{"id":1251,"date":"2012-02-07T18:07:10","date_gmt":"2012-02-08T02:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aharon.varady.net\/omphalos\/?p=1251"},"modified":"2014-10-26T09:34:51","modified_gmt":"2014-10-26T16:34:51","slug":"on-a-pedagogy-for-teaching-bal-tash%e1%b8%a5it-variations-on-being-mindful-not-to-absently-pluck-the-leaves-of-living-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aharon.varady.net\/omphalos\/2012\/02\/on-a-pedagogy-for-teaching-bal-tash%e1%b8%a5it-variations-on-being-mindful-not-to-absently-pluck-the-leaves-of-living-plants","title":{"rendered":"Variations on a pedagogy for teaching bal tash\u1e25it: on the mindfulness of plucking leaves"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Image: Pluck! by the Busy Brain (License: CC-BY 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

Last year, while preparing the text of Gale & Goodman’s popular seder for Tu Bishvat, The Trees are Davvening<\/a>, I came across an important and fairly modern story that testifies to important Jewish values of bal tash\u1e25it<\/em> (not needlessly wasting or wantonly destroying) in the context of our relationship with non-human life and nature. The problem I immediately encountered was one of attribution — the story featured Rav Avraham Yitzhak Kook<\/a> (1865\u20131935), the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, while the story as I remembered it featured the fifth and sixth rebbes of \u1e24aBaD. The story in The Trees are Davvening quoted verbatim the story as recounted by Rav Aryeh Levin<\/a> (1885-1969) in A Tzaddik in Our Time: The Life of Rabbi Aryeh Levin<\/em>, p.107 by Simcha Raz (Feldheim 1975).<\/p>\n

Once when Rav Kook was walking in the fields, lost deep in thought, the young student with him plucked a leaf off a branch. Rav Kook was visibly shaken by this act, and turning to his companion he said gently, \u201cBelieve me when I tell you, I never simply pluck a leaf or a blade of grass or any living thing, unless I have to.\u201d He explained further, \u201cEvery part of the vegetable world is singing a song and breathing forth a secret of the divine mystery of the Creation.\u201d For the first time the young student understood what it means to show compassion to all creatures.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A remarkably similar story first appears in Likkutei Dibburim<\/em>, Vol. I, page 177 in English (1957-58). Likkutei Dibburim<\/em> is a collection of talks given in Yiddish between 1929 and 1950 by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson<\/a>, the previous rebbe of the Lubavitch Hasidim. In his retelling, Rabbi Yosef Yitz\u1e25ok Schneerson<\/a> (1880-1950) recalls when he was about 11<\/del> 16 and was walking with his father, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn<\/a> (1860-1920) in the fields near Bolivke:<\/p>\n

One day in the summer of 1896, I was strolling with my father in the field in the country resort of Bolivke, near Lubavitch. The crops were almost ripe; the grain and the grass rippled in a gentle breeze.<\/p>\n

\u201cBehold G!dliness\u201d, my father declared. \u201cEvery movement of each single ear of grain and blade of grass was included in the Primeval Thought of Adam Kadmon, He who watches and gazes until the end of all generations. Divine Providence causes this thought to be realized for the sake of a specific G!dly intent.\u201d As we walked on, we found ourselves in a forest. I continued, proceeding deep in contemplation of what I had just been told concerning Divine Providence, overwhelmed by the gentleness and earnestness of my father\u2019s explanation.<\/p>\n

As people often do, I plucked the leaf from a tree that I passed by without taking particular notice, and held it for a while in my hand. As I walked on, engrossed in thought, ever so often I tore off small pieces from the leaf and tossed them to the ground.<\/p>\n

My father then said: \u201cThe Ari z”l teaches that\u2026every leaf is a created being with Divine vitality which G!d created with a specific intent and role in the ultimate purpose of creation\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just discussing the subject of Divine Providence and without any thought at all you plucked the leaf, held it in your hand, played with it\u2026tore it up into little pieces, and scattered it in various places.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can a person act so light-mindedly in relation to one of G!d\u2019s creations? This leaf is something created by the Almighty for a particular reason. It has a G!d-given vitality, it has a body and it has a life. In what way is the leaf\u2019s \u2018I\u2019 smaller than your \u2018I\u2019?\u201d\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While a similar observation could have been made by Rav Kook (who elsewhere writes eloquently on nature and human responsibility) it must be considered likely or possible that Simcha Raz or Rabbi Aryeh Levin misattributed this story to Rav Kook. On the other hand, the two variants of this story might testify to a traditional pedagogical approach for conveying the meaning of bal tash\u1e25it<\/em> to students.<\/p>\n

Although these stories directly relate to the tradition of bal tash\u1e25it<\/em>, similar teachings can be found in earlier Talmudic sources. See Midrash Rabbah, Bereishis 10:6 (translation by Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner):<\/p>\n

