Bal Tashchit ("do not destroy")

Destroying or ruining food, clothes, dishes, plants, springs of water, or anything else that could be of benefit to someone is out of bounds, even if they have no owner.

The commandment of Bal Tashchit—do not destroy or waste—has long been considered central to a Jewish environmental ethic. What is the basis for the commandment?

I am all for teaching a lesson that leaves a lasting impression and shows the child that there are consequences for irresponsible behavior. But that lesson should be one that comes from love, and ultimately teaches the child how to love . . .

The prohibition of cutting down fruit trees is stricter than the prohibition of destroying other objects of value. Since man is compared to a fruit tree, it is particularly harmful to destroy a tree, for the act unleashes negative spiritual energies.

30 second animated shorts using stick figures to explore Jewish philosophy. Bizarre yet intriguing. Oh, and kind of funny.

A closer look at a 3,300 year-old environmental protecttion law

Everything has its place in the plan of creation, and it is “good.” It becomes “very good” when all the parts are working in unison.

Trimming facial hair has profound implications in the higher worlds

One day, the neighborhood butcher came to the study of Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (1730-1805), the famed rabbi of Frankfurt, with an halachic query...

There's nary a shul bench in Mineola or a park bench in Jerusalem that does not bear the inscription "In memory of ...." Is that what it's about -- memorializing the dead? or is there something more significant at play here?