Maalaea- "The Fastest Wave in
the World" and Torah Environmentalism
Maalaea -- ask any surfer that's been to this beach on Maui's South shore, and you'll probably hear a familiar refrain: ..."the fastest wave in the world;" "a wave of your mind's eye". Yet language does an injustice to this slice of hewn perfection, slotted over a shallow, dangerous reef, where heroes are made and mistakes are paid for in full.
The locals on Maui fought for years to prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from turning this coveted sanctuary into a yacht harbor. It is an on-going fight. These "developers" would do well to look into this weeks Torah portion, regarding "Lo Tichrot" (thou shall not destroy):
"...when thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in fighting against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field a man (i.e., your enemy) that it should be besieged by thee?"
The Rashbam (z"l) raises the following point, among other considerations, that there are certainly other non fruit-bearing trees available to use, why cut down the very thing that helps sustain life, thereby destroying that which has taken centuries to create?
Now, Maalaea presents no threat to us. It is a focal point of recreation, respite, and adventure for thousands of human beings, not to mention a treasure of wildlife and source of economic livelihood for fisherman.
The infinite wisdom of the Torah shows us the solution for all would-be "developments": "...only trees which thou knowest that they be NOT trees for FOOD, thou mayest destroy and cut them down."
Shabbat Shalom to all
Nachum