When I was growing up, it was shortly after the “baby-boom era”. Everyone around me was talking about the certainty of overpopulation and global starvation. The popular book at the time was An Essay on the Principle of Population by T. R. Malthus. This book predicted a grim future, since he predicted that the population would increase geometrically, doubling every 25 years, but food production would grow only arithmetically. The result would be famine and starvation unless births were controlled.
However, Judaism teaches that this concern is not a Jewish concern. The world may continue to grow and populate as it pleases. If you’ll ask: How will we feed all those people? Where will we put them?
The Talmud says that a newborn baby “brings his bread with him” into the world. That is, the miracle of a new life brings with it the blessing of more sustenance. We are also taught that, “The One who gives life, gives sustenance”, as the verse is Psalms states: You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living being. (Psalms 145:16)
Although in the sixties it was predicted that in a decade or two population growth would outstrip food production, what happened? God enlightened us to new technology and new farming methods, and, presto! Food production kept up with population growth. God has no limit to the resources with which to provide for the world.
Your friend's concern reminds me of a story: During an astronomy lecture, a professor told his class that in 10 billion years the sun would burn itself out. A young woman jumped to her feet and cried, "What are we going to do about this!"
"Really," said the professor, "are you so concerned about what happens 10 billion years from now?"
"10 billion?" said the young woman, and she let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you said 10 million."
Certainly, although we should make human efforts to concern ourselves with the world as it is today, we should let God “worry” about providing for us in the miraculous future epoch.
