🎧 How spirituality can help us solve the climate crisis, according to Rabbi Yonatan Neril
In this episode of Not That Kind of Rabbi, host Ralph Benmergui speaks with Rabbi Yonatan Neril, founder and director of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development in Jerusalem and author of the Eco Bible series, which explores ecological teachings within the Torah. The conversation situates the climate crisis not as the result of any single nation or individual, but as a deeper cultural and ideological challenge rooted in materialism and a diminished sense of responsibility toward the natural world.
Rabbi Neril argues that the accelerating climate crisis reflects a broader spiritual disconnection from nature, one that cannot be addressed through technical solutions alone. Instead, he calls for a profound spiritual transformation—one that reorients human values toward compassion, stewardship, and a renewed relationship with creation.
Timed ahead of Tu B’Shevat and following the UN COP28 climate conference, the discussion explores how religious tradition, particularly Judaism, can offer ethical and spiritual frameworks for environmental action. The episode also reflects on how climate change can be understood as a spiritual crisis, inviting listeners to reconsider humanity’s role within the natural world and to move from awareness to meaningful engagement and responsibility.
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