To Forever Inhabit This Earth: An Ethic of Enoughness

Rabbi Cardin (Tears of Sorrow, Seed of Hope) creatively explores how Jewish traditions can help readers to reimagine their relationship with the earth amid the mounting threat of climate change. Drawing from such biblical stories as the creation narrative of Genesis 2, in which God instructs Adam and Eve to tend to the garden of Eden (an “eco-driven,” nature-centered narrative that reverses the “ego-driven” story of Genesis 1, which presents nature as a wild resource to be “used and subdued”), she sketches out an ethic of sustainability wherein humans “tend to the world’s potential, serving the needs of all.” Later chapters explore how to “renew, preserve, and reuse earth’s resources” through personal and political efforts, with suggestions for blending environmental and spiritual practices with traditions like the Tu BiShevat seder, a festive meal held on the new year of the trees that’s been revived in recent years to reflect growing environmental concerns. Cardin expertly uses ancient Jewish ethics to add moral depth and clarity to pressing discussions of environmental collapse and proffers a communal model of aid that reflects the interconnection of humans with nature and one another. Wise and empathetic, this inspires. (Apr.)