Trees

There are potential issues with using a swing or hammock attached to a tree on Shabbat, and there may be ways to mitigate these problems.

Question: I just got an e‑mail about celebrating the New Year for Trees in January. I don’t know about where you live, but where I live, it’s freezing, with plenty of snow covering the trees. If you want to celebrate the trees, do it in spring. Why now, r...

Why is it necessary for us to know the date of the “New Year for Trees”? The dispute: When is the New Year for Trees? And what lessons can we learn from the tree?

A closer look at a 3,300 year-old environmental protecttion law

The Tree of Life first appears in the Bible in the story of Adam and Eve when they were in the Garden of Eden.

Question: Why aren't Jews allowed to interbreed plants? Why aren't we allowed to grow fruits like clementines or tangerines? Answer: First of all, it's important to realize that we can't understand the full reason for any commandment. There are different ...

The correct blessing on cantaloupe is Ha'adamah—the blessing recited on "vegetables," or "produce from the ground." When determining the proper blessing to say on produce (other than the five grains – wheat, barley, spelt, oat and rye – or wine), our sole...

Your innocent question is actually quite complicated. I’ll try to make this as concise as possible—so bear with me! First the biblical source (Leviticus 19:23–25): When you come to the Land and you plant any food tree, you shall surely block its fruit [fr...

Apples are kosher. If grown in Israel or from a young tree, more considerations come into play.

Nuts are essentially kosher, but there are more particulars.