Is it Better that Humans Exist or not

In this week's episode of Ḥoni's Circle we study two texts from the Talmud and Midrash that both address the question "Is it better that humans should have been created or not?" When Bet Shamai and Bet Hillel voted on this question, not having been created won out, when the ministering Angels debated it at creation, they were split down the middle, and in our own day and age it is a question that comes up again in the context of human-made destruction of species and ecosystems. However, in all cases, humans are here and so we must go forward with the way we live and affect our planet in a positive way. Follow along with the source sheet here: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/452951

What is Ḥoni's Circle?

Ḥoni's Circle is a climate chevruta (partner text study), In which Rabbi Paula Rose and Tamar Libicki explore Jewish texts from the Torah, the Talmud, and Commentaries to grapple with climate change. Rabbi Paula Rose is the associate Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle, Washington. This Podcast is a project of Congregation Beth Shalom and Ahavat V'Avodat HaAdama, our community's environmental group.