ברכתה חמהBlessed are You, Lord our God, Majesty of the universe, who re-enacts the work of Creation.

אֱלֹהֵינו מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם עֹשֵה בָרוךְ אתָה יְיָבְרֵאשִית מַעֲשֵה

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Majesty of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion

שֶהֶחֱיָנו, בָרוךְ אתָה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינו מֶלֶךְ הָעולָםוְקִיְמָנו וְהִגִיעָנו לִזְמַן הַזֶה

28 Years Ago• World Population: • 4.529 billion (1981)• 6.75 billion (2009)• 8.52 billion (predicted 2037-next birkat

hahama)

• AIDS is first identified. AIDS is now a pansemic. In 2007, an estimated 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, and it killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children

28 Years Ago

• BM introduces its first personal computer, running the Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS). 100,000 orders were taken by Christmas.

• Moore's Law • 1981- 29,000 transistors per chip• 2009- 2 billion transistors per chip

28 Years Ago

• Cell phones: • 1981: The first commercial launch of

cellular telecoms in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden

• Today: There are 4 billion cell phone users in the world

28 Years Ago

“Imagine, if you will, sitting down to your morning coffee, turning on your home computer to see the day’s newspaper. Well, it’s not as far-fetched as it may seem.” Televised on San Fransisco's KRON Network, in 1981

28 Years Ago

• Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat is assassinated by Islamic extremists during a military parade in Cairo (Oct. 6).

• President Reagan wounded by gunman, with press secretary and two law-enforcement officers (March 30).

• Pope John Paul II wounded by gunman (May 14).

• Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Chariots of Fire, On Golden Pond, Reds, Atlantic City

28 Years Ago

• 1981 Jun 7 Israeli F-16 fighter-bombers destroyed a nuclear power plant in Iraq at Osirak, Iraq,

• Ilan Ramon (d.2003) flew the last of the 8 planes that bombed the reactor.

• 1981 Jun The First World Gathering of Holocaust survivors took place in Israel. It was organized by Auschwitz survivor, Ernest Michel.

• 1981 Oct 16 Israeli war hero Moshe Dayan died in Tel Aviv at age 66.

Where were you 28 years ago?

Question

If all the Jews in the World

would stop driving cars and using electricity

what effect would this have on Global Warming?

Answer

NONEAt least not directly

So as a people,What can we do to help

alleviate the situation?

The Jewish People’s contribution to the world is based on three pillars:

IngenuityResources

Values (Torah)And these three combined can lead to

CORRECT ACTION

A Modern Midrash –When Noah was told that the global climate

was going to radically change he built an ark. He managed to save his family and

samples of the flora and fauna. But our sages have criticized Noah for not

having done enough to save the world. Today our family is the global family – how

much can we do to saved it?

דָי-בְלִי-עַד, וַהֲרִיקֹתִי לָכֶם בְרָכָה … י .10 …and pour down for you a blessing until there

is no more need.

בֹעֵר כַתַנור, הִנֵה הַיום בָא-כִי יט ...19 For behold, the day is coming, burning like an

oven…,שֶמֶש צְדָקָה, וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם ירְאֵי שְמִי כ

בִכְנָפֶיהָ, ומַרְפֵא …

20 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings…

וְלֵב בָנִים, בָנִים-אבות עַל- וְהֵשִיב לֵבכדאֲבותָם-עַל --

24 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers

Ecology – Relationships in the HOME

בית

Environmentalism – Wellbeing of the HOUSE

Halachic ruling forbids strawberries Ynet 04.02.09

Rabbi Yehuda Amichai, who heads the institute, told Ynet that "it used to be enough to take the green leaves off of the strawberry and wash it with soap, but today the bugs stick to the dots on the fruit, and emerge even after a

good washing".

He said strawberries that had been sprayed with pesticide were not safe either. "In the end

they also have insects that won't come off, even if there are less," he said.

G20 Summit London April 2, 2009

What President Obama said:Together we must put aside the bubble and bust economy that has stood in the way of sustained growth.

What President Obama should have said: Together we must put aside the bubble and bust economy that has stood in the way of sustainable growth.

What can Judaism and the Jewish People Contribute?

• Technology• Political Activism• Education• Jewish Wisdom

– Shabbat– Mezuzah– Kashrut

Increasing destruction of the natural environment and climate change are probably the biggest global challenges to human development and to the welfare of all life on earth. It is a time when the major religions of the world must take a lead - sharing their wisdom, their insights and their hopes.

From where do we learn that we are obliged to care for the planet?

“Love thy neighbor as thy self.”

Rabbi Israel Lau former Chief Rabbi of Israel