\n

\n\u05d0\u201d\u05e8 \u05e1\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05df \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05da \u05db\u05dc \u05e2\u05e9\u05d1 \u05d5\u05e2\u05e9\u05d1, \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05d5 \u05de\u05d6\u05dc \u05d1\u05e8\u05e7\u05d9\u05e2 \u05e9\u05de\u05db\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5, \u05d5\u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05d5 \u05d2\u05d3\u05dc, \u05d4\u05d4\u201d\u05d3 (\u05d0\u05d9\u05d5\u05d1 \u05dc\u05d7) \u05d4\u05d9\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea \u05d7\u05e7\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dd \u05ea\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05e9\u05d8\u05e8\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d5\u05d2\u05d5\u2019, \u05dc\u05e9\u05d5\u05df \u05e9\u05d5\u05d8\u05e8\u200f
\n<\/span><\/div>\n

Rabbi Simon said: Every single blade of grass has a Mazal [lit. constellation] in the rakia (heavenly firmament) which strikes it and says, \u2018Grow!\u2019 This is the meaning of the verse (Job 38:33), \u2018Do you know the laws of the heavens, and can you place their control [mishtar] over the earth?\u2019 Mishtar is an expression of shoteir [meaning, an enforcing officer].)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(Many thanks to Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin for offering the source reference to Likkutei Dibburim<\/em> above. He adds, \u201cAs you recall, [Simcha] Raz\u2019s book mentions some beautiful words of encouragement the Rebbe gave to Rabbi Levin.\u201d)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last year, while preparing the text of Gale & Goodman’s popular seder for Tu Bishvat, The Trees are Davvening<\/a>, I came across an important and fairly modern story that testifies to important Jewish values of bal tash\u1e25it<\/em> (not needlessly wasting or wantonly destroying) in the context of our relationship with non-human life and nature. The problem I immediately encountered was one of attribution — the story featured Rav Avraham Yitzhak Kook<\/a> (1865\u20131935), the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, while the story as I remembered it featured the fifth and sixth rebbes of \u1e24aBaD. The story in The Trees are Davvening quoted verbatim the story as recounted by Rav Aryeh Levin<\/a> (1885-1969) in A Tzaddik in Our Time: The Life of Rabbi Aryeh Levin<\/em>, p.107 by Simcha Raz (Feldheim 1975). . . . → Continue reading: Variations on a pedagogy for teaching bal tash\u1e25it: on the mindfulness of plucking leaves<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,192],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yiddishkeit","category-pedagogy","odd"],"yoast_head":"\nVariations on a pedagogy for teaching bal tash\u1e25it: on the mindfulness of plucking leaves • Aharon's Omphalos<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aharon.varady.net\/omphalos\/2012\/02\/on-a-pedagogy-for-teaching-bal-tash\u1e25it-variations-on-being-mindful-not-to-absently-pluck-the-leaves-of-living-plants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Variations on a pedagogy for teaching bal tash\u1e25it: on the mindfulness of plucking leaves • Aharon's Omphalos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last year, while preparing the text of Gale & Goodman's popular seder for Tu Bishvat, The Trees are Davvening, I came across an important and fairly modern story that testifies to important Jewish values of bal tash\u1e25it (not needlessly wasting or wantonly destroying) in the context of our relationship with non-human life and nature. 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He is particularly interested in pedagogies for advancing ecological wisdom, developing creative and emotional intelligence, and realizing effective theurgical praxes. He welcomes your comments, personal messages, and kind words. 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Varady","date":"January 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Nigel Savage made public this week his reply to Ben Dreyfus[ref]For more on this, see here, here, and here[\/ref] and others concerning \u1e24azon's orthography of \u05d8\u05f4\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05b7\u05d8 as Tu B'Shvat rather than Tu biShvat. Given the seriousness of the environmental and food justice issues that Tu biShvat gives voice to,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Judaica"","block_context":{"text":"Judaica","link":"https:\/\/aharon.varady.net\/omphalos\/category\/yiddishkeit"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2052,"url":"https:\/\/aharon.varady.net\/omphalos\/2016\/03\/preserving-and-sharing-photo-captions-in-picasa-before-google-shuts-it-down","url_meta":{"origin":1251,"position":3},"title":"Preserving and Sharing Photo Captions from Picasa (before Google shuts it down)","author":"Aharon N. 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Varady","date":"July 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"While working on some curriculum for the Teva Learning Alliance this summer, I was introduced to the Tseno Ureno, an amazing medieval commentary on the Torah by Rabbi Yaakov ben Yits\u1e25ak Ashkenazi (1550-1625). Here's Rabbi Yaakov Ashkenazi on Deuteronomy 20:19 -- \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05a4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b8\u05bd\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd\u0599 \u05e2\u05b5\u05a3\u05e5 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c2\u05d3\u05b6\u0594\u05d4. 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