The Importance of Trees and Planting in Judaism

Created by Rabbi Shari Shamah, Jewish Life Specialist

Shari.shamah@memglobal.org

יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה אָזֵל בְּאוֹרְחָא, חַזְיֵיהּ לְהָהוּא גַּבְרָא דַּהֲוָה נָטַע חָרוּבָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הַאי, עַד כַּמָּה שְׁנִין טָעֵין? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עַד שִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: פְּשִׁיטָא לָךְ דְּחָיֵית שִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין? אֲמַר לֵיהּ הַאי גַּבְרָא: עָלְמָא בְּחָרוּבָא אַשְׁכַּחְתֵּיהּ. כִּי הֵיכִי דִּשְׁתַלוּ לִי אֲבָהָתִי — שְׁתַלִי נָמֵי לִבְרָאִי. One day, Honi, was walking along the road and saw a certain person planting a carob tree. Ḥoni said: This tree, after how many years will it bear fruit? The person said: It will not produce fruit until seventy years have passed. Ḥoni said: Is it obvious to you that you will live seventy years, that you expect to benefit from this tree? The person said, they found a world full of carob trees. “Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants.” (Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 23a)

• Honi is known for two things, drawing a circle in the sand, and not moving from until rain came, and sleeping for 70 years.
• What do you think the character of Honi, and this conversation teaches us?
• What does this text teach us about planting in Judaism?
• What do you want to leave for the next generation?

אִם הָיְתָה נְטִיעָה בְּתוֹךְ יָדָךְ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָּךְ “הֲרֵי לָךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ”, בּוֹא וּנְטַע אֶת הַנְטִיעָה וְאַחַר כָּךְ צֵא וְהַקְבִּילוֹ Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai used to say: If you have a sapling in your hand and are planting it, and someone should say to you that the Messiah has come, stay and complete the planting, and only then go to greet the Messiah. (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 31b)

• What do you see as the main point of this text?
• Are there other comparisons that could have been used instead of the Messiah? Why do you think this one was chosen?

Other mentions of Trees, garden, nature in Jewish Texts: Are there trees there or not?  (Numbers 13:20) [when Moses instructs the scouts to scope out the Promised Land and see what it contained.] And when you enter the land, you will plant. (Leviticus 19:23) It is a tree of life to those who embrace it; and happy are those that support it.  (Proverbs 3:18) [Torah is equated to nature] The Eternal God took the human (Adam) and placed them in the Garden of Eden, to keep it and to watch over it. (Genesis 2:15) One generation goes and another generation comes; but the Earth remains forever. (Kohelet 1:4) It is forbidden to live in a town that does not have a green garden.  (Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12)

• If you were sent to scout out a land, what would be the elements you would want to report on?
• What is most important for you to have in a new place?
• What do these texts teach you about Judaism and the importance of Nature?

The Concept of Ba’al Tashchit (Treating the earth as holy and not to be destroyed or wasted): When in your war against a city you must besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them.  You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down.  Are the trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?  (Deuteronomy 20:19) Whoever breaks vessels, or tears garments, or destroys a building, or clogs a well, or does away with food in a destructive manner violates the negative mitzvah of ba’al tashchit, do not destroy or waste (Kiddushin 32a).

• Is this a Jewish value that you’ve heard of before?
• How does this apply to our environment today?
• Are there things that you are doing that might be considered Ba’al Taschit?
• Why do you think it teaches that Judaism has a holiday devoted to nature?

Two people were fighting over a piece of land.  Each claimed ownership.  To resolve their differences, they agreed to put the case before the rabbi.  The rabbi listened but could not come to a decision.  Finally, the rabbi said, “Since I cannot decide to whom this land belongs, let us ask the land.”  They put their ear to the ground, then straightened up. “My friends, the land says that it belongs to neither of you – but that you belong to it.”  (Jewish Folk Wisdom)