K'vod HaTeva (Honoring Nature) Committee & Ethical Kashrut

Temple Beth Israel, Eugene, Oregon
Jewish, Reconstructionist Movement

What does composting kitchen scraps have to do with reciting the Shema, the prayer most central to the Jewish affirmation of the oneness of G-d?

Students in the Talmud Torah classes at Temple Beth Israel were guided to stretch their minds around the notion that composting is very much akin to the oneness of G-d and the unity of all creation. In the act of bringing an apple core full circle -- from soil to seed to fruit to consumption to composted waste, and finally the transition back to soil -- composting provides an opportunity for us to think about our connection with the unity and interwoven attributes of all living things. Now, when Temple Beth Israel students compost anything from bagels to apple cores, they know that they have a role to play in sustaining the resources of G-d’s original creation.

The composting project is one program of the K’vod Ha Teva Committee (Honoring Nature) at Temple Beth Israel, a committee established to develop a Jewish ethical response to environmental health and help move the congregation towards sustainable and restorative practices. They have given a uniquely Jewish perspective to the issues of stewardship by tying them to the Jewish principles of Kashrut; not only that which is fit to take into our bodies, but for us to consume in general, whether it be energy or paper or anything else.

In its third year, the committee strives to provide programming that engages a broad segment of the TBI congregation by providing practical examples of putting Ethical Kashrut into practice in synagogue life. Ethical Kashrut is a modern Jewish response to the stewardship of global natural resources, human rights of workers and the humane treatment of animals.

Talmud Torah teachers and K’vod Ha Teva Committee worked together to plan a 6th and 7th grade Shabbaton (all day retreat) during Tu B’Shevat, a holiday known as the “New Year of the Trees.” The purpose of the event was to communicate a distinctively Jewish message on environmental issues that conveys moral vision and purpose. The Shabbaton focused on consumerism and “true cost values” of common purchases such as a T-shirt, a hamburger, and a pair of running shoes. We designed activities such as “The Price is Wrong!” “Two Girls and a Shoe,” and “What Does That Ad Really Say?” The students also said morning Shabbat prayers, participated in a full Tu B’Shevat seder (ceremonial meal) and heard a presentation from Senior Rabbi Husbands-Hankin about Ethical Kashrut. After the Talmud Torah staff and the K’vod Ha Teva members held a debriefing, it was decided to schedule this retreat every other year on a regular basis.