2bshvat & Rosh-pinna…

GOAL: So… the goal is that the Chanichim will understand how deep is the connection between Am-Yisrael and Eretz-Yisrael and how trees are helping that connection and making it stronger. The city that we are going to talk about is called Rosh-Pinna- One of the best examples for people who got connected to their land through trees.

Materials: picture of a head, peanuts bag

@ Game: ask your Chanichim to talk for 30 seconds about what are the things that make a person connected to a place? For younger kids – you could ask what makes them connected to their hometown. It could be friends, family, toys, trees and plants, environment etc’.

By the end of the Peula we’ll see how trees can connect someone to the land as well.

@ Tell the Chanichim they are going to hear a story about people that made Aliya and came to live in Eretz-Yisrael. Lets see what connected them to their place. 

But before we’re gonna hear the story you’ll have to guess what city it is.

Give them the clues (the picture of the head and the peanuts bag with the erased “ts” note.) the answer is Rosh-Pinna by the way…

As usual- feel more than free to do any changes you want and don’t forget to say it is a real story! (It probably happened, we just don’t know exactly to whom.) U know your Chanichim: they might find it more interesting if you tell the story in your own words.

@ The story:

In one summery morning, me in my friends and one of my friends’ parents which was a doctor, went hours bikeriding to the great swamps of the Galil. We wanted to evaluate the place – to see if it’s suitable for living and agriculture and just running away. We raced until the top of the mountain, and stood to see the area. The doctor listened for a few minutes and then said: “it’s terrible! I can’t hear the birds! If birds don’t sing – it means the death is ruling here! We must get out of here as soon as possible”. Two of my friends and I, decided to return to the city right away. Our friend Moshe fell in love with that place and insisted to stay there over night, no matter how much we tried to talk him out of it.  From that day we didn’t see him any more.  After looking for him for a few days everyone said there is no hope to find him. We thought the only thing we can still do for him and for his memory – is to start a new settlement in the place Moshe liked so much. We were young and fearless and ready to confront anything for the friend, and the land we loved so much.  We built a small house from wood and every thing seemed to go just like we planned until one day Hayim got very sick. We stayed by his bed day and night and no one knew what he has. One day a very famous doctor came to town and agreed to come and check Hayim. He said Haim has very dangerous disease caused by a mosquito that lives in the swamps. The doctor told us we must take him away from that area immediately. Before leaving our new home – hayim said: “get rid of the swamps! I have to come back! We mustn’t abandon this place! Remember Moshe and our dream about this place becoming a city…” and he could barely talk. We decided we must dry this area and make it good for living. But how do we do it!? We found out that only planting trees in the land would help dry the swamps and kill the deadly mosquito. But not any tree can be used. It must be a special kind from Australia. It’s called Eucaliptus. So that is what we did… after working day and night, we finished planting the trees and returned to the dry area for good. I’ll tell you all about it some other time.

@ Ask the Chanichim what connected the people in the story with the land? Why?

A tree is something that needs the land. It can’t live without it and we as the people who plant the tree show how deep is our connection to the land through the tree. A tree has roots and grows like the people who are living in a place. The longer they live there, the deeper they connect to the place.

@ Divide the Chanichim into groups and give them the dilemmas.  Just to get a feeling for the daily life of the pioneers. Ask them to say what they’d do on those cases and why?  (The dilemmas R 2 B found in the added papers)

#You live in a new settlement. One day you find out your son has the “malaria” disease the doctor says you must leave your house. You were among the first settlers and if you leave, many others will despair.

# You are used to a certain way of living. You had a room to your self with private shower and bathroom. You’re needed desperately in building a new settlement – there you won't live in the same conditions and convenience you were used to.  What would you do? 

# Some Arabs found a dead Arab body in a well. You, as his neighbor are held guilty for the murder. The Arab’s family is threatening to kill you. What would you do?  (In the real story the man ran away to England)

# In the new settlement, the water and food supply has been cut off. The way to the nearest town is long and dangerous.  What would you do?

@ Conclusion: make it clear that these were only a few examples for daily dilemmas that the pioneers faced each and every day in Rosh Pinna and many different places.

We see here a story of brave and persistent settlers that occupied their land by planting trees. These days we can learn from them not to give up! 

A few more questions about 2bshvat, if your Chanichim feel up to it (you can give out snacks as an award to whomever knows the answer):

@ Who started the tradition of having a Seder Tu B’shvat?

(Shabtay Tzvi- the false mashiach, 350 years ago.)

@ Where do most of the dry fruit in israel today come from?

(Turkey… sorry to disappoint you)

@ What is Tu B’shvat originally all about?

(Birth day for the trees, to the matter of Mitzvot you do in Israel, like Orla, Maaser, etc’ – that you must count a certain amount of years for)

@What are “Shivat Haminim”?

(Fruit that Israel was blessed with)

@ We ran out of ideas. This Peula is getting too long.

#You live in a new settlement. One day you find out your son has the “malaria” disease the doctor says you must leave your house. You were among the first settlers and if you leave, many others will despair.

# You are used to a certain way of living. You had a room to your self with private shower and bathroom. You’re needed desperately in building a new settlement – there you wont live in the same conditions and convenience you were used to.  What would you do?

# Some Arabs found a dead Arab body in a well. You, as his neighbor are held guilty for the murder. The Arab’s family is threatening to kill you. What would you do?  (In the real story the man ran away to England)

Suitable for Shabbat

Suggested Age: Taf, Aleph