Learning about Noachide Laws, from the Wisdom of Trees

By Rabbi Julian Sinclair

Tu B’shevat has become the de facto ” Hag Ha’ Environment,” the day on which Jews celebrate nature and showcase whatever in our traditions can be shown to celebrate the Earth and teach us how to learn in wise interconnectedness with our planet.

The connection has always seemed to me a little arbitrary. Forty years ago Jews wanted to find hooks for environmental concerns in the tradition. Enter Tu B’Shevat, an obscure, neglected semi-holiday that marked the date on which we count the ages of trees for the purposes of agricultural laws in Israel.

Yet the choice of Tu B’Shvat has proved providential. Trees are at the center of ecological consciousness. Over recent decades a roster of midrashim and talmudic stories has been mined to demonstrate this. (Honi the Circle Drawer and the Carob tree etc.) Let me try and introduce a new piece of Talmud into the Tu B’shvat-tree canon.

This excerpt comes from Talmud Sanhedrin, 56b. The discussion is about the seven Noachide Laws of ethics and monotheism that bind all human beings. The Talmud asks where on earth do we derive them from in the Torah, and gives an astonishing answer.

“What does it mean that the 7 Noachide Laws are learned from a verse teaching us about eating from the fruit of trees?

“From where do we know about the 7 Noachide Laws? Rebbe Yochanan says: because the Torah says, “and the Lord God commanded the human/earthling saying “from every tree of the garden you shall freely eat…”" Gen 9:6.

“And he commanded” means a legal system, as it is written : “For I know him that he will command his children to and his household after him and he shall keep the way of God to do Tzedakah and justice.” Gen. 18:19.

“The Lord” is about blasphemy,, as it is written: “One who blasphemes the against the name of the Lord…” Lev 24:15.

“God” is to prohibit idolatry, as it says, “You shall have no other Gods before me.” (Ex: 20:3)

“Human” refers to bloodshed (murder) as it his written: “Whoever shed a person’s life, by a person shall his blood be shed.” Gen: 9:6

“Saying” refers to sexual sin, as it’s written: “…Saying, if a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, shall he afterwards go back to her? Is that not adultery…? Jeremiah 3:1.

“Tree in the garden…” and not stolen property.

“Freely eat…” and not the limb from a living animal.

Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, 56b.

Eh? We learn the 7 Noachide laws from a verse in Genesis in which Adam his told that he can eat from any tree of the garden. (The two exceptions come later in the verse.) Each law is derived from a word in the verse. Does that make any sense to you?

Here’s my take, for what it’s worth. The Talmud is deriving these laws from it’s understanding of what must follow about how we act from the meaning of the word, rightly understood. Let’s take a couple of examples:

“Human” refers to bloodshed (murder) as it his written: “Whoever shed a person’s life, by a person shall his blood be shed.” Gen: 9:6

We probably couldn’t have understood this before Levinas. The great French-Jewish philosopher famously wrote, “When I look into the face of the other I see the command “Thou Shall not Murder.” The very act of confronting the reality of another person, and the very meaning of the word “Adam” commands you “don’t kill” That’s the Talmud’s insight here. Or think about this one:

“Freely eat…” and not the limb from a living.”

Perhaps the Talmud is teaching us here that the meaning of eating, as a civilized, human act precludes eating bits of animals that you’ve ripped off while they’re still alive.

You can figure out the other five on your own. What interests me most here is “why trees?” What does it mean that these seven fundamental ethical principles are learned from a verse about a tree?

I taught this to a group at the Washington DC Bet Midrash this week, and here’s a medley of their answers. “Trees teach you to delay gratification…” Trees take time to grow….” “Trees teach us our interdependence with other forms of life.” “Trees teach us to plan for the future and to look out for future generations…”

All true. There is something about knowing how to cultivate and care for trees that teaches us some basic values that we’ve largely lost. If we valued trees we couldn’t clear-cut rain forests in order to shave a few cents off the price of a Big Mac. If we understood the wisdom of trees we wouldn’t be able to trash the planet for the sake of a little short term pleasure. We would know that time, patience and love are necessary investments in anything that matters, whether trees, children or Torah.

Wangari Maathi who founded the Green Belt movement in Kenya that planted 40 million trees, said “If trees could talk they would say, ‘Let me live, because when I live, you live.’ We are so dependent on them.”

The 7 Noachide Laws embody principles that humans need for civilized life. Recognizing our interdependence with other creatures on the planet is basic for our sustainable existence. Tree’s can teach us this like almost nothing else.

Happy Tu B’Shevat,

Rabbi Julian Sinclair

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For more on Tu B’Shevat, we invite you to read Canfei Nesharim’s meaningful Tu B’Shevat Torah. And click here to read more by Rabbi Sinclair. Enjoy!