This Shabbat we begin the reading of our Torah again with Parashat B’reisheet, the very first portion of the five books. It includes two stories of the creation of the world. We are told that humanity was created in God’s image and charged with a special task:

“Be fruitful and multiple and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28)

The great Torah commentator, Nehama Leibowitz (1905-1997), writes that the phrase “’subdued it’ כבשה is rather puzzling at first glance, bearing as it does a bellicose significance, which is at variance with the peaceful ideals that our sages considered to be the goal of [humankind]. Indeed the very origin of [humanity] in one single pair was, according to them, activated by the Divine wish to prevent war… This point is made in the… Talmud, Sanhedrin 88b:

‘For this reason [humanity] was created alone, for the sake of peace so that one should not say to his fellow: My father was greater than yours!'”

Because of this central teaching of our tradition, that we are all sisters and brothers, Professor Leibowitz reasons that the commandment to “subdue” the earth cannot refer to conquering other peoples. Instead, it gives us the direction to “harness the forces of nature” for the good of humanity.

Our Biblical and Talmudic ancestors, and perhaps even Leibowitz herself who died before some of the undeniable evidence of climate change was upon us, could not have imagined that our harnessing the forces of nature might lead to such frightening consequences. We have indeed in so many ways subdued nature, but not always for the good of humanity, to say nothing of other life on earth.

Collectively, all of us together—descendents of common ancestors—must live this teaching as it was perhaps originally intended so that the work of our hands might truly be for the good of humanity and all life on earth. This is the urgent task that confronts us today.

— Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback