GAN ILAN FAMILY DAY
Welcome to the Gan Ilan Family event at SAR Academy. We at GrowTorah are thrilled to be in our 6th year of partnership with SAR for this program!
Please enjoy the lessons and resources below. We encourage you to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on all of our programs!
Pesto
GrowTorah Value: Environmental Stewardship
The mitzvah of Bal Tashchit, not wasting, is a beautiful one and we get the opportunity to practice it every day. While many parts of a basil plant could have been disposed of in many ways, we can take advantage of all that it has to offer—reusing the whole plant for future nourishment.
Text Study:
Devarim 20:19
כִּי־תָצוּר אֶל־עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתָפְשָׂהּ לֹא־תַשְׁחִית אֶת־עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר׃
When in your war against a city you have to 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 trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?
Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 6:10
ולא האילנות בלבד אלא כל המשבר כלים וקורע בגדים והורס בנין וסותם מעין ומאבד מאכלות דרך השחתה עובר בלא תשחית ואינו לוקה אלא מכת מרדות מדבריהם
And not only regarding trees, but even one who destructively breaks vessels or rips up clothing or tears down a building or seals up a spring or wastes food violates the Negative Commandment of “Do not destroy”. However, it is considered a d’rabanan (not a d’oraita), and he only receives stripes for disobedience.
Questions to consider:
How is salvaging a bolting basil plant not wasting?
What else can you do in your life to conserve, appreciate, and “not waste”?
How can you extend the life of your belongings by using them in creative ways?
Hummus
Shabbat in The Garden—Which of our actions in the garden is considered “Melacha”?
Working in the garden does incredibly creative work - we can accomplish so much! All of that work is encouraged and celebrated during the 6 days of the week. The more we do during the week, the more we can appreciate the physical rest and spiritual creativity of Shabbat!
Text Study:
Vayikra 23:3
שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ כָּל־מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ שַׁבָּת הִוא לַה בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם)
On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a sabbath of complete rest, a sacred occasion. You shall do no work; it shall be a sabbath of the LORD throughout your settlements.
Question to Consider:
We are doing one specific Melacha in this hummus activity. Which ones is it?
Choresh (Plowing)
Zoreah (Planting)
Kotzer (Harvesting)
Me'amer (Gathering)
Dosh (Threshing)
Zoreh (Winnowing)
Borer (Separating)
Tochen(Grinding)
Merakaid (Sifting)
Lash (Kneading)
Ofeh and Bishul (Baking and Cooking)
Gozez (Shearing)
Melabain (Laundering)
Menapaitz (Combing)
Tzoveya (Dyeing)
Toveh (Spinning)
Maisach (Mounting warp threads)
Oseh Shtei Batei Nirin (Making two loops)
Oraig (Weaving)
Potzeya (Unraveling fabric)
Koshair (Tying)
Matir (Untying)
Tofer (Gluing, taping, or stapling)
Koreah (Ripping)
Tzad (Trapping)
Shochet (Slaughtering)
Mafshit (Skinning)
Maabaid (Tanning)
Memachaik (Smoothing)
Mesartait (Scoring)
Mechataich (Cutting precisely)
Kotaiv (Writing)
Mochek (Erasing)
Boneh (Building)
Sosair (Demolishing)
Makeh BePatish (Completing a vessel)
Mechabeh (Extinguishing a flame)
Mavir (Kindling a fire)
Hotzah (Carrying)
Besamim
We LOVE Shabbat so much, that we prepare for it as many ways as possible. In this activity, we encourage you to explore the different aromas of the various herbs in Gan Ilan, then make your own very special Besamim blend which you can use for Havdallah next week.
Did you know that there are 4 different berachot we can make on pleasant smells?! Here are some of the guidelines about when to make which blessing:
Isvei - On soft-stemmed herbs (mint & basil)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא עִשְבִִי בְּשַַמִים
Atzei - On woody-stemmed herbs and trees (cedar, rosemary, lavender)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא עַצִִי בְּשַַמִים
Peirot - On aromatic fruits (etrog)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הנותן ריח טוב בפירות
Minei - On a blend, mixture, or if the origin is unknown
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשֹמִים:
Garden Tours
Welcome to the tour of Gan Ilan. We hope you enjoyed seeing this magen-david shaped educational garden, and all of the varied plants growing in all 12 beds. Below are the Torah values we include in all of our lessons in Gan Ilan. We hope you enjoy exploring these themes with your family.
Compassion for Creatures
תניא ר' גמליאל ברבי אומר (דברים יג, יח) ונתן לך רחמים ורחמך והרבך כל המרחם על הבריות מרחמין עליו מן השמים וכל שאינו מרחם על הבריות אין מרחמין עליו מן השמים
Rabbi Gamliel, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, says: The verse that states: “And He will show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you” (Deuteronomy 13:18) teaches us that anyone who has compassion for God’s creatures will receive compassion from Heaven, and anyone who does not have compassion for God’s creatures will not receive compassion from Heaven.
(כו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹקִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(26) And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.”
2. Environmental Stewardship
(טו) וַיִּקַּ֛ח ה' אֱלֹקִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעָבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ׃
The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.
בשעה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את אדם הראשון, נטלו והחזירו 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.
At the time that the Holy One created the first man, He introduced him to every tree in the Garden of Eden, and said to him, ‘See how wonderful and pleasant these trees are. And all of this I have created for you; therefore take great care that you do not damage and destroy My world, for if you do there is no one else to put right what you have destroyed.’