ENVIRONMENTALISM & THE ALEFBET

BS"D


Today's challenges have included the power failing (prohibiting me from writing, cooking, blogging or even knowing what time it is on this very dark day) & general body aches & pains from all the work. But much as I mention my fears & complaints, I don't want to come off sound like I'm kvetching: I'm really just noticing & naming everything in this adventure, including the barriers & abysses. I welcome them - not always as gracefully as I would like :) - along with all the many blessings that HaShem grants. So barukh HaShem!

It's days like these that steel my determination to live integrally (see "The Integral Urban House", by the Farallones Institute), off the grid, in community but also in compliance with G@d's plan for the Earth. Then today wouldn't have come to such a full stop. I could have had sufficient light & heat to continue my work without being dependent on the City of Vancouver. Joel & I are looking for a home to purchase, one day (when we've recovered from our poverty), to convert into an independent, integral house with a very small footprint. We're already making plans for chickens, goats, fruit, vegetables, fish & bees to grow around our home & look forward to tempting other Jews to join us in living in accordance with B'reyshit/Genesis 2:15..."& the Creator took the human & placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it & to guard it." The words "to work" are "l'av'dah" & " & to guard" are "ul'sham'rah".

The shoresh, or root, of av'dah is Ayin-Vet-Dalet & also means "to serve", "to till" (soil), "to prepare", "to compel" or "to worship". Now then, one must be very careful to properly pronounce the Ayin with it's proper voice, for it is very easy to pronounce Ayin like an Alef. & this is serious, because Alef-Bet-Dalet is the shoresh denoting "to lose", "to ruin", "to destroy", "to perish" or "to commit suicide".
& which way are we directing the future of the Earth? The Creator commanded us to lovingly guide the soil in it's potential, but we are wasting it away.

The shoresh of sham'rah is Shin-Mem-Reysh & also means "to keep", "to watch over", "to reserve", "to be careful with" or "to preserve". Again, we must be careful how we write the Reysh in this word, because Reysh can be easily mistaken for a Dalet. & the meaning of the shoresh Shin-Mem-Dalet is "to destroy completely" or "to annihilate".
This is why we write the Dalet of "Echad", "One", the last word of the Sh'ma, very large. Because if we pronounced this Dalet as a Reysh, G@d forbid, the word would be "echar", which means "another", thus denying the unity of G@d.

My wish for all humans is this: that as we are *all* descendants of Adam, the first Earthling, that we remember our origins, the soil, the Adamah, & respect the commandments of the Source of all life. & may we be blessed to remember the words of the Holy One in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) Rabah 4:6;
"Look at My creations, see how beautiful they are, how excellent. Make sure you do not ruin or destroy My world, for if you do there will be no on to repair it after you."

Ameyn v'Ameyn Selah!