Saving the Earth is a Fundamental Jewish Value

The great work of today’s generations is nothing short of saving the earth.

We know enough, are capable enough. The question is: do we care enough? Will we work hard enough? Do we even recognize when we have enough?

In her new book, To Forever Inhabit This Earth, An Ethic of Enoughness, noted environmentalist Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin challenges us to develop the individual and collective will needed to create change and offers spiritual and practical guidance to invigorate that effort.

Cardin implores us to envision the world, not as a commodity but as a fragile, improbable, extraordinary gift whose well-being and future now depend on us, and using meticulously researched Jewish texts and the teachings of other faith traditions,  she makes the case that environmental sustainability is a fundamental religious principle—and something we can address, if we have the will to do so.

Her book helps us look at the breach we have caused in our relationship with nature and find ways to stem and reverse the ways the world has been harmed by our mistaken, unwise, and sometimes greedy acts.

The book asks us to consider spiritual questions, technical questions, and ethical questions about how we live in the world, and provides both spiritual and practical guidance on ways to rethink that, including:

• A contemplation of our spiritual connection to ‘the land’ and the call upon humanity to establish, preserve, and maintain a habitable world here on earth
• The biblical framework that urges us to see that life is awe inspiring and order is its essential ingredient, providing the stable environment that brings forth and sustains life.
• A close look at texts from Genesis to consider two ways humans inhabit our world
• A daily meditation for preserving a habitable world
• Eight guidelines for ethical consumption
• A chart for a one-week self-assessment of our buying, consumption, and discarding practices

To Forever Inhabit This Earth is a powerful must-read for anybody interested in the intersection of environmentalism and spirituality.

COMING APRIL 22, 2025

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Amazon

Bookshop.org

Beginning in April, schools and synagogues can get quantity discounts of up to 30% direct from Behrman House for discussion groups and adult ed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin has been at the forefront of change and innovation. She is one of the first female rabbis to be ordained in Conservative Judaism, has written several books and has been a champion of the environment in various roles.” ---Baltimore Jewish Week                                                         

Nina Beth Cardin is a community rabbi who works to promote environmental health and environmental justice. She was in the first class of women ordained by the Conservative/Masorti movement. As a community rabbi, she has founded several organizations including the Jewish Women’s Resource Center, the Pregnancy Loss Support Program, the Baltimore Orchard Project, and the Baltimore Environmental Sustainability Network. She has spent the last few years advocating for constitutional protection of environmental human rights. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

AWARDS

Jewish Women International Women to Watch (2010)

Agus-Shehan Interfaith Leadership Award (2010)

Chesapeake Bay Alliance Watershed Champion Award (2015)

E B Hirsh Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)

BOOKS BY NINA BETH CARDIN

The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events

Tears of Sorrow, Seed of Hope: A Jewish Spiritual Companion for Infertility and Pregnancy Loss

Out of the Depths I Call to You: A Book of Prayers for the Married Jewish Woman 

SAMPLE ARTICLES BY NINA BETH CARDIN

The Genesis of Environmentalism  from the Baltimore Sun

The Earth is a Gift  from the Huffington Post

Surrender Yourself from mayyimmayyim.org

In the Beginning from JWI.org