1. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy. And everyday the boy would come to play
Swinging from the branches, sleeping in the shade. Laughing all the summer's hours away.
And so they love, Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
But soon the boy grew older and one day he came and said,
"Can you give me some money, tree, to buy something I've found?"
"I have no money," said the tree, "Just apples, twigs and leaves."
"But you can take my apples, boy, and sell them in the town."
And so he did and Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
But soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree,
"I'm now a man and I must have a house that's all my home."
"I can't give you a house" he said, "The forest is my house."
"But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home"
And so he did. Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
And time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes.
"My life has turned so cold," he says, "and I need sunny days."
"I've nothing but my trunk," he says, "But you can cut it down
And build yourself a boat and sail away."
And so he did and Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
And after years the boy came back, both of them were old.
"I really cannot help you if you ask for another gift."
"I'm nothing but an old stump now. I'm sorry but I've nothing more to give"
"I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest,"
The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile.
"Well", said the tree, "An old stump is still good for that."
"Come, boy", he said, "Sit down, sit down and rest a while."
And so he did and Oh, the trees was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy. And everyday the boy would come to play
Swinging from the branches, sleeping in the shade. Laughing all the summer's hours away.
And so they love, Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
But soon the boy grew older and one day he came and said,
"Can you give me some money, tree, to buy something I've found?"
"I have no money," said the tree, "Just apples, twigs and leaves."
"But you can take my apples, boy, and sell them in the town."
And so he did and Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
But soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree,
"I'm now a man and I must have a house that's all my home."
"I can't give you a house" he said, "The forest is my house."
"But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home"
And so he did. Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
And time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes.
"My life has turned so cold," he says, "and I need sunny days."
"I've nothing but my trunk," he says, "But you can cut it down
And build yourself a boat and sail away."
And so he did and Oh, the tree was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
And after years the boy came back, both of them were old.
"I really cannot help you if you ask for another gift."
"I'm nothing but an old stump now. I'm sorry but I've nothing more to give"
"I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest,"
The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile.
"Well", said the tree, "An old stump is still good for that."
"Come, boy", he said, "Sit down, sit down and rest a while."
And so he did and Oh, the trees was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
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׃ 20 רַק עֵץ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדַע כִּי־לֹא־עֵץ מַאֲכָל הוּא אֹתוֹ תַשְׁחִית וְכָרָתָּ וּבָנִיתָ מָצוֹר עַל־הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר־הִוא עֹשָׂה עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמָה עַד רִדְתָּהּ׃
2. Torah Source
Jeżeli będziesz oblegał jakieś miasto przez długi czas, walcząc przeciwko niemu, aby je zdobyć, nie niszcz jego drzew podnosząc na nie siekierę, bo z nich możesz się żywić; nie wycinaj ich więc, bo czyż drzewo polne jest człowiekiem, aby miało być przez ciebie oblegane? 20 Tylko drzewo, które znasz jako drzewo nie wydające owocu, możesz zniszczyć, ściąć i budować z niego narzędzia oblężnicze przeciwko miastu, które wszczęło z tobą wojnę, aż padnie.
Deuteronomy 20:19,20 When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them, for you may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. For man is like a tree of the field, to go into the siege before you. However, a tree you know is not a food tree, you may destroy and cut down, and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until its submission.
3. Commentaries on 'man is a tree of the field' (source: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/trees-in-jewish-thought/2/)
A Midrash Kohelet Rabah
When God created the first man he took him and showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him, ‘See my works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. And everything that I created, I created it for you. Be careful not to spoil or destroy my world–for if you do, there will be nobody after you to repair it.'”
B. Midrash Sifrei
‘because a man is a tree of the field’ teaches that the life of man is from the tree.” (Piska 203)
C. Rabenu Bachya
The commentators explain that the life of man and his food is [from] a tree of the field…and it is not the way of a wise and understanding nation to needlessly destroy something so worthy, and therefore you should not cut down a tree of the field, rather you should protect it from destruction and damage, and take benefit from it.”
