Rosh HaShanah, Climate Change and the Smoking Gun?

When approaching, entering and facing Rosh HaShanah , the Jewish New Year, one is startled to the lack of merriment that is usually associated with a new year celebration. No dancing. No bands. No drinking. No clubbing. What kind of celebration is that? Yet when one begins to inhale the spirit of Rosh HaShanah, an eye opening, awe inspiring revelation of such cosmic proportions flash before your soul, heart, mind and body that in some very unexpected manner you realize that Rosh HaShanah — The Day of Judgment — is the most liberating and empowering moment of the year, maybe even more than Pesach itself – the holiday of Freedom. But how can the The Day of Judgement, when all humanity passes before the Creator as sheep before the shepherd to be scrutinized, investigated, examined, judged and assigned to their particular fate for the coming year, be a day of such overwhelming liberation and empowerment?

“On Rosh Hoshanah one’s fate will be inscribed and Yom Kippur it will be sealed. How many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die;…who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted.” (The Rosh Hashanah Machzor Prayer Book)

Laid before the Creator is each human being’s thoughts, feelings, intentions, actions and deeds; all are analyzed with a clarity and precision – that only in our generation with the invention of AI computers, can even atheists begin to somewhat imagine the possibility that a Creator with such awesome powers is able to assess within a split moment the inner workings of each human being. And when the analysis is done and then inscribed into either the Book of Life or the Book of Misfortune, each human being still has the power to change his/her fate through the mechanisms of Repentance, Prayer and Charity to avert and nullify an evil degree — a degree for catastrophe. 

With our human blast of the Holy Shofar we  “cause” the Creator to arise from His Throne of Judgement as connoted by the term Eh-loim and ascend to His Throne of Mercy as connoted by term of Hashem. In so doing we coronate the Creator as King. “G-d has ascended with a blast; Hashem, with the sound of the shofar” (Psalm 47). “G-d – switches from His role of Judge to His role as King – a King that would employ mercy – the spirit of the Law – the kindness of the Law – to view and “judge” each of His Human “sheep” according to their weaknesses, environment, and unique challenges faced during the past year. (Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 29 – This insight is taught by the great Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac Sher of the Slabodka Yeshiva based on the commentary of the Keren LaDavid) 

And so, on this Rosh HaShanah, in the year 5,783, over 7 billion lives have passed before the Creator’s Kingly and Loving hand.  The Jew. The Non-Jew. Black. White. Brown. Yellow. Red. Asian. African. European. American. All Nations. All human beings. Below Average. Average. Talented. Gifted. Genius. Atheist. Agnostic. Believer. The Unstable. The Stable. The Single. The Married. The Divorced. The Content. The Happy. The Broken-hearted. The Poor. The Middle Class. The Wealthy. The Elites. The “Have Not” Nations. And The “Have” Nations. Every Man, Woman and Child.

After the blast of the Shofar we chant, “Today.” Today – Rosh HaShanah – is the birthday of the world. Today all creatures of the world stand in judgement – whether as children of G-d or as servants. If as children, be merciful with us as the mercy of a father for children. If as servants, our eyes look toward and depend upon You, until You be gracious to us and release our verdict clear and pure as light, O Awesome and Holy One.” (The Rosh HaShanah Machzor Prayer Book) As one chants these powerful words, instantly – we – a helpless clay of blood and flesh undergo an epiphany. Today is Humanity’s Birthday. Today I was created, not as a beast of burden, but as a creature created in the Holy Image of the G-d (Genesis 1:27). Today I am a sublime creature endowed with worth, dignity, free choice, and mostly importantly, responsibility. Today the Creator, Himself, Maker of Universes, Galaxies and Life deems it fit to judge me. Today I am important. How liberating! How empowering! Maimonides (HaRambam) writes that each must view him/herself and the entire world as equally balanced between good and evil and that one’s action can tilt the world towards Doom or towards Paradise. We must stop and ponder this incredible concept.

As Ben Shapiro recently said on a Jewish podcast, Living Lchaim  – “Inspiration for the Nation”, “Judaism is a worldview that states that G-d has a direct relationship with each human being. The actions you do in life G-d cares about.” Hence the reason why Rosh HaShanah is so game-changing, so revolutionary, so solemn, and so humanity affirming in its universal message. Each human being from the very low to the very high (the elite) is deemed worthy of G-d’s personal scrutiny, analysis, and care. No human being is worthless or worthmore – there are no submenchen – the low- nor the ubermenchen – the elites. There are only human beings, each priceless. And each human being has the monumental capability, ability and responsibility to tilt the scale towards the salvation of  Humanity and Humanity’s World – the Earth, or, Heaven Forbid, towards its destruction. 

Thus when I heard the Shofar’s sound it shuddered within me the call to take action to tilt the cosmic scale towards a world where Life is paramount, Kindness is the foundation, Humanity is empowered, and G-d and His Noble Ways are taught. It was in those one hundred blasts of the Shofar that moments of a recent interview I had with Climate Change scientists flashed before my eyes.

Bud Bromley, who designed modifications for a gas chromatograph system for continuously monitoring CO2 and ethylene on ships, Tomer Tamarkin, an energy expert and holder of 7 patents worldwide on the communicating smart meter, Israeli scientist, Dr. Shahar Ben-Menahem, whose doctorate is in physics and Dr. Abraham Isihara, an expert in Aeronautics and Astronautics recently conducted The Pinatubo Study in search of the extent of Man Made Climate Change.

In 1991 the Pinatubo Volcano, “the second-largest volcanic eruption of this century, and by far the largest eruption to affect a densely populated area, occurred at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines on June 15, 1991. The eruption produced high-speed avalanches of hot ash and gas, giant mudflows, and a cloud of volcanic ash hundreds of miles across. The impacts of the eruption continue to this day“. (U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 113-97)

In the course of the 40 minute interview the facts, analysis, and the conclusion they presented was startling, frightening and very disturbing to say the least. These four brilliant scientists through their meticulous and painstaking research rattled my bones to their foundation. I, like all of my generation have been raised to believe that CO2 – Carbon Dioxide – is the enemy of the Earth and Human Survival.

And here, is where lies the conundrum – the problem – facing all humanity. As for now, no energy source can provide the necessary production of food needed to sustain 7 billion lives. No energy source but one, as of today’s present technology, and that is fossil fuels.

On one hand, C02 is not good. On the other hand, if C02 – fossil fuels – are not employed then in the coming years billions of lives, especially in Africa and other regions of the world, will die from starvation.

We are like Noah tasked with saving the world and all life.

And now comes The Pinatubo Study. Bromley, Tamarkin, Ben-Menahem and Isihara have discovered the SMOKING GUN.

The amount of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere would be the same as if human beings never existed. In other words, Climate Change is a Natural phenomenon, and not Man Made.

As Rosh HaShannah passed the interview and the findings of these scientists has perplexed my perception.

Are they right? Does their Study and its conclusion “hold water”? Or they just plain wrong?

But if they are right, then billions of lives can still be saved from starvation by employing fossil fuels to produce enough food, until someday in the future, nuclear fusion energy becomes available, safe, and manageable.

I invite everyone to view the interview and judge for yourself.

The scale of Life and Death are in the balance. For as the Creator tells us in his loving Torah, in this most solemn time between Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur, our actions to take care of others and ourselves tips the scale for Life, Blessings, Peace, and Abundant Sustenance.

Please click links to view and judge for yourself.

https://video.climatecite.com/watch/hYC3syMq
https://pinatubostudy.com

Thank you

May all be Sealed for a Good, Sweet, Blessed, Successful and Very Fruitful Year

Rabbi Avi Schwartz