2nd February 2025 Bulletin Eco-Corner

The famous Mishnah that “one who kills another person, it is as if he destroys an entire world, and one who saves another person, it is as if he saves an entire world” (Sanhedrin 4:5) underlies the Jewish concept of Pikuach Nefesh, the saving of life.  This duty overrides almost every other injunction laid upon Jews.  Scholars, rabbis and climate activists alike are increasingly focused on the ecological implications of this sacred duty, viewing human-caused global heating, and the associated perils of ecocide, as a clear and present danger to human lives on a colossal scale, and thus a transgression against Pikuach Nefesh.  

This is why some very conservative rabbis have joined the cause with the environmental movement to argue for climate-friendly measures.  Liberal and conservative Jews alike can agree on this.