Noach: A Paradigm for Environmental Consciousness

Dec 11

Original author - Shimshon Stuart Siegal, edited by the GrowTorah Summer Inchworms 2021

In Gan Eden, humans, plants, and animals existed together in harmony. Hashem placed this first human in the garden to “till it and tend it”,[1] and Adam and Chava had a happy, symbiotic relationship with Hashem’s creations. After mankind was banished from the Garden, the earth took on a different role in Adam and Chava’s daily life. As part of Adam’s punishment, Hashem declared, “Cursed be the ground because of you; by toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life”.[2] The earth’s relationship to mankind continued its shift throughout the beginning of Parshat Noach when “the earth became corrupt before Hashem; the earth was filled with lawlessness”.[3] Mankind’s connection to the earth is evident, but unlike the beginning of Bereishit, with the positive two-way relationship between earth and mankind, human actions now negatively affect the earth.

A look at Noach’s character through the eyes of the Torah, various midrashim, and rabbinic commentaries shows a portrait of a man who ties together environmental harmony and Divine awareness. Specifically, Noach can be read as one of the pioneers of the mitzvah of Bal Tashchit (“do not waste”), and, through preserving plants and animals in his ark, he brought back a positive and giving relationship between humankind and the earth. How can we learn from Noach’s examples and model a caring and conscious connection between ourselves and the earth?

Patience

Caring for the environment requires patience and forethought. One midrash notes that “for 120 years Noach planted cedars and cut them”.[4] Aware of the massive amount of resources needed for building his ark, Noach models both the sustainability and time-awareness that his project requires. He took the time to grow his own wood, without being wasteful. Being environmentally conscious often involves time and effort. Noach shows the patience and commitment needed to take the more sustainable route.

Hands-on Dirty Work

Protecting Hashem’s world requires hard, sometimes unpleasant work. Noach didn’t just load up the ark and sail worry-free, he worked without rest during the entire year of the Flood. According to the Midrash Tanchuma, “Throughout those twelve months, Noach and his sons did not sleep because they had to feed the animals, beasts, and birds”.[5]

But feeding thousands of animals was the cushy job. As the Talmud explains, the ark had three levels; one for Noach and his family, one for the animals, and one for the waste– tons upon tons of animal droppings.[6] The rabbinic sources debate the layout of the ark and the design of Noach’s waste-management system, but one thing remains clear– Noach’s family spent a lot of their time shoveling manure. Noach toiled to maintain the cleanliness of the ark. While such work is not always enjoyable, Noach’s lesson teaches that oftentimes less desirable work is a necessity in order to maintain a clean and healthy environment.

We all Share the Same Lifeboat (or Ark)

Another lesson we can learn from Noach is that it helps to see the world as a closed, integrated system. Noach and his eight-person crew maintained a sort of proto-BioDome inside the ark, struggling to preserve a functional level of ecological balance in the most challenging of situations. Within such a system, every action has a significant impact and ramifications, and individual elements can be aligned so as to strengthen and assist one another.

In the modern day, we can take Noach’s lesson to heart by composting food waste, which reduces landfill volume and then creates rich soil for home-grown, organic vegetables. Using public transportation in congested areas reduces pollution while cutting down on frustrating traffic. Less traffic, cleaner air, and time to relax on the bus or train all contribute to less personal stress. Riding a bicycle to work does all of these as well as significantly improving health.

Partnership with the Land

Noach’s construction of a giant, floating ecosystem was proof enough of his excellence as an environmental innovator. After the Flood, he continued his relationship with the earth as an agricultural pioneer. At his birth, Noach’s father predicted that Noach would relieve mankind from the curse on the land that came with Adam and Chava’s expulsion,[7] and after Noach exited the ark he is introduced as “Noach, the tiller of soil”.[8]

The Midrash Aggadah explains that Noach revolutionized farming techniques to soften the backbreaking toil that had been the way of the farmer since banishment from the Garden of Eden. Noach may have used the massive stores of dung on the ark to compost and revitalize the land, which had lost its top 12 inches of topsoil in the Flood.[9] Overall, Noach’s relationship with the land was harmonious and productive. It was not adversarial or injurious to the planet or to his own well-being.

As beneficiaries of the earth’s produce and descendants of Noach, we should ensure that the world’s agricultural workers are supported by both modern technologies and modern social values. Like Noach, modern farmers can promote agricultural techniques that keep the land viable for future generations. We must not fill our breadbasket via the suffering of those less fortunate than ourselves, or at the expense of a healthy, fruitful future.

The fact that we can eat meat does not necessarily mean that we must, and certainly does not mean that we must eat it every day. Exploring the fruits and vegetables of the land, like Noach, can be exciting and creative while promoting our own health. When we do eat meat, it should be from farms that share our concerns for a healthy world and that respect Hashem’s creatures, all of whom live under the sign of the rainbow.

Faith in Humanity

While Noach strove for a gentle environmental harmony, the people of the earth saw themselves engaged in a battle with Hashem and the forces of nature. When they saw him building the ark, the people told Noach, “If Hashem brings the Flood up from the earth, we have iron plates with which we can cover the earth!”[10] While Noach worked with the earth, others chose to work against it.

For Noach, the ark was an unfortunate but necessary solution to a global crisis. Even when all signs were grim, he maintained his faith, greeting every challenge with further innovation.

So, too, we must continue to strive for a better tomorrow, educate others about environmental issues, and believe that our actions, on every level, can make a difference. When we step outside after a rainstorm and see the rainbow in the sky, we remember Hashem’s promise to Noach and we know that we are not alone in our efforts.

Suggested Action:

Be more calculated in the amount of food you buy; do your best to eliminate excess.
Start a compost pile at home or find a community compost bin.
If there is no community compost bin available, call on communal organizations (e.g. synagogues, community centers, etc.) to start one.
See our source sheet on bal tashchit (“do not waste”).

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Notes:

[1] Bereishit 2:15

[2] Bereishit 3:17

[3] Bereishit 6:11

[4] Bereishit Rabbah 30:7

[5] Midrash Tanchuma 9

[6] Sanhedrin 108b

[7] Bereishit 5:29

[8] Bereishit 9:19