A well-researched and diverse collection of Jewish writings on our collective responsibilities to the planet.
This anthology of essays, edited by Kahn, presents Jewish perspectives on the Earth and the environment.
While the concept of avodat ha-Shem (“serving God”) is central to the Jewish faith, Rabbi Kahn reminds readers in the introduction to this collection that avodat haaretz (“service of the earth”) is equally important. As he notes, “nature can teach us sacred lessons.” Divided into five parts and more than 30 individual chapters, the book begins with a theological reflection on how a spiritual relationship with God should guide our relationship with the Earth. Drawing specific examples from Scripture, the book’s second part reexamines religious texts in new contexts, yielding insights such as the way the Song of Songs unveils “a ritual journey of connection with creation” and how the Book of Job’s lessons on humility apply to nature. Part 3 explores how the physical environment serves as a setting in which humanity has encountered God, from ancient mountaintops to the modern-day “Shabbat Stroll.” Part 4 focuses on how the Earth shapes and informs the Jewish calendar. The book’s final section provides a more practical approach to Jewish environmental ethics, including concrete examples of sustainable eating practices, interfaith activism, and ways that synagogues can serve as “laboratories for the future” and model environmentally conscious practices. With more than four dozen contributors, the book is intentionally diverse in its perspectives; the authors represent views from across the Jewish denominational spectrum and include rabbis, activists, poets, and professors. Each chapter is accompanied by a wealth of endnotes and reference materials. While distinctly Jewish in its approach, the book is accessible to readers of all faiths, and many of its chapters include interfaith perspectives, including an entire section regarding Indigenous land acknowledgements. This impressive collection is a reminder that, in the words of contributor Karenna Gore (executive director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and daughter of former Vice President Al Gore), “it is not the earth that needs fixing; it is us.”
A well-researched and diverse collection of Jewish writings on our collective responsibilities to the planet.Pub Date: June 1, 2023
ISBN: 9780881233858
Page Count: 376
Publisher: Central Conference of American Rabbis Press
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.
A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.
In his introduction to Tan’s “nature journal,” David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard “paradise”—oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs—observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries—“a record of my life”—move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. “We have a relationship,” she writes. “I am in love.” By August 2018, her backyard “has become a menagerie of fledglings…all learning to fly.” Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend’s Warbler—“Omigod! It’s looking at me. Displeased expression.” Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses “spending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?” Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593536131
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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