An argument from Hashgacha
In our last article, we raised a number of arguments that could be made to disregard the threat of climate change. The first of those is based on the concept of hashgacha. Hashgacha - or Divine providence - is one of the fundamental principles of Judaism. It is the idea that Hashem did not just create the world and leave it to its own devices, but rather continues to exert influence in the world.
The argument from hashgacha we laid out as follows:
Hashem runs the world. It follows that looking after it is His business, not ours. Furthermore, He is all-powerful and all-knowing, so we can rest easy that He knows what He’s doing and everything will be ok. It would be a chutzpa (audacity) for us to think that we can change the climate.
Let us break down this argument into four logical steps:
Step 1: Hashem runs the world.
Step 2: It follows that looking after it is His business, not ours. Since He is omnipotent (all-powerful) and omniscient (all-knowing), we can and should rest assured that He knows what He’s doing and everything will turn out the way He wants it to.
Step 3: It also follows that whether species continue to exist or do not is determined by hashgacha.
Step 4: Given all the above, it would be a chutzpa (audacity) for us to think that we can “repair” the climate.
We can now examine each of these steps and see if the argument follows.
Step 1: “Hashem runs the world”
Among the classic Jewish thinkers throughout the ages there has been a significant range of opinion as to how hashgacha operates in practice. Most discussion revolves around two types of hashgacha:
Hashgacha klalit (general providence): whereby Hashem keeps the natural world running, facilitating its operation in a general way to ensure that species will be perpetuated.
Hashgacha pratit (specific providence): whereby Hashem intervenes directly in the world in order to direct history.
At one extreme, some argue that everything that happens in the world is in accordance with hashgacha pratit - specifically willed by Hashem. Every leaf that falls from every tree does so because Hashem willed it. If a worm dies or survives, it is because Hashem willed it. With this understanding, there is no real need for a distinct concept of hashgacha klalit because everything comes under hashgacha pratit.
At the other extreme, the Rambam and some others argued that hashgacha pratit only operates in very limited circumstances. Most of what happens in the world follows the laws of nature. Whatever happens happens. There is minimal hashgacha klalit, ensuring that natural species as a whole will continue to exist.
Thus, according to both views, Hashem ensures that the world should continue to run. So far so good…
Step 2: “Looking after the world is thus Hashem’s business, not ours”
This argument is based on the assumption that once Hashem is already doing something, there is no need for us to do it. Hashem is in the driver’s seat and we can just sit in the passenger seat and leave the driving to Him.
But is this really how it works?
The Tension between Bereshit Chapters 1 and 2
This understanding of hashgacha is one that might emerge from an isolated reading of the first chapter of Bereshit (Genesis). Hashem expresses ten utterances which set up the natural world and set its ongoing processes in motion, the natural laws and the propagation of species. Hashem then creates man and tells him:
“Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.” (Bereshit 1:28)
This verse seemingly has Hashem placing man to be master over nature, making use of the world as he sees fit. As for the maintenance of the world, that goes without a mention. One may understandably see Hashem as saying, “You leave that to Me”.
However, when one reads the next chapter a completely different picture emerges. Hashem places man in the Garden of Eden, not to be the master, but rather “to work it and preserve it” (“l’ovdah uleshomra”). In other words, apparently Hashem has expectations of human beings to protect and maintain the world.
So which is it? Is man intended to be master and controller of the world or a guardian intended to tend to and look after it?
The Midrash seems to address the tension in these roles.
When Hashem created Adam, He took him around to all the trees of the Garden of Eden and told him, “Look at how beautiful My creations are. All that I created, I created for you. Pay attention that you do not ruin and destroy My world, because if you ruin it, there is none who will come to fix things up after you…” (Kohelet Rabba 7:13)
In other words, Hashem did create the world for the benefit of mankind, but simultaneously entrusted mankind with a duty to preserve it, requiring them to make use of the world with caution. If they do not do so, “there is none who will come to fix things up after you”.
Thus, the principle of hashgacha does not absolve mankind of responsibility. We are called upon to engage in partnership with Hashem. While Hashem created the system and set it up to be able to propagate itself, we still have to behave responsibly in order for that to work effectively.
But would He really let us destroy the world?
