Considering Consumerism during Hanukkah

My eighth graders and I, during the past few weeks, have been studying Jewish responses to consumerism. We've been looking into the ways in which we can balance our enjoyment of the physical world with our desires to be modest and moderate in our behavior, care for the planet, and respect the human workers whose work produces goods.

Last week we examined a cultural phenomenon called Freeganism. Freegans are individuals critical of today's consumer culture who take care of their fundamental needs by using society's "left overs." Some of these practices are ones considered "normal" by our culture--like reclaiming furniture left on the curb like buying used clothing. However, the movement's counter-cultural nature becomes readily obvious when you hear that they eat from the garbage of high-end grocery stores and restaurants and do their best to find rent-free living situations.

"It's not how much or how little you have that makes you great or small, but how much or how little you are with what you have."

- Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
(Horeb, vol. 1, pg 46)

On the one hand, Freeganism is an extreme example of the mitzvah "Bal Tashchit"--"Do Not Destroy." The Rabbis of antiquity extended this Torah mitzvah, which refers to fruit-bearing trees on the land of one's enemies, to also include any usable, salvageable materials (clothing, pottery vessels, building materials, etc.) or consumables (food, especially) that might be carelessly discarded. On the other hand, the practices of Freeganism also challenge other Jewish laws and values. I'll write more on this later, but will leave readers (yes, you!) with some links to learn more.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-freegan11sep11,0,2162976.story?coll=la-home-center

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/garden/21freegan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin/
http://www.freegan.info/
http://www.freegan.org.uk/ukfreegans/
http://www.ourmaninside.com/blog/files/category-freeganism.php