. Quoted by R Yonatan Neril, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1892179/jewish/Judaism-and-Environmentalism-Bal-Tashchit ↩︎
7. 170:22 ↩︎
8. Shabbat 67b, quoted in Rabbi Yonatan Neril as above ↩︎
9. Bava Kamma 82b, quoted by Rabbi Ari Enkin https://outorah.org/p/49257/ ↩︎