GREENING SYNAGOGUES RESOURCES

7. RABBINIC & CONGREGATIONAL PROFESSIONALS

“Without a vision, the people perish…” -- Proverbs 29:18 (and see the excellent work of our NY-based bike-riding visionary partner Hazon.)

Rabbis – and cantors, program directors, para-chaplains, and others who toil in the congregational vineyards (all welcome to partake of the resources in this section of the COEJL website) – have a unique and irreplaceable role to play in the Jewish-environmental movement. Often, only you can make meaningful change possible – you’re the people who know the most folks, who command (usually!) the most respect, and who are trusted to expound on the meaning and contemporary relevance of our classical texts and values. May you use that influence for the good of all, and for the good of Creation.

Clearly, everything that happens in synagogue life touches on the role of the rabbi or synagogue professional. We recommend that you peruse the entire ‘green shuls’ section of the COEJL website, as even choices about building materials or heating zones or lightbulbs can be grounded in Jewish thought and values – rabbinic leadership is often best exercised here, using moral and spiritual suasion to help committees and other congregational groups make Jewishly informed choices about day-to-day matters. Of course, the resources you’ll find under “Program” (including holidays) and “Adult Ed” (including ready-to-go shiurim / lessons) may prove uniquely valuable to you.

Beyond those ideas and programs, here are some additional resources to aid in the most “rabbinic” or “staff-specific” areas of congregational life:

Sermon Starters are an obvious place to start – every parasha or haftarah has some opening for environmental themes, though sometimes those themes are more apparent than others. Bereshit, Noach, Behar and Ki Tetze are the obvious “big four,” but what about the rest of the year? Here, in a resource still being assembled by rabbis and others connected with COEJL (feel free to send in your ideas!), you’ll find short ideas and commentaries for numerous parshiyot, so that “every Shabbos can be Earth Shabbos.” Obviously we don’t recommend giving 52 eco-themed divrei Torah in a year -- but isn’t it nice to know you could?!

Most Jews spend most of their time in shul hearing or participating in the liturgy. Our matbay’ah teflillah / order of service happens to include within it numerous ecological themes, which can be introduced or followed up with various kavvanot (intentions); many such kavvanot, along with ways to elucidate the environmental themes within the liturgy, are found here. You can also go to a specific text study and resource just on the 2nd paragraph of the Sh’ma, a.k.a. Deuteronomy 11:13-21; or employ an outdoor eco-shacharit program.

Moments across the life cycle – including baby namings & britot milah, bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies, and weddings & commitment ceremonies – are a great time to incorporate ecological concern into the Jewish lives of our community’s members. As the introduction to COEJL’s “Caring for the Cycle of Life” states: “This Guide will demonstrate how your life-cycle celebration or simchah (joyous occasion) can provide an opportunity for you both to think about your connection with the larger web of life and to act on behalf of all of Creation. Through the planning of our ceremonies and rituals, through quiet contemplation and thoughtful conversation, and through striving to make our celebrations and observances as environmentally caring as possible, we can affirm our connection to the living world around us.”

Another new area of religious-environmental thought is ‘eco-counseling’ – how might environmental themes come up in the one-on-one work which is so central to clergy’s roles? How might environmental references or images actually aid in a person’s healing process, or their spiritual journey? This exploratory, still-under-development resource outlines a few places where personal/spiritual meets ecological/social/Jewish.

Finally, you never know when you need the beginning of an outline for a presentation – perhaps to fellow members of your own congregational staff, or perhaps for a local Board of Rabbis or Federation or JCRC or movement-based meeting. You’ll find just that in basics for synagogue professionals; feel free to modify it, and make it yours – just make sure you mention COEJL prominently in your talk!