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The BiG Story

0 Habonim Camp Tavor

7° Celebrating 46 years of creative
Jewish camping in a kibbutz
inspired atmosphere

The Tavor experience
emphasizes Jewish values,
Israel, Tikun Olam and a
warm community spirit in
a fun, safe, Jewish
environment that is not
duplicated anywhere ...

This summer, join other committed and enthusiastic
campers who think of Tavor as their summer home!
For more information and the name of your local registrar

phone 1-800-55-TAVOR

For more information call:

Bat-Ami ABAS, Shalicha at 248-355-4939
or Ron Sussman, Registrar 734-971-1147

* Professional instructions
* Classes for all skill levels -
beginner to expert
* Special program for the younger
skiers (ages 6-9)
* Small classes
* Adult classes too!
* Charter buses Saturday & Sunday

855-1075

(248)

Teaching Kids to Ski
is Our Business

Celebrating our 25th Season!

Lan%

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CENTER

A nursing
home with
a heart

26900 Franklin Road
Southfield, MI 48034
(248) 350-8070

68

Lakeland is very clean and
attractive. The staff are friendly
and attentive, and my mother
gets a lot of loving care."

— JERRY PASKOVITZ, Farmington Hills

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Clean and tranquil environment
Restorative nursing program
Hospice and respite care available
Convenient Southfield location
Reasonable rates
Medicare-certified

For more information or to arrange a
visit, call our Admissions Department.

The idea worked. To this day, in
adults) about the tremendous eco-
many communities across the dias-
nomic and environmental value of
pora, Tu b'Shevat is also JNF day.
trees.
Blue-and-white JNF coin boxes are
A renewable resource, trees pro-
I distributed in Jewish day and after-
vide us with food, fuel, fiber, paper,
! noon schools, and the money col-
! housewares, building materials,
lected goes toward various projects
chemicals and many other useful
in Israel (although these days the
products. It has been proven that
JNF is more concerned with finding
trees planted in urban areas greatly
1 ways of conserving Israel's precious
reduce the summer heat that builds
and feeble natural water resources).
up in concrete-covered neighbor-
! In Israel, the JNF
still sponsors a day
1 of tree planting.
Tu b'Shevat also
is the time when
I many people eat
I the traditional fruits
I of Israel. Based on
a verse in Parshat
Eykev Deuterono-
my 8:81, these
! are: wheat, bar-
: ley, grapes, figs,
pomegranates,
olives and dates.
hoods. Also, trees put in the right
Since wheat, barley and grapes
spots around your house can keep
do not grow on trees, many Jews
your air-conditioning bills to a mini-
consume any fruit produced on
mum. Trees planted in windbreaks
trees, such as apples, pears and
help farmers conserve their crops
I oranges (all of the commonly known
and topsoil, and trees along rivers,
fruits — and even many exotic ones
streams and hillsides keep soil in
— are grown in modern Israel).
place, reducing siltage and land-
1 If you're over 40, you'll remember
slides. The beauty of natural wood-
that on Tu b'Shevat, every Jewish
lands is unmatched, and natural
1 bakery used to sell long, black pods
forests are home to countless species
of dried carob, commonly known by of animals and plants. Trees breathe
its Yiddish name, bokser. While the
in carbon dioxide and breathe out
carob tree is native to Israel, the
oxygen; without trees, life would dis-
pods sold in the bakeries probably
appear.
I came from California. These pods
In Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy
I were meant to broken and chewed,
20:19), the Torah teaches that
and were almost universally loathed!
when the army of Israel makes war
Ask anyone who had to chew the
and besieges a city, it may not cut
stuff, and he or she will tell you that
down fruit trees so as to use the
carob tastes (and smells) terrible.
wood for weapons (non-fruit-bearing
Nevertheless, the natural-foods
trees may be felled). The quarrel is
industry uses carob extensively as a
not with the trees, "for is the tree of -
I caffeine-free chocolate substitute.
the field a man that comes before
`1 People have gotten smarter: you'd
you in a siege?"
have to search to find a Jewish bak-
Judaism teaches common sense
ery that sells carob these days.
about trees — useful for the better-
Tu b'Shevat also is an excellent
ment of humanity, and respected for
opportunity to teach children (and
their value to the life of the earth.

Tu b'Shevat is an exellent
time to teach about the
tremendous economic
and environmental value
of trees.

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