THE SACRED EARTH

This anthology of essays, edited by Kahn, presents Jewish perspectives on the Earth and the environment.

While the concept of avodat ha-Shem (“serving God”) is central to the Jewish faith, Rabbi Kahn reminds readers in the introduction to this collection that avodat haaretz (“service of the earth”) is equally important. As he notes, “nature can teach us sacred lessons.” Divided into five parts and more than 30 individual chapters, the book begins with a theological reflection on how a spiritual relationship with God should guide our relationship with the Earth. Drawing specific examples from Scripture, the book’s second part reexamines religious texts in new contexts, yielding insights such as the way the Song of Songs unveils “a ritual journey of connection with creation” and how the Book of Job’s lessons on humility apply to nature. Part 3 explores how the physical environment serves as a setting in which humanity has encountered God, from ancient mountaintops to the modern-day “Shabbat Stroll.” Part 4 focuses on how the Earth shapes and informs the Jewish calendar. The book’s final section provides a more practical approach to Jewish environmental ethics, including concrete examples of sustainable eating practices, interfaith activism, and ways that synagogues can serve as “laboratories for the future” and model environmentally conscious practices. With more than four dozen contributors, the book is intentionally diverse in its perspectives; the authors represent views from across the Jewish denominational spectrum and include rabbis, activists, poets, and professors. Each chapter is accompanied by a wealth of endnotes and reference materials. While distinctly Jewish in its approach, the book is accessible to readers of all faiths, and many of its chapters include interfaith perspectives, including an entire section regarding Indigenous land acknowledgements. This impressive collection is a reminder that, in the words of contributor Karenna Gore (executive director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and daughter of former Vice President Al Gore), “it is not the earth that needs fixing; it is us.”

A well-researched and diverse collection of Jewish writings on our collective responsibilities to the planet.