[The Sentry]

Real life stories. Documents. Quotes.

 

Residents of Bnei Brak were quite astounded last week at the sight they witnessed. Multiple chadarim exited their buildings and went on a special hunt. They scavenged the streets for any sign of garbage or liter that could be found. What is the significance of cleaning the public streets, that would justify the excursion?   

The roots of this movement go back to an international U.N. agreement called Agenda 21/2030 that was signed onto by 160 countries worldwide, including Israel. One of the paragraphs calls for a unified education of environmental values. Of course this alteration in a cheder’s curriculum would not be well-accepted, so the project was given the sacred name of “V’hayah machanechah kadosh”.

Perhaps one will wonder, can’t cleaning up be a Jewish value of mentchlichkeit? Obviously the idea of not imposing your garbage on others, and disposing of one’s wrappers is a proper attitude. However, the idea of creating a holy ideal of caring for the environment for the sake of nature itself, is a notorious liberal value. And as Hagaon Rav Yehoshua Ehrenberg shlita [Rosh Yeshiva Knesses Yitchok-Chadera] once remarked; “One who is taught to protest against one who steps on a flower, will not protest against one is mechallel Shabbos.” A child can only be taught to sanctify and uphold only one value system, if it will be utilized regarding caring for the environment it will not be available for matters of yiddishkeit.

 

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