Today we celebrate Tu Bishvat , the New Year of the Trees, a holiday that has come to be associated with the environment. It is one of four "New Years" mentioned in the Mishnah. Customs include planting trees and eating dried fruits and nuts, especially figs, dates, raisins, carob, and almonds.
Every year over the last seven years Rita H. Zohav, middle school Judaics teacher at the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle, has added a new tradition to Tu Bishvat by having her students study Dr. Seuss' delightful book The Lorax and then hold a mock public trial of the wicked Once-ler.
The Lorax, a children’s book published in 1971, chronicles the plight of Truffula trees, and the Lorax who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler. The Once-ler is the evil character responsible for cutting down all Truffula trees to fabricate "Thneeds," which are odd-looking but versatile garments that "everyone needs."
Rita H. Zohav, a graduate of Gratz College and of the Jerusalem Senior Jewish Educators Program (Mechanchim B’Chirim), has developed an innovative curriculum unit that teaches JDS students to study and apply Torah Jewish principles to modern issues.
This week JDS students will dramatize, celebrate, apply, and experience Torah and Jewish environmental values. Along with Truffula trees, the Lorax, and the Once-ler there will be competing teams of defense and prosecuting attorneys who will attempt to defend or convict the Once-ler before a Bet Din made up of parents and teachers. The teams will apply a number of core Jewish principles such as Ba’al tashchit, the prohibition of wantonly destroying physical property, and Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim, which bans inflicting unnecessary pain on animals.
All in all, it is a new, win-win tradition: Students are engaged and learn, everyone has fun, parents get to participate, and another new year of the trees is celebrated.
I don’t doubt that in a few years time we will see new crop of Jewish attorneys who were first inspired by this innovative environmental Jewish curriculum at The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle.
In case you were wondering, the Once-ler is guilty. Have an environmentally abundant Tu Bishvat.
Comments
I have been a judge in the JDS Bet Din for the past few years and I look forward to being a judge again tomorrow when the trial is held. Loads of fun and learning. Very innovative and creative.
The trial is tomorrow and the students are excited. We have many characters ready to be witnesses at the trial, including the Thneed! Our prosecution and defense teams are busily preparing their opening statements and questions for the witnesses.
What a great way to give JDS students a real, hands-on way to explore these concepts and to incorporate them into their consciousness, not to mention enjoying the process as well. Kudos, Rita.
We are excited to celebrate tomorrow with our trial. The students have prepared their testimonies, made props and costumes. We even have a Thneed testifying this year.
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