From the Rabbi's Study
Of Deltas, Jewish Values and Plastic Wrap
by Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton

One Monday in December, while putting in an hour of volunteering in my daughter's classroom, I enjoyed a fascinating lesson on the Niger River Valley. The school's quarterly theme is West Africa and the guest teacher was another school parent who is an engaging expert on that region's geography.

Just a week later, the New York Times featured a front page article on the impact of oil companies on village life in the Niger River Valley delta, which, suddenly, was of great interest to me. I had just learned all about the scope of this massive river, from the mangrove forests in the delta, including the garments worn by the river valley dwellers. The article reminded me that, despite the apparent remoteness of that place, its geography, people and cultures, our lives, and those of the people who dwell in and live from the Niger River Valley, are as intertwined as the roots of the water-bound mangrove trees.

The oil companies, creators of massive processing plants in the delta are serving the interests of First World consumers like us. While they do create some local employment opportunities on-site, they are almost all entry level or menial jobs. Otherwise, the positive impact is negligible, while the significant negatives intrude on the daily lives of those who live next to these massive factories.

My need to fuel my home, visit and enjoy heated places to shop, work and play, and even cover my leftovers with petroleum by-products links me to that refinery and similar refineries all over the globe. Between the lesson and the article, I absorbed the direct connection between my consumption and a lack of resources elsewhere on the planet.
Sweet Honey in the Rock, a women's a cappella ensemble, phrases the challenge in the title of one of their songs: Are My Hands Clean?

I've already referred to the delta and the plastic wrap of this column's title. What about the Jewish values?

Are we fulfilling or violating any Jewish precepts when we wrap our foods in disposable, non-biodegradable wrap made of an oil by-product or buy over-sized, gas-guzzling, dangerous yet fashionable vehicles (I note, with some glee, yet no small sense of irony, that fundamentalist Christian leaders are posing similar questions, with the shorthand: WWJD? meaning: What Would Jesus Drive?)?

What is a Jewishly right-living, values-based way to live and consume that treads lightly on the planet and takes into account our impact on those whose lives, though not directly connect with ours, are impacted by our consumption and relative privilege?

With Tu B'shvat, our Jewish eco-holy day, just behind us and the month of Parshat Shekalim ahead, when the Torah teaches about sharing our financial resources in order to care for the entire community, it is timely for us to consider our actions and values.

This is how I understand the phrase "na'aseh venishma," literally, we will do and (then) we will obey. It's the theme of this year's Pearlstone Kallah (see page ) and it will give us the opportunity to explore how we – in our shul, homes and communities at large – can bring our highest Jewish values to bear, to make a difference.

Why Jews Are Pursuing Tzedec

Jewish Values: Tzedec fulfills Judaism's tzedakah teachings, which emphasize partnership and investment as the highest form of giving.

Jewish Identity: Tzedec's social justice mission energizes Jews and attracts unaffiliated Jewish activists and funders to Jewish life.

Jewish History: Community banking continues the self-help tradition of the Hebrew Free Loan Societies, which helped Jews create wealth in last century.

Jewish Needs: Community development remains critical today to low-income, elderly and immigrant Jews, among others.