The great work of today's generations is nothing short of saving the earth. We know enough, are capable enough. The question is: do we care enough? Will we work hard enough? Do we even recognize when we have enough?
Now, noted environmentalist Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin challenges us to develop the individual and collective will needed to create change and offers spiritual and practical guidance to invigorate that effort.
To Forever Inhabit This Earth is a powerful must-read for anybody interested in the intersection of environmentalism and spirituality. Invoking the To Forever Inhabit This Earth is a powerful must-read for anybody interested in the intersection of environmentalism and spirituality. Invoking the Jewish concepts of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Yishuv Ha'olam (preserving a habitable world), Cardin implores us to envision the world, not as a commodity but as a fragile, improbable, extraordinary gift whose well-being and future now depend on us.
Using meticulously researched Jewish texts and the teachings of other faith traditions, she makes the case that environmental sustainability is a fundamental religious principle?and something we can address, if we have the will to do so.
"Despite the harms we as humanity have caused, if we dare to act boldly (which we can), based on the best guidance of our advisors (which we have), and recruit willing hearts (which we possess), we can heal the wounds, remedy our mistakes, and remake a safe and vibrant world for ourselves and all the generations to come. It is up to us."
Cardin asks us to consider spiritual questions, technical questions, and ethical questions about how we live in the world, and provides both spiritual and practical guidance on ways to rethink that, including:
- A contemplation of our spiritual connection to 'the land' and the call upon humanity to establish, preserve, and maintain a habitable world here on earth
- The biblical framework that urges us to see that life is awe inspiring and order is its essential ingredient, providing the stable environment that brings forth and sustains life
- A close look at texts from Genesis to consider two ways humans inhabit our world
- A daily meditation for preserving a habitable world
- Eight guidelines for ethical consumption
- A chart for a one-week self-assessment of our buying, consumption, and discarding practices
