The Talmud explains: while the sage, Choni, was walking along a road, he saw a man planting a carob tree.

Choni asked him: “How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?”

“Seventy years,” replied the man.

Choni then asked: “Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?”

The man answered: “I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. Likewise, I am planting for my children.”

Spring has been busy for the Greening of Sinai Committee. On May 17, the day of the Sinai school picnic, we built two planting beds behind the synagogue and filled them with soil (one in the shape of a Magen David, the other in the shape of a rectangle). We also dug and planted a “sunflower spiral.” We met again on the morning of May 31 to plant. As you read this, beans, gourds, tomatoes, corn, marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers are busily growing.

Our garden is being tended by many families during the summer. We look forward to decorating our Sukkah this fall with the fruits of our labor: dried corn, gourds, flowers, even corn stalks for the “sechach” or “roof covering.”

We now have a compost bin at Sinai! It is the large, round, black bin sitting on the gravel. Please feel free to use it to dispose of PLANT matter—yard waste, fruit and vegetable scraps, etc. You can also put in coffee grounds and egg shells. We hope our composting efforts will provide a source of fertilizer for next year’s garden.

Other Greening of Sinai Committee projects include increased recycling efforts, garbage reduction, and the creation of a Greening Guide for lifecycle celebrations. If you are interested in participating in these projects, or have ideas for other greening projects, come join our committee. Contact Jen at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to express your interest.

Our July/August Green Tip urged the purchase of shade-grown coffee. Here’s a link to learn more about what you can do to help:

http://shadecoffee.org/shadecoffee/Birds/ShadeCoffeeBirdAtlas.aspx