Eco-Judaism: Does It Exist? 11
within fifty yards of a town in order not to spoil the beauty of the town.’
On the practical level of daily peasant life, the same dangers of the natural world continued to play a major role. The list of wild animals that presented a problem to the farmer and herdsman was longer and not only included the biblical animals, but also the weasel(Pes. 9a; San. 105a; samur— Mustela frenata), ferret (Shab. 28a; samur— Mustela patorius furo), marten,(Shab. 146a; Hul. 52b; delek— Martes foina ), polecat(Pes. 9b; A.Z. 42a; hamos— Mustela putorius ), beaver(Hul. 127a; boneh— Castor fiber), and bat (B.K. 16a; Shab. 78a; atalef— Myotis lucifugus).® Insects, as well as locusts(arbeh— Locustidae species), drought, and floods afflicted the farmer as before, and the forces of nature were often hostile. Uncultivated land, whether wilderness or forest, was also considered dangerous territory that needed to be controlled and put to human use whenever possible. Wild animals continued to be a problem for the farmer and the traveler. We learn of the fear of bandits and wild animals, which mitigated stopping to pray along the way. Travelers on long journeys through the desert or other undersettled areas could modify their prayers to avoid such dangers(Ber. 29b). The later responsa dealt extensively with those who did not return, and in the rabbinic writings about the agunah— the abandoned wife, the destructive forces of nature as well as banditry were constantly mentioned.
The Mishnah dealt with the world of agriculture in a systematic manner as with every other topic. The entire order of Zeraim was devoted to laws of agriculture. The concern here and in the other tractates of the Mishnah was with human conflicts over fields, boundaries, and water rights and the ritual use of agricultural products.’ Agricultural laws were also treated in sections that dealt with family matters, Temple rituals, and cleanliness, farming practices, zoning and land use, irrigation rights, well digging, incursions by domestic animals, and many other matters were discussed in considerable detail, but environmental concerns were virtually absent. The Mishnah provided the details lacking in the Bible ; they were clarified for both Israel and the Diaspora settlements. For example, the tractate Kilaim which dealt with the mixture of diverse kinds of plants and animals, listed the species as well as quantities of seed and numbers of rows of plants that would be considered an infringement. The scholars concluded that these regulations only applied in the