Waste Not - Part of our Jewish Tradition of Bal Tashchit
During our February 27, 2022 class, the Diamond Family Religious School’s kindergarten, first and second graders were introduced to one of Judaism’s basic ethical principles, Bal Tashchit.
Rooted in the Torah in Deuteronomy 20:19-20, which teaches us not to cut down fruit trees in wartime, the term has been more broadly interpreted in rabbinic literature, both ancient and contemporary, to prohibit other forms of senseless damage or waste that contributes to degrading our natural environment.
We first watched an episode of Shaboom!, an animated video series created for the Union for Reform Judaism, which explained the concept of Bal Tashchit. The students learned how they can perform the mitzvah of Bal Tashchit to reduce needless waste of food, water, energy and other things we use in our daily lives.
After watching the video, our students played a fun environmental bingo game and answered a series of questions about how they can easily incorporate the mitzvah of Bal Tashchit in their own lives at home and in school.
Check thislink for more fun, easy-to-complete environmental activities this age group can work on at home.
Temple Emanu-El 1580 Spalding Drive Atlanta, GA 30350
