Ecology as a Mitzvah

May an environmentalist claim that ecology is the oldest profession in the world? One might reasonably argue that ecology was the first vocation recorded in the Torah: “The Lord God took the first man and placed him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and preserve it,” l’avdoh ul’shamroh (Gen. 2:15). Preservation is, indeed, a major task of the ecologist. This passage in Genesis presents a narrative rather than an imperative approach. No commandment is uttered, yet the verse has served as a guideline throughout the ages. This essay will deal with three spheres in which the mitzvah character of