Tree of Life

The Judaic tradition's attitude toward the environment is investigated in Monique Schwarz's short documentary, which uses imagery of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden to reflect on what the Torah says not only about the dominion over the earth granted to man, but also about his responsibility to safeguard the gift. Schwarz interweaves footage of present-day life in Israel with commentary from four activists—Dr. Jeremy Benstein of the Heschel Center for Sustainability, Rabbi Shaul Judelman of the Jewish Volunteers for the Environment, Einat Kramer of Teva Ivri, and environmentalist Leiba Chaya David—who argue that the Mosaic books enjoin Jews to be both productive and committed stewards of the planet's resources. A particularly telling observation involves the Sabbath prohibitions, all of which involve refraining from activities that can have a negative environmental impact. The suggestion here is that even if one doesn't embrace those strictures absolutely, it's still beneficial to, say, set aside one day a week for walking rather than driving, which would agree with scriptural mandates and also be a reasonable response to the damage that human beings so often thoughtlessly wreak to meet their needs and satisfy their desires. The ultimate message of Tree of Life is that everyone should think about the natural world in terms of a trust passed from one generation to another—a notion that transcends any particular religious perspective. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)