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Plant a Tree in Israel?

Perhaps not; in the wake of recent forest fires there is general agreement that the focus should be on sustainable management and a decades-long process of natural regeneration.    The Roots of Torah

Tu Bishvat falls in the midst of winter—not a time when one might expect a holiday that celebrates the glory of nature, but perhaps the right time to remind us of its ultimate potential. Land of Milk and Honey

A 3,000-year-old apiary sheds light on the economy of the biblical period.Man is the Tree of the Field

Contemplating Deuteronomy 20:19, a contemporary Israeli poet seeks a grim comfort in the arboreal bond.The Politics of Tree Planting

Aiming to transform Israel's aridity, earlier functionaries imported trees unsuited to the Middle-Eastern landscape, putting pressure on a scarce environmental resource: water.Oak Tree

"I will keep standing," sings the Israeli jazz bassist (Video; performance begins at 1:30.)     Yitro: Three Acts of Leadership

This week's portion describes the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the Torah spares no expense to bring us special effects worthy of the event: smoke and fire, thunder and lightning, and an earthquake, all accompanied by the blare of a shofar growing louder and louder. The Israelites are about to experience God's self-revelation, in a most dramatic fashion. But this week also has something for those who like their dramatic moments more subtle.Nazi Family Values

The photo albums of Hitler's associates—the extended Nazi family, as it were—were of little or no interest to researchers immediately after World War II. But historians are taking a second look.Whitewashing Black-Jewish History

Both African-Americans and Jews journeyed from slavery to redemption, ultimately united as allies in the civil rights era. It makes for an appropriate and inspiring school lesson. But is it good history?