Tending, tilling the land

Editorial

In Genesis, at the end of the Creation story, "God took (Adam) and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to till it and tend it."

The rabbis interpret this to mean that we live in a world we did not create and are responsible for protecting the world we have been given.

We are not responsibly tilling and tending the land.

At this writing, we can gaze northeast and see mammoth smoke billows. The Rodeo-Chediski fire - likely caused by human hands - has consumed 373,000 acres and destroyed nearly 400 homes. It is one of 18 large wildfires burning in eight states.

Professor Stephen Pyne, a fire expert and environmental historian at Arizona State University, argues that for 30 years the federal government has known that if conditions were ripe, wildfires could spread through Western states, yet has failed to formulate adequate solutions.

As firefighters struggle to contain the wildfires, and as lawmakers formulate legislation to prevent future disasters, there is much we can do - whether we live in the Valley or rent or own homes in the mountains - to lessen the likelihood of wildfires and to minimize damage when they occur.

The Jewish National Fund, with more than 100 years of land, water and forestry management experience, offers advice on how to "tend our garden."

In drought conditions, we can begin by conserving water.
We can create firebreaks by cleaning up weeds, dry brush and trees 50-100 feet from our homes.
To prevent the likelihood of fires spreading to treetops, we can cut branches below six feet from the ground.
We can make sure spark arrestors are in good condition on lawn equipment, all-terrain vehicles and trail bikes to prevent sparks from exiting exhaust pipes.
We can avoid parking our cars or recreational vehicles in tall grass or near shrubs. Hot catalytic converters and exhaust systems can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees, hot enough to spark dry vegetation.
When building campfires, we can use established fire pits with a ring of rocks at least 10 feet from shrubs or trees. We can always have a shovel and a bucket of water on hand and douse fires completely before leaving.

According to Torah, at the end of Creation, God looked at what had been created and described it as tov m'od (very good). As partners with God in creation, we have a responsibility to be shomrei adamah (guardians of the earth) to ensure that God's creation remains that way.

Home