Supposing we take the above conclusion on board, that we must pull our weight in order to preserve the world, it’s still difficult to imagine that Hashem would allow us to actually destroy it. As nations build nuclear stockpiles, sometimes advancing towards the brink of actually using them, it seems inconceivable that Hashem would actually allow that to happen. As it says in Tehillim, “the world shall stand firm, it cannot be shaken”. Nevertheless, there are a couple of points to keep in mind:
Climate scientists are not talking about the “end of the world itself”
As we discussed in Chapter 2, what we are talking about here are phenomena that we have already become accustomed to seeing: famine, disease and extreme weather events, destroyed ecosystems, extinction of species throughout the developing world and beyond, but of a severity and on a scale that we have never seen before.
The unimaginable is not impossible
That said, we should not dismiss the possibility that the outcome could be much worse than we can imagine. As a nation that has experienced the unimaginable horrors that destroyed a third of our nation, we know only too well the sad reality; the fact that an outcome is unimaginable is no guarantee that it will not happen.
Step 3: “The existence of species is determined by hashgacha”
Even if we acknowledge that we have a role to play in maintaining the world, isn’t it the case that the continued existence of species comes squarely under Hashem’s “job description” via hashgacha as explained by our sages? If so, apparently it shouldn’t matter what we do.
Evidence against this understanding appears in the words of the Ramban, who sees mankind as being able to destroy species, or at least to severely diminish them, through our behavior. He comments regarding two mitzvot of the Torah that they may have been intended in order to ensure balance in our consumption of animals, the prohibition of hunting a mother bird together with her chicks or eggs and the prohibition of slaughtering a mother animal and her child on the same day. He reasons that although Hashem intended that we may make use of the world, He does not want us to destroy the species.
Step 4: “Trying to fix the climate - a chutzpah”
It is true that the climate is something so immense and complex, about which we have so much yet to learn, it seems arrogant to think we puny humans would be able to modify and “fix” it. While we do have a role to play in preserving the world, that doesn’t mean we should be trying to “play God” and, on the face of it, this does sound somewhat akin to that.
However, it’s important to remember that what we call climate action is not really as much about repairing the climate as it is about limiting our damaging behavior in order to mitigate the total damage caused. It is no different from the steps taken by almost all countries around the world to phase out the use of CFCs in aerosol cans because of the damage they were causing to the ozone layer.
Dismissing climate action - a chutzpah
In fact, dismissing climate action as “playing God” could itself be a display of chutzpa. We don’t know what Hashem’s plan is regarding climate change. One possibility, a hopeful one, is that Hashem will employ hashgacha to prevent or minimize the impact of climate change. How He would do this could take many forms. Our Sages teach us that “Hashem has many messengers'' and no shortage of means of achieving His plans. One of those, and possibly the main one, could be by giving us the scientific knowledge needed to discover the problem and the skills necessary to deal with it. It would thus be the height of foolishness to be dismissive of those engaged in climate science and climate action, who could very well be Hashem’s chosen messengers for addressing the problem. Ironically, not only would their actions not be at odds with the principle of hashgacha, they could be its very vehicle.
This is captured beautifully by the famous joke:
A religious man was caught in a flood. A rescue boat came to save him, but he turned it away saying that he trusts in God and God will save him. Then a rescue helicopter arrives to save him, but he turns it away saying that he trusts in God and God will save him. In the end he drowns. He goes up to the Heavens and is standing before God.
He says, “God, I don’t understand. I put my faith in You. Why didn’t you save me?”
To which God replied, “Who do you think sent you the boat and the helicopter?”
Sometimes we can arrogantly believe that because Hashem has given us the Torah and we have faith in Hashem, we therefore understand His ways. But as Hashem famously told Yeshayahu: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says Hashem” (55:8). We always have to be careful not to put our own words in Hashem’s mouth.
Conclusion
In the final analysis, the argument that the doctrine of bitachon dictates that we should just trust in Hashem and not worry about climate change and its impacts is a weak one on a number of accounts:
Although it might be possible to argue that Hashem would never let the world be completely destroyed, no one is suggesting that that is what climate change would do. They are rather suggesting that it is likely to cause significant damage.
Our historical experience has shown us that negative outcomes that we thought Hashem would never allow to happen, can - and actually did - happen.
There are sources indicating that Hashem expects us to ensure species do not become extinct and that we should not rely on Hashem for that.
Engaging in climate action cannot be called “playing God”, because one is not trying to fix the climate, but merely to stop damaging it.
It’s highly conceivable that Hashem has been directing humanity to engage in climate research and climate action in order to save us from damaging ourselves and the world.
Next we will discuss the argument based on the principle of sachar va’onesh - reward and punishment.
