EPISODE‌ ‌93 - Sukkot, Forest Bathing, & Climate Justice

“At what point in our history did our houses become ‘not nature’?”— Julia Plevin

The earth is our home, our classroom, and our legacy — how can we create a nurturing relationship with the earth that allows all living creatures to thrive?

Sukkot, the ancient Jewish Harvest festival, is an invitation for people of the Jewish faith to experience, celebrate, and revere the gift of our natural world. But in the face of the looming climate change crisis and global food insecurities, what can Sukkot teach us about how to live in harmony with nature — and what spiritual and secular practices can help us ensure our ongoing survival?

This episode of Living Jewishly is the third and final of a series of special episodes exploring the Jewish holidays.

Dr. Elliot Malamet is joined by guests Julia Plevin and Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth, who have actively engaged nature as a powerful focal point in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives.

This episode dives into our evolving relationship with the natural world, how to incorporate our holiday messages into the rest of our year, and the importance of embracing our identities as beings of nature.

“We’ve disconnected ourselves from nature in our capitalist and extractive culture… we are nature. We are a part of nature.”— Bluth

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• How to experience Sukkot as a powerful invitation into a more sustainable, in-tune, and natural way of living
• How to involve nature in your daily spiritual practice — and the healing benefits you can enjoy
• Why now is the time to seriously care about the state of our world — and why it is so urgent

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Highlights:‌ ‌

00:52 Introduction

02:23 The sukkah as metaphor

05:01 The sukkah as liminal space

06:21 Technology conquering nature

08:03 The sukkah as a home

09:49 Nature as daily spiritual practice

16:33 The six directions

17:24 Segmentation of holiday messages & shmita

19:47 Importance of identity & reconnection

25:57 Thinking beyond the abstract

26:45 Environmentalism & diaspora

30:58 Turning to, not away

33:50 Nature-integrated spiritual practices

41:09 Judaism as a nature-based religion

Links:‌ ‌

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Shalom!