by Rabbi Richard Jacobs
One of the most remarkable places I’ve ever visited is the Iguazu falls on the Argentinian / Brazilian border. Before the plane prepares to land on the small clear stretch of land in this sub-tropical rainforest it flies over a breathtaking scene – a gigantic crescent of between 160 and 260 waterfalls (depending on the river level) 2,700 metres long and 80m high.
As you approach the falls on foot, one of the first things that strikes you (aside from the thunderous noise, heat and humidity) is the range of vegetation, and how foreign it looks. In fact there are more then 20,000 species of plants in the Iguazu region, approximately 8,000 of them found only in this one region. The behaviour of the animals is also remarkable. For example swifts spiral in the air hunting for insects by day until just before sunset when they gather in large numbers, their aeronautic skill and precision clearly identifiable as they dive through the curtain of falling water to roost on the rocks immediately behind.
There are approximately 1,413,000 known species in the world: of which 750,000 are insects and only 4,000 mammals. Over 100,000 of these insects are ants, bees and wasps. To put this in perspective, ant-life is responsible for 10% of the total animal biomass[1] worldwide, which dwarfs the humans, putting us into a minority category.
Why is there such a diversity of life? What purpose can it have? One answer could be the careful balance of the eco-system. The removal or introduction of even one species could have knock-on effect, potentially leading to the collapse of the entire system. This idea reflects Rabbinic teachings that a person’s actions have a spiritual effect not only on the individual but also on the world at large. Torah sources add another perspective. The Talmud[2] tells us that not even one thing was created needlessly and gives examples of different animals which provide the source for medicinal cures.
Alternatively we could take a more comprehensive approach. There is a Torah commandment to love G-d[3]. We remind ourselves of this every time we recite the Shema. The challenge is – how does one come to love G-d? When discussing this commandment, Maimonides explains that this is achieved through the study of Torah.[4] Elsewhere however, he writes that contemplating the awe-inspiring wonders of the natural world leads one to love G-d.[5] These two statements appear to be contradictory; is the pathway to loving G-d through the physical or through the spiritual? The deeper Torah sources[6] tell us that the two paths lead to the same goal, because the Torah is the blueprint – the Architect’s Plan – for the world; and as such, nature and the world around us are actually a physical manifestation of the Torah.
There is however a crucial difference between using nature and using Torah as pathways to discovering G-d. A person could explore the natural world and discover the Divine[7], but equally they could reach the wrong conclusions. Two scientists can look through the lens of the same microscope but only one will see G-d’s footprints. We are warned in several places of the danger of the fascination with nature, of seeing it as having created itself.[8] In fact the most ardent atheists are often those who specialise in the study of the natural world.
Torah study however, is a reliable path to discovering (and coming to love) G-d. The complexity, the depth, the beauty is such, that true study of Torah can lead a person in one direction only.
A famous teaching in the Ethics of Our Fathers states: “Rabbi Yaakov said: If one is travelling on the road and is reviewing (a Torah lesson) but interrupts his study and says ‘How beautiful is this tree! How beautiful is this ploughed field!’ – Scripture considers it as though he jeopardises his very life.”[9] How can it be that for pausing to consider the beauty and wonder of Creation a person can be obligated with his life? One of the primary commentaries on the Mishna, Rabbi Ovadiah of Bertinura (of 15th – 16th Century Italy and later Israel) explains that nature is one of the world’s most powerful tools for recognizing G-d. However, the person referred to in this teaching was appreciating G-d in an even greater and more inspiring manner: he was studying Torah. He interrupted his studies to admire his surroundings.
It’s worth noting though that there is an obligation to thank G-d for the beauty He has placed in the world. The Sages instituted a number of blessings to be recited upon viewing natural wonders. For instance upon seeing such sights as majestic mountains, deserts and oceans, we recite the blessing: “Blessed are You… who makes the work of Creation.” However, even within the correct framework, to simply go to an area of natural beauty like Iguazu, look at the falls, foliage and fauna and declare “Ah! The wonder of creation!” is a level of recognition akin to describing a Jaguar XK as an assembled heap of metal which can be used to transport people from A to B.
The real trick is to stop, look and listen: to probe and discover how a habitat or microclimate functions, to investigate the millions of components that make up the organisms that live there and how they interact, to explore the complexity of intra and inter species communication, and to research the diversity and scope of animal behaviour. By endeavouring to understand the nature of the world we live in – that is how we can gain a real appreciation of the wonder of Creation.
[1] The total weight of a designated group of organisms in a particular area.
[2] Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 77b
[3] Deuteronomy 6:5
[4] Maimonides, Sefer Hamitzvot, Positive Commandment 3
[5] Maimonides, Hilchot Yisodei Hatorah 2:2
[6] Midrash Bereshit Rabbah 1:1
[7] E.g. Psalms 19, Psalms 104. It is interesting to note that the second half of psalm 19 extols the virtues of G-d’s commandments, and the first half shows us how we can experience G-d’s glory through nature.
[8] E.g. Deuteronomy 4:19
[9] Ethics of our Fathers 3:9