We are standing at a strange time in history. We are witnessing plagues of Biblical dimensions; floods, fires, diseases, infestations and climate changes- real life consequences of human impact on the environment. In the Exodus story in Sh’mot, it took taking the life of Pharaoh’s first-born child for the Israelites to be liberated from Egypt. Can we confront these modern plagues in a positive way and impact on the toll they are taking on humans and the environment?
We invite a young family to our house for Shabbat lunch. The cholent is bubbling and the table set with our Shabbat china. There is a little girl in the family and when she sees the table she innocently asks “What are those?” pointing to the china. I tell her that those dishes are my special Shabbat china. She asks a second question “do you mean that other people have eaten off of them?” Suddenly my china has developed a “yuck” factor. Kashrut blended with a new hygienic sense has made my grandmother’s china a little disgusting.
A friend reports that her niece, recently engaged, hasn’t put dishes on her registry. “No need” she reports to her aunt,” we’ll just be using paper plates.” Observant Jews are very careful about avoiding the appeal of much of modern/secular life, but single use utensils and plates have taken off like wild fire. It is easy to understand why: both parents working, big families, weekly feasts, tons of guests and unending cooking. In addition, from the perspective of the Kashruth, single use items are ideal; nobody has ever used them before, nobody has “treifed” them up. We are also able to more easily host family and friends, and live out the Jewish mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim, hospitality. We can invite guests into our home, feed our large families, and then at the end of the evening just roll up the plastic tablecloths and our plastic dishes, and our aluminum pans and our plastic ware and just throw them away.
But, of course, there is a dark side of these single use items. From production, to use, to disposal, these plastic goods spew toxins into the atmosphere adding to climate change and threatening present and future natural life. Our throw away culture continues to grow and our production of plastics continue to increase, putting stress on our local waste disposal systems. When we don’t have enough room in our own landfills, we send the excess plastic trash to poorer nations where it ends up polluting their rivers and their land. Plastics impact on the health of both people and the general environment. There is no question that single use plastic items are more convenient but the issue I want to consider is whether our reliance on single use items is, in fact, congruent with our Jewish laws and values. There are at least three Jewish principles which might make our dependence on plastic questionable.
A few years ago, I made a survey of local Rabbis in my hometown to see how they understood the prohibition about wasting (Bal Tashchit Devarim 20:19). One Rabbi said to me that he believed that the goal of everything in this world was to serve HaShem and that if a plastic fork brought a piece of Shabbos kugel to the mouth of a Jew, it had served its purpose. When I asked him what happens to that holy fork afterward, he shrugged his shoulders. God is infinite, but our planet is not and our landfills are currently home to mountains of plastic and Styrofoam cups and bottle caps and plastic toys, and trinkets and baby bottles. The recycling rate for plastic in 2021 was only 5-6%. At this point, that fork which fed a hungry Jew on Shabbos is now sitting with its friends slowly decomposing and potentially leaching toxins into our water and soil. In Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 52, it says: “This is the way of the pious and people of deeds…. they will not waste even a mustard seed in the world, and they are distressed by any waste and destruction that they see.”
“I call on heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life- so that you and your offspring would live” (Devarim 30:19). We are commanded to choose life, yet in our use of plastic, we often chose death. Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles and other marine life are endangered due to ingesting plastic or getting caught in plastic bags. We are told that there is not one extra word in the Torah and in a parallel, biologists remind us that biodiversity is key to the health of our planet. Just as each crown on a Torah letter opens up a new world of interpretation, every manifestation of life plays a role the in hemostasis of our planet.
In addition, the Torah commands us to consider the next generation. What we thoughtlessly do today, may present serious problems for our children or our grandchildren.
The Torah reminds us many time not to oppress the poor. We are taught to care for marginalized people, to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and protect the orphan and widow. Keeping this commandment is a challenge in modern times, much of our comfort and sustenance is dependent on exploited labor. But in regards to plastics, the production and disposal of plastics is often so toxic that it endangers the life of both humans and animals who live near such facilities. People who live near plastic factories are at risk for severe negative health consequences including cancer, birth defects etc. “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana is just such a situation. Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, it is the home of over 200 petrochemical plants and refineries. These factories have polluted the water and air and also impacted on the health of the mostly African-American population living in the area. The incidents of cancer, respiratory disease and other health problems are significantly higher in this area and the United Nations has called “Cancer Alley” a form of environmental racism. The power of the plastic industry continues to grow negatively impacting directly on the lives of poor folks who live near such plants.
As Jews, we know that there are consequences to our actions. In Pirke Avot 4:2 Rabbi Azzai says: “Run to perform even a minor mitzvah; for one good deed leads to another and one transgression leads to another transgression.” Since the 1970s the use of plastic has increased from 2.9 million metric tons to more than 30 million metric tons. We’re hooked on plastic and the fact is, we can’t escape its use in our daily lives however, the extent of its use in our daily life is a choice. We can choose to moderate our use of plastics and align ourselves with the Jewish values of Bal Tashchit, not oppressing the poor and ultimately, choosing life.
Deborah Kornfeld is a retired pediatric Occupational Therapist, aspiring climate and social justice activist, occasional essayist, shul chesed coordinator, loving mother and safta.