Living in South Florida, many of our Men's Club members love the outdoors; we bring out-of-town visitors to the local parks and we want to share the enjoyment of the outdoors with the rest of the Men's Club and the congregation.

The Men's Club board voted to support an outing at nearby Oleta State Park. We developed a budget, we promoted with flyers and announcements from the bima, we asked face-to-face our members, friends and young congregants to attend. We assigned jobs.

We asked Rabbi Mario Rojzman to participate and make this a meaningful Jewish event. Rabbi insisted we bring in relevant Torah study about the environment. We searched, studied and found fascinating and sometimes contradictory passages and commentary from the Torah.

"...Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it; have dominion over...every living thing...."

vs.

"... and placed him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate it and to guard it."


Fast forward to the park. After getting oriented to the park, everyone was split into groups of five or six members. Each group was given a different handout with one of the Torah commentaries on the environment. The group studied together for fifteen minutes with a facilitator, a recorder and a reporter. Then each reporter explained their group's interaction and discussion. A question and answer discussion ensued after each report. The seeming contradictions in the Torah commentaries would become the basis for a lively discussion and an eye opening experience for all who attended.

We stayed on schedule, we taught about the environment from various aspects, we ate, we took turns in the kayak, we walked in the park identifying the various trees and wildlife, and we cleaned up. As a Men's Club, we executed our plan. There is a great feeling of accomplishment. For those who attended there now is an enhanced understanding of choices regarding the planet and for many, a renewed and expanded advocacy for the environment.