You can lead a Global Day of Jewish Learning (theglobalday.org) event in your community by inviting people to study together on Sunday, November 17, 2019. At the same time you are learning, hundreds of diverse communities across the continents will also join this experience. Communities receive free learning resources to help facilitate the experience (this source sheet is adapted from the full 2014 curriculum - Heroes and Villains, Saints and Fools: The People in the Book). The 2019 theme is "Speaking Volumes" exploring how and why words matter. Together we can unite the Jewish people.
Introduction
Begin today’s class by reading a story. Ask your students to get comfortable, relax and listen to a story.
Read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to the class. The story is about a tree that loves a little boy and all that the tree gives to the child.
Once you are done reading, facilitate a class discussion on the story.
Ask some of these questions:
1. What physical things does the tree provide for the boy throughout his life?
2. What is the relationship between the tree and the boy?
3. Is the boy selfish to be taking so much from the tree?
4. Why does the tree keep on giving? Is it possible to give too much?
5. What is the moral of the story?
The Giving Tree talks about the relationship people have with nature — appreciating it and, at times, taking advantage of it. Today’s class is about just that — how Judaism views humanity’s relationship with nature.
Part One: Creating a World
One of the first things God does after creating Adam and Eve is to place them in a garden.
Why do you think God placed man in a garden surrounded by trees?
What are some of your favorite things to be surrounded by (e.g., toys, friends, siblings)?
The next source describes God taking the first human around the Garden of Eden. It is from Ecclesiastes Rabbah, a collection of midrashim on Ecclesiastes.
בשעה שברא הקב“ה את אדם הראשון, נטלוֹ והחזירוֹ על כל אילני גן עדן ואמר לו: ראה מעשי כמה נאים ומשובחין הן וכל מה
שבראתי בשבילך בראתי; תן דעתך שלא תקלקל ותחריב את עולמי, שאם קלקלת, אין מי שיתקן אחריך.
Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13.
When God created the first human, God led him around all the trees in the Garden of Eden. God said to him, “See My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. Everything I have created has been created for your sake. Think of this, and do not corrupt or destroy My world; for if you corrupt it, there will be no one to set it right after you.”
God is proud to show Adam the trees in the Garden of Eden. He even calls them “beautiful”. Think of a time you’ve created something that you’ve been proud of. What message is God trying to give to humanity?
Looking at Earth today, do you think God would be proud of how we treat the planet?
Is it our responsibility to look after Earth? What are some ways we could take better care of our planet?
Part Two: A Story
The Talmud tells a story about Honi, a scholar who lived in Israel over 2,000 years ago.
It is clear from the story that, although the man is planting carob trees, he will not be around to enjoy the carob from the trees.
What is the value of doing something that you will not benefit from?
Can you think of some ways that you could help make the world a better place for your children and grandchildren?
How do your actions shape the world?
Can you think of another action that may take a long time to show results?
Part Three: Blessing a Tree
In our next texts, we learn about blessing trees.
אמר רב יהודה האי מאן דנפיק ביומי ניסן וחזי אילני דקא מלבלבי אומר ברוך שלא חיסר בעולמו כלום וברא בו בריות טובות ואילנות טובות להתנאות בהן בני אדם
On a related topic, the Gemara cites that Rav Yehuda said: One who goes out during Nisan and sees trees that are blossoming recites: Blessed…who has withheld nothing from His world, and has created in it beautiful creatures and trees for human beings to enjoy.
When is the last time you were surrounded by nature? How did it feel?
What is the value in appreciating and blessing your surroundings?
What do you think it means that the Sages established a blessing to thank trees, or to say when seeing trees blossom?
Today people still say a blessing over the blossoming trees. It is an amazing sight to see — parents and children walking around searching for a newly blossoming tree in order to say a blessing.
Conclusion
The next source is a quotation from Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik Safrin, a 19th century Hasidic Rebbe from Ukraine.
Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik Safrin quoted in Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim: The Later Masters.
Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik said, “The motto of life is ‘Give and Take.’ Everyone must be both a giver and a receiver. He who is not is like he is a barren tree.”
A barren tree is a tree that produces no fruit at all. Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik is teaching us a life lesson here. Just like a tree both gives fruit and takes nutrients from the environment, human beings should live the same way. People should both accept from the world around them and make sure to give back to that same world.
In what ways can you be like trees — accepting from and giving to the world?
Trees hold such a significant place in Judaism. There is even a holiday, Tu B’Shevat, where we celebrate the birthday of trees! God made sure to plant trees in the Garden of Eden and He was proud to show off His beautiful creation. We have also been tasked with taking care of the trees on Earth, be it through planting new trees or appreciating the ones we now have. Planet Earth is a resource that we need to treasure both by receiving its goodness and treating it well.
Concluding Activity Options
Trees provide us with so many things, as we saw in The Giving Tree. Here are some tree-related activities you could do as a group:
1. Plant a tree with your class.
2. If you have a tree or trees nearby, have your students spend time with the trees. Ask them to write their own tree story. 3. Do a craft project that uses recycled materials. You could, for example, make paper mache trees out of old newspaper and paper towel rolls.