Life began in a garden. Moses was found in the river's reeds. Freedom from pharaoh came only after the plagues. When the Jews fled Egypt, they were led into the wilderness to follow clouds by day and fire by night.
The environment plays no small part in the Jewish tradition that celebrates the exodus from Egypt every year with Passover. The eight-day festival begins at sundown today and runs past Earth Day on Tuesday.
"Holidays are a great time to teach sustainable habits. There's this specialness and energy that surrounds it," says Leah Koenig, the editor of the The Jew & The Carrot , a blog devoted to contemporary food issues. The site has posted a guide to "Healthy Sustainable Passover Resources" because of growing demand from the Jewish community.
Passover, she writes in the guide, "offers a perfect opportunity to combine the wisdom of a traditional Jewish holiday with our contemporary desire to live healthily and sustainable in our world."
Rabbi Robert Klensin, of Congregation Children of Israel in Augusta, says he will incorporate green themes into his home and temple Seders this Passover. Rabbi Zalman Fischer, of Chabad of Augusta, says his congregation takes a greener approach when it can, especially considering the large role that food plays in his faith's celebrations.
"Some food -- like fruits and vegetables -- are bought locally," he said. "Many Passover specialty food items are produced in the U.S."
They say it is difficult to find organic, free-range or fair-trade ingredients that are also kosher for Passover. Even when that's not possible, real change starts with mindfulness, said Rabbi Arthur Waskow, the author of Down-to-Earth Judaism .
"Passover is a time for simplicity," said Rabbi Waskow, also the founder of The Shalom Center, a Pennsylvania-based organization devoted to peace, justice and the environment. "Passover is a time to examine my household. Ask yourself, 'Can I use a car less and public transportation more? Can I use alternative power sources?' "
Rabbi Waskow said to ask questions in keeping with bal tashchit, a Jewish law that says armies shouldn't level a conquered enemy's fruit trees. The term is often translated "do not destroy."
It's a solid starting principle for those new to going green, Ms. Koenig said: "There are a lot of ways to go green."
Here's a sampling.
Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.
A SUSTAINABLE SEDER PLATE
"If you want to go green, you don't have to go green all at once," Ms. Koenig said. She suggests small changes to the Seder plate.
Eat less meat. Substitute a roasted beet for the roasted lamb, she said. Other menu ideas include almond quinoa salad (quinoa is kosher for Passover), matzo lasagna, vegetarian matzo ball soup, roasted new potatoes with rosemary and borscht.
Use local ingredients.
"Be inspired by what's growing locally," Ms. Koenig said. Charoset, a mixture of apples and nuts, can be made using local apples and Georgia pecans, she said. Try grating fresh horseradish root instead of buying sauce in a jar.
Buy free-range eggs. Be prepared to pay slightly more for them, but there are two benefits: "They taste better," Ms. Koenig said, and "didn't cause suffering to the animals who laid them."
Serve local, organic wine. There aren't many kosher organic wines available, she said, but they exist. If you can't find one, consider shopping at a locally owned store -- "sustainable means supporting local businesses, too."
A GREEN HAGGADAH
A Jewish text, the Haggadah, is read to recount Passover's origins and guide the holiday's meal and prayer service, called the Seder. The Shalom Center offers an updated version of the Haggadah with a focus on contemporary issues. Some excerpts:
SEARCHING FOR CHAMETZ: Before Passover, Jews traditionally rid their houses of leavened bread, or chametz, or chameitz. "It is food that has swelled up ... What is metaphorical chameitz in our own day? What is the excess in our lives that we need to rid ourselves of, or that we can at least tone down, to keep it in proper proportion and perspective?"
EATING THE BITTER HERBS: "Early in the Seder, we dip green vegetables -- parsley, mint -- into salt water -- the oceans where all life was nourished. We can pause to celebrate the Source of Life that is now endangered, and to pledge our help to heal the green and the blue that enrich our planet, lest the salt water become tears as the green plants wither."
THE PROPHETIC PROMISE OF ELIJAH: "On the Shabbat just before Passover, we read the words of the prophet Malachi, who describes God's promise to send Elijah the Prophet to turn the hearts of parents to children and the hearts of children to parents -- 'lest the earth be utterly destroyed.' ... When we sing to welcome Elijah, we are giving voice to our own commitment to take actions in our own day to move this world closer to redemption."
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