A Midrash Kohelet Rabah
When God created the first man he took him and showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him, ‘See my works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. And everything that I created, I created it for you. Be careful not to spoil or destroy my world–for if you do, there will be nobody after you to repair it.'”
B. Midrash Sifrei
‘because a man is a tree of the field’ teaches that the life of man is from the tree.” (Piska 203)
C. Rabenu Bachya
The commentators explain that the life of man and his food is [from] a tree of the field…and it is not the way of a wise and understanding nation to needlessly destroy something so worthy, and therefore you should not cut down a tree of the field, rather you should protect it from destruction and damage, and take benefit from it.”
4. Me'am Loez
Man’s life is dependent on trees, and the tree is so important for the existence of the world that the sages established a special blessing for those who go out in [the Hebrew month of] Nisan and see blossoming fruit-producing trees. [The blessing says] ‘nothing is lacking from His world and He created good creations and good trees for the benefit of man.'”
Man’s life is dependent on trees, and the tree is so important for the existence of the world that the sages established a special blessing for those who go out in [the Hebrew month of] Nisan and see blossoming fruit-producing trees. [The blessing says] ‘nothing is lacking from His world and He created good creations and good trees for the benefit of man.'”
5. Trees in the World http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/deforestation-facts-and-statistics
Fast Forest Facts
Fast Forest Facts
- 13 million hectares of forest have been converted for other uses or destroyed by natural causes. While I’m writing this, almost 3 hectares have been cleared.
- Up to 28,000 species can go extinct in the next quarter century due to deforestation.
- By the year 2030, we might only have 10% of Rainforests left and it can all disappear in a hundred years.
- 10% of the world’s forests are now protected areas. This is roughly the size of India.
- Tropical Rainforests store more than 210 gigatons of carbon and deforestation is the cause of 15% of carbon emissions.
- Cures for diseases have been found in plants and the raw materials come from our tropical rainforests.
6. Israel and Trees
Tree-planting is an ancient Jewish tradition. The Talmudic rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai used to say that if a person planting a tree heard that the Messiah had arrived, he should finish planting before going to greet him.With over 240 million planted trees, Israel is one of only two countries that entered the 21st century with a net gain in the number of trees. Due to massive afforestation efforts,this fact echoed in diverse campaigns. Israeli forests are the product of a major afforestation campaign by the Jewish National Fund (JNF).
Tree-planting is an ancient Jewish tradition. The Talmudic rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai used to say that if a person planting a tree heard that the Messiah had arrived, he should finish planting before going to greet him.With over 240 million planted trees, Israel is one of only two countries that entered the 21st century with a net gain in the number of trees. Due to massive afforestation efforts,this fact echoed in diverse campaigns. Israeli forests are the product of a major afforestation campaign by the Jewish National Fund (JNF).
7. Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch
Man was created outside Paradise, and he was destined, already here below, to live in a Paradise…We are shown what we should be, how we should live, how the world of ours would form a Paradise for us, if we would be that which we should be. A similar lesson was to be repeated, on a reduced scale for a small sample, chosen as an example for the whole human race in Eretz Yisrael–which was also to be a Gan Eden for the people of Creator’s law. It was meant to show the world, a second time, by its prosperity and its progress, what an abundance of blessing and happiness would be attained here on earth when the will of the Creator is taken as the sole measure for arranging all phases of human life “.
Man was created outside Paradise, and he was destined, already here below, to live in a Paradise…We are shown what we should be, how we should live, how the world of ours would form a Paradise for us, if we would be that which we should be. A similar lesson was to be repeated, on a reduced scale for a small sample, chosen as an example for the whole human race in Eretz Yisrael–which was also to be a Gan Eden for the people of Creator’s law. It was meant to show the world, a second time, by its prosperity and its progress, what an abundance of blessing and happiness would be attained here on earth when the will of the Creator is taken as the sole measure for arranging all phases of human life “.