Shoftim . Middah/ Jewish Value Activity Early Years & Foundation Stage 0 - 5 The Torah teaches us to look after trees because they are very important for us - Looking after trees Some trees give us fruit, some give us shade in hot weather and we use the wood from other trees to make things. Ask the children to list all the fruits they can think of. Describe some more unusual fruits and try to get the children to name the fruit. You may want to show some pictures of fruits growing on trees. Ask the children to name things made of wood that they can find in the home, the school and the synagogue. Key Stage 1 5 - 8 The Torah tells us in this parashah that we may not cut down fruit trees, because they are a source of food for us - Looking after trees Although we may not cut down fruit trees some trees can be cut down and used for other necessary purposes. Print Resource Page 1. This shows a number of titles that describe the different ways in which trees are used. Each title has an example. Cut these out and distribute them to pairs or small groups of children. They have to think of as many examples as they can for their title. Then have a whole group discussion on what they have all thought of. OR Read the story 'The Gift that Grew'. This is a story about a tree that had to be cut down because it was not treated properly. See Bibliography - General Key Stage 2 8 - 11 The parashah opens with a demand that there should be fair courts of law in Israel - Justice and being fair In Jewish law we must be careful to choose judges who will be impartial and wholly fair. This principle is one that should apply to all nations. Discussion What could happen if we did not 'judge' people fairly? Think of examples in our own lives where we 'judge' and are 'judged'. Some examples are: football referees headteachers parents