I recently received the following query:
“In the Torah world, there is wall-to-wall agreement that beyond the Torah obligation to have a son and daughter, it is proper to have even more children, as hinted in the verses ‘He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited’ and ‘But in the evening your hands should not be idle.’
“Currently, however, there are approximately 9.1 million people in Israel (not including the Arabs in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip). Israel is one of the most densely-populated countries in the world – with about 440 people per square kilometer. The annual rate of increase due to the birth rate and immigration is two percent, which means that if the current rate of growth continues, we will reach 18 million people in 35 years and 36 million in 70 years.
“Such growth will have far-reaching effects. Israel is already completely dependent on food imports – as we are unable to feed ourselves – and lacks sufficient rainwater. The larger the population, the more natural resources it consumes and the more pollution and waste it produces. In Israel, it is already difficult to find suitable solutions for mountains of waste and pollution of water, soil, and air. Developed areas are growing, and nature areas are shrinking.
“At a certain point, too large a population is not a blessing. When we have 36 million people here – without open spaces, without hiking areas and forests, with mountains of debris and pollution – won’t it be clear that we have to stop? Or will we not wake up until 35 years later when we number 72 million?
“Clearly, something needs to change, so shouldn’t we start talking about solutions now?
“Since having more than a son and a daughter is not necessarily obligatory, shouldn’t we say that excelling in this mitzvah is not preferable considering the serious harm it causes to humans and the environment?
“Also, it seems that in general, environmental issues such as global warming and the like are of no interest to gedolei Yisrael. This surprises me because anyone who has eyes in his head sees that we consume natural resources at a much faster rate than they reproduce and produce waste and air pollution (in particular carbon dioxide).”
Discussion About Environmental Issues
It’s essential to preface my answer by stating that conventional discussions about the depletion of natural resources are full of empty clichés, which, for consecutive generations, have turned out to be false. Since Europe’s population began to grow at a rapid rate, concern rose that natural resources would be depleted, and fertility, which was considered a blessing, would turn into a curse.
The foremost advocate in this field was Thomas Malthus (1776-1834), who argued that the rate of population growth was higher than the rate of food production, and if it continued, humanity in the early 20th century would face hunger, wars and epidemics. Today, there are already more than seven billion people in the world, and they produce far more food than is required.
Human Development is Faster
Than Demographic Growth
The fundamental reason gloomy projections are unfounded is because the more people there are on the planet, the more science and technology develop. As a result, resources increase at a faster rate than population growth and the standard of living steadily increases.
Guardedly, it is possible to say that we are on the verge of scientific breakthroughs that will lead to the production of clean energy from the sun and the production of molecular-level food so that any type of food can be created from basic materials.
In recent years, scientists have been able to artificially develop meat by replicating stem cells from animal meat. If commercial enterprises can successfully take advantage of this scientific breakthrough, the raising of billions of cows and chickens for slaughter will come to an end, the price of meat will decrease, and the pollution associated with raising livestock will end.
Academic Educators of
Environmental Sciences
Apparently, academics in environmental sciences are not fulfilling their duty and are not presenting their students and the public the full picture. Instead, they share only gloomy predictions – pronounced with full confidence – which have already been disproved. As scientists, they should know that scientific progress is faster than population and consumption growth. That is especially true in a free market, democratic society.
For example, there is a lot of talk about the problem of mountains of “non-biodegradable” plastic, but lo and behold, we now hear about the development of a plastic-eating bacteria that converts plastic into usable energy. Another example: Many harsh arguments have been advanced against the natural gas plan of the Israeli government and Minister Yuval Steinitz – all of which have been refuted one by one. Nonetheless, they refuse to learn a lesson. Like Don Quixote of old, they search for the next windmill to declare it a dragon and declare war on it.
Crises Must Be Handled With Moderation
While it’s clear that development and progress have downsides, these must be addressed in a realistic and moderate way without intimidation. Even when environmentalists are shrill, though, their cries must be taken into consideration as they encourage diligence on developing solutions to environmental pollution. In a free society, when people are outraged, they demand solutions and, as a result, it becomes more lucrative to invest in them.
Take recycling, for example. Without the cries of the public, we might possibly have had to wait another decade until the demand for it naturally increased to the point that action would have been taken.
The Danger of Intimidation
Horror predictions, besides being mistaken, are liable to result in moral distortions. After all, if the situation is so severe, extreme measures must be taken. Thus, in China, the number of births was limited very cruelly.
Similarly, as a result of the theories of Malthus and others like him, race theory proponents gained strength as they argued that humanity should encourage races of productive people and work to reduce non-productive people. On a more moderate scale, alarmist predictions led to people advocating for smaller families and denouncing large families. As a result, Western nations today find themselves in a severe demographic crisis, which has led to serious socio-economic problems.
Returning to the Basics of the Mitzvah
There is some truth to your question. At times, a superficial notion of the mitzvah of puru u’revu leads to serious problems. Therefore, it is appropriate to briefly recapitulate the three levels of the mitzvah:
1) It is a Torah obligation to give birth to a son and daughter. To fulfill the mitzvah, one must make great efforts, including utilizing all conventional medical treatments.
2) Average couples are obligated by rabbinical ordinance (divrei chachamim) to try to have about four children. However, if there are exceptional difficulties, physical, or mental, they are exempt from this ordinance.
3) It is a mitzvah to have more children, but there is more wiggle room at this level. If parents know they can raise more children and educate them towards Torah, mitzvot, and derech eretz, it is a mitzvah for them to continue having more children to the best of their ability.
But if they know that the burden will be too heavy with more children, and their lives will be filled with anger and anxiety, there is room for them not to have more children. It’s true that they fulfill a mitzvah with every additional child, but in their terrible mental state they may commit sins, which can adversely affect the education of children.
Furthermore, those who wish to direct their talents to other beneficial avenues in a manner that will not leave them strength to raise more children may choose not to have more children (Peninei Halakha: Simchat Ha’Bayit U’Birchato 5:6).
It seems that these general rules also answer the problem you raised – for if numerous difficulties arise in providing for children, it is possible to settle for fulfillment of the mitzvah on the second level.
Concerning the issue of the density of the country and its borders, there is room to expand on this issue on another occasion. In the meantime, however, it’s important to add that we, the Jewish people, currently comprise a total of only 0.15 percent of the world’s population. Persecutions, murders, and assimilation have put us in existential danger that still remains. Therefore, it is our great duty to encourage families to raise numerous children for the glory of Torah, the nation, and the land, and for the blessing of all nations of the world.