Abstract
No one who has ecological sensibilities and is experiencing the environmental signs of the times—droughts, historic wildfires, the climate-induced extinction of countless species that increases daily—would say that Planet Earth is in good health in its aging process. Many philosophers, scientists, economists, theologians, Bible scholars, and political and religious leaders have produced scholarly and pastoral documents. They have given public lectures, offered conferences and round-table discussions, all in a concerted effort to educate people to the critical ecological issues facing our world today. Many climate activists, such as Greta Thunberg, have addressed legislative branches of government. Others have even taken to the streets, protesting those political leaders and corporations that have not heeded the clarion call to implement environmental policies to reverse the collision course we are on with the planet.
In an article published in The Guardian on Feb. 10, 2021, Larry Elliott made the point that “few government-commissioned reports make a real difference. Often ministries call on an expert to look into a contentious issue in the hope of kicking it into the long grass, and when a weighty tome duly arrives with uncomfortable recommendations, it is quietly ignored.” Rabbi Yonatan Neril and Rabbi Leo Dee’s book, Eco Bible. Volume 1: An Ecological Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, is not just another tome or a “green” commentary addressing the planet’s dire ecological situation. Instead, the volume provides readers of the Bible with a wealth of examples and insights into how Jewish rabbis throughout the centuries have understood and interpreted certain biblical texts, which N. and D. contextualize in relation to today’s environmental crisis. This volume makes significant contributions to the conversation involving ecology, Bible, theology, and spirituality; yet, the study is not without several shortcomings.
N. and D.’s eco Bible commentary is the first one to engage more than 100 rabbis and Jewish thinkers who comment on select verses related to ecology in the books of Genesis and Exodus. Among the topics discussed by the rabbis and other Jewish commentators are creation, animals, fauna, nutrition, crops, diversity, sustainability and simplicity, water, and sabbath rest. Having an understanding of how ancient as well as contemporary Jewish communities hear and interpret certain texts from the Hebrew Scriptures offers invaluable knowledge, especially since many of the Genesis and Exodus commentators and those working in the area of Bible and ecology are Christian and tend not to incorporate the thought of the rabbis and other Jewish thinkers into their commentaries. For example, knowing that a biblical fatty calf would have been naturally fed by its mother, not overworked, and safeguarded by a series of laws, has implications for how calves today are raised and treated on factory farms and then either slaughtered for food or used for plowing or transport without any due justice to the animal.
After N. and D. present the thoughts of various commentators, they proceed to offer their own commentary on the select passages, and in doing so, they link the various interpretations to the present-day global ecological crisis and comment further on such topics as: green building, the limits of technology, crude oil, acid rain, fast food, overpopulation, poverty and pollution, food insecurity, water wars, and even copper and the coronavirus. N. and D.’s rich insights, as well as their incorporation of other scholars’ thoughts from different disciplines and areas of study, are the hallmark of this volume. Their appeal to spirituality, in particular those sections that discuss holy eating, the song of the land, the miracle of water, sleeping alone in nature, connecting with the Earth, and one’s relationship with Earth, is especially engaging and adds an unusual depth to this commentary in a way that is neither “spiritualizing” nor “sermonizing.” Interspersed throughout the commentary are segments labeled “Suggested Action Items.” These segments are especially helpful because the questions and actions posed by the authors invite deep personal choices, offer significant challenges, and outline steps to be taken to live simply, ecologically, and sustainably.
Despite its positive contribution to the topic of ecology, the volume also has several shortcomings. First, as powerful as N. and D.’s reflections are, they do not appropriate biblical texts theoretically from a critical hermeneutical perspective. Second, the authors often assume a biblical literalism that makes, for instance, the Noah story seem as if it were a real event. Third, an anthropocentric tone privileging humans as caretakers runs throughout the commentary. The natural world also has the capacity to care for the humans. Additionally, the lens through which the authors view and speak about the divine is an anthropocentric one. At times, the authors’ intellectual, faith-based theology is at odds with the underlying spirituality of the book.
With strengths and shortcomings noted, I highly recommend this well-researched volume to students, scholars, and general readership.