Leviticus 19

וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶם֙ אֶת־קְצִ֣יר אַרְצְכֶ֔ם לֹ֧א תְכַלֶּ֛ה פְּאַ֥ת שָׂדְךָ֖ לִקְצֹ֑ר וְלֶ֥קֶט קְצִֽירְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תְלַקֵּֽט׃

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. (19:9)

וְכַרְמְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תְעוֹלֵ֔ל וּפֶ֥רֶט כַּרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְלַקֵּ֑ט לֶֽעָנִ֤י וְלַגֵּר֙ תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I יהוה am your God. (19:10)

וְכִי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם֙ כׇּל־עֵ֣ץ מַאֲכָ֔ל וַעֲרַלְתֶּ֥ם עׇרְלָת֖וֹ אֶת־פִּרְי֑וֹ שָׁלֹ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֗ים יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם עֲרֵלִ֖ים לֹ֥א יֵאָכֵֽל׃

When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. (19:23)

These three texts are all from Leviticus 19. They teach a few lessons about nature. One is that nature has a way of providing for us. Our land is a gift from God and can produce food. But… we must remember that it is a gift from God and it’s for everyone. That’s why we need to leave the corners of the field unharvested so that someone with food insecurity can come and glean without feeling ashamed. Nature is a great equalizer. The third text teaches that we must be delicate with nature and planting. We must wait 3 years before we can use the produce the land gives us.

Deut 20:19 – Ba’al Taschit

כִּֽי־תָצ֣וּר אֶל־עִיר֩ יָמִ֨ים רַבִּ֜ים לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם עָלֶ֣יהָ לְתׇפְשָׂ֗הּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִ֤ית אֶת־עֵצָהּ֙ לִנְדֹּ֤חַ עָלָיו֙ גַּרְזֶ֔ן כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ תֹאכֵ֔ל וְאֹת֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִכְרֹ֑ת כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה לָבֹ֥א מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃

When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

This text from Deut teaches about the idea that we must not recklessly endanger or abuse nature. The value in Jewish tradition is call Ba’al Taschit and it’s how we derive reusing/recycling, preserving nature.

Psalm 96:11-13

יִשְׂמְח֣וּ הַ֭שָּׁמַיִם וְתָגֵ֣ל הָאָ֑רֶץ יִֽרְעַ֥ם הַ֝יָּ֗ם וּמְלֹאֽוֹ׃

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult; let the sea and all within it thunder,

יַעֲלֹ֣ז שָׂ֭דַי וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־בּ֑וֹ אָ֥ז יְ֝רַנְּנ֗וּ כׇּל־עֲצֵי־יָֽעַר׃

the fields and everything in them exult; then shall all the trees of the forest shout for joy

לִפְנֵ֤י יְהֹוָ֨ה ׀ כִּ֬י בָ֗א כִּ֥י בָא֮ לִשְׁפֹּ֢ט הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ יִשְׁפֹּֽט־תֵּבֵ֥ל בְּצֶ֑דֶק וְ֝עַמִּ֗ים בֶּאֱמוּנָתֽוֹ׃ {פ}

at the presence of the LORD, for God is coming, for God is coming to rule the earth; God will rule the world justly, and its peoples in faithfulness.

If you want to take the meditation in a positive way, this text provides a vision of trees shouting with joy and heavens rejoicing. It’s a way to imagine and incorporate the sounds of nature too.

If you want to incorporate music, there is a Chicago band called Kol Sasson that recorded a version of this text that is kind of catchy. It’s only a 35 second link so you could play it for a bit. https://youtu.be/10ARnb4wQjk?si=z7S7wJ8T1eza2C97

Song of Songs:

אֲנִי֙ חֲבַצֶּ֣לֶת הַשָּׁר֔וֹן שׁוֹשַׁנַּ֖ת הָעֲמָקִֽים׃

I am a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.

כְּשֽׁוֹשַׁנָּה֙ בֵּ֣ין הַחוֹחִ֔ים כֵּ֥ן רַעְיָתִ֖י בֵּ֥ין הַבָּנֽוֹת׃

Like a lily among thorns, So is my darling among the maidens.

כְּתַפּ֙וּחַ֙ בַּעֲצֵ֣י הַיַּ֔עַר כֵּ֥ן דּוֹדִ֖י בֵּ֣ין הַבָּנִ֑ים בְּצִלּוֹ֙ חִמַּ֣דְתִּי וְיָשַׁ֔בְתִּי וּפִרְי֖וֹ מָת֥וֹק לְחִכִּֽי׃

Like an apple tree among trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the youths. I delight to sit in his shade, And his fruit is sweet to my mouth. (Song of Songs 2:2)

Zohar: 1a:1

Rabbi Hizkiah opened his discourse with the text: As a lily among thorns, etc. (S.S. 2, 2). ‘What’, he said, ‘does the lily symbolise? It symbolises the Community of Israel. As the lily among thorns is tinged with red and white, so the Community of Israel is visited now with justice and now with mercy; as the lily possesses thirteen leaves, so the Community of Israel is vouchsafed thirteen categories of mercy which surround it on every side. For this reason, the term Elohim (God) mentioned here (in the first verse of Genesis) is separated by thirteen words from the next mention of Elohim, symbolising the thirteen categories of mercy which surround the Community of Israel to protect it.

Israel is equated with being a 13 petaled flower.

My other favorite nature quotes:

One day, Honi, was walking along the road and saw a certain person planting a carob tree. Ḥoni said: This tree, after how many years will it bear fruit? The person said: It will not produce fruit until seventy years have passed. Ḥoni said: Is it obvious to you that you will live seventy years, that you expect to benefit from this tree? The person said, they found a world full of carob trees. “Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants.” (Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 23a)

Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai used to say: If you have a sapling in your hand and are planting it, and someone should say to you that the Messiah has come, stay and complete the planting, and only then go to greet the Messiah. (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 31b)

Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone; may it be my custom to go outdoors each day among the trees and grass and all growing things, and there may I be alone, and enter into prayer (Nachman of Bratzlav, Maggid Sichot, 48).

One generation goes and another generation comes; but the Earth remains forever. (Kohelet 1:4)

It is forbidden to live in a town that does not have a green garden. (Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12)

Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai said: Three matters are of equal importance to one another, and they are: Earth [eretz], human [adam], and rain [matar]. Rabbi Levi bar Ḥiyya said: The three of them are each of three letters, to teach you that if there is no earth there is no rain, and if there is no rain there is no earth, and without the two of them, there is no human. (Bereshit Rabbah 13:3)

Blessings for Nature:

When you see well formed creations or pleasant looking trees

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁכָּֽכָה לּוֹ בְּעוֹלָמוֹ.

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, s’kacha lo b’olamo.

Blessed are You Adonai, Power of the Universe whose world is like this.

On seeing the large-scale wonders of nature, such as mountains, hills, deserts, seas, long rivers, lightning, and the sky in its purity:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, oseh maasei v’reishit

Blessed are You Adonai, Power of the universe, who creates cool things in nature.

On seeing trees and plants bloom for the first time in springtime.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁלֹּא חִסַּר בְּעוֹלָמוֹ כְּלוּם, וּבָרָא בוֹ בְּרִיּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וְאִילָנוֹת טוֹבִים לְהַנּוֹת בָּהֶם בְּנֵי אָדָם.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam shel chisar b’olamo k’lum u’vara bo bri’ot tovot v’elanot tovim l’hanot bahem b’eni adam.

Blessed are You Adonai, Power of the universe, who has kept nothing for this world and created beautiful creatures and beautiful trees for humans to enjoy.

*Above blessings learned from Mishneh Torah, Blessings, 10:13