Lesson Summary:

The purpose of this lesson: 

It would seem that contradictions abound in the Bible! Finding interpretations that allow these contradicting texts to coexist is both a traditional religious concern and a contemporary dynamic enterprise. It is also a pursuit that will determine how one comes to understand the role of Biblical imperatives in his/her personal life.

This lesson comes from a unit called "We Are Guardians of The Earth  on www.LearningToGive.org, a resource that offers philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement.

This unit s purpose:

We are commanded to care for all the works of Creation. Two traditional texts teach how we are to use our power in the worldthrough the work of two individuals: One offers a model of caring for those over whom we have economic power and the other, a model of caring for the physical environment. This unit also provides a comparison of success as defined by the world and success as defined by Biblical texts and Jewish traditions.We are told to fill the earth and master it. (Genesis 1:28) How we understand and internalize the concept of ‘mastery’ determines the course of our lives, our impact on the people we influence and, ultimately, the fate of the planet.

Focus Questions: How does G-d define success? What does G-d expect of me? And, how can I do it?

The other lessons in this unit include:
Our Ethics Show: Learning To Master
Models of Mastery