Cliff’s Air Conditioner

January 15, 2010 - 10:16 AM by

My friend Cliff called this week to say he was getting rid of an old air conditioning unit and would I want to take it off his hands…at no charge? Cliff knew that I had spent much of the summer sweltering in my top floor home office.

I have an air conditioner already in my Jerusalem home office but, at only ¾ horsepower, it’s woefully underpowered and on a hot day, I can’t get the room temperature to less than 28 degrees Celsius (that’s over 80 Fahrenheit) – not a particularly conducive environment in which to work.

My predisposition for a bargain however was tempered by a counter thought: was this kosher? I don’t mean whether the assembly of the air conditioner was supervised by Chabad. Rather, would adding another air conditioner into the world mesh with Jewish law?

Now, of course, there’s nothing in the Torah or Talmud that forbids keeping comfortably cool, but what’s the point of scrupulously keeping the minutia of halacha if doesn’t promote concern for the planet and ultimately the welfare and continued survival of the people who live in it? After all, on Yom Kippur you first have to make peace with your fellow men and women before anything supernatural can kick in.

It turns out that Jews have been thinking about the environment for awhile. In the late 1970s. Rav Zalman Schachter-Shalomi coined the term “eco-kosher.” His point was that it’s not enough to make sure the meat you’re eating is slaughtered according to Jewish law; the animal has to be treated humanely, the environment must not be harmed, and the workers who toil in the kashrut factories cannot be exploited either.

It’s only logical to extend the concept of eco-kosher to the environment as a whole. Rav Zalman noted that while a Styrofoam cup might be useful to someone keeping kosher, it would not be a good choice for someone concerned with the environment. A more hi-tech example would be whether it’s politically correct to buy printed books and newspapers that deplete the rain forests when electronic versions are growing in popularity (run out and get a Kindle).

In this light, whether to accept Cliff’s air conditioner was no longer just a personal choice; it had become a metaphor for how to conduct one’s life ethically and socially. This need is even more pronounced in Israel where we can, as a sovereign nation, make a real difference, if not on a planetary level then at least in our little corner of the Middle East.

And so, when it comes to that air conditioner, I’m saying no. It’s a small step for sure, but it hopefully won’t be the last as my own social consciousness grows. And a billion small steps can add up quickly.

Tags: , , , , • Category: Environment, Social Justice 

Comments

3 Comments on Cliff’s Air Conditioner

  1. Nicole on Fri, Jan 15th 2010 3:48 PM

    2. yes, but you wouldn’t be adding one – you’d be replacing your existing one, probably with a newer and more energy efficent one…

  2. Jay on Sat, Jan 16th 2010 12:43 PM

    3. I think Nicole has a point. The situation as a whole might benefit more if you accept Cliff’s kind offer, have a more energy efficient situation, and “pay” for your increased comfort by donating for Haiti, planting trees, or similar initiatives. If your productivity benefits in warm weather, how about continuing to give a little more than your usual charitable donation to benefit ecological projects?

  3. Cliff’s Air Conditioner, Climate Change, and the Jewish People on Tue, Jan 19th 2010 2:42 PM

    4. [...] shorter version of this article appeared on the Israelity [...]

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