JKHA/RKYHS is excited to embark on a partnership with GrowTorah which aims to cultivate a more passionate, sustainable and compassionate future driven by Torah values. GrowTorah develops experiential and environmental Torah education programs for Jewish institutions to create hands-on Torah learning experiences in the garden. JKHA middle school classes and the RKYHS environmental science class kicked off the program in the new educational GrowTorah garden. In this beautiful space, they will enjoy some of the crops they grow and donate the majority to a local food pantry—living the value of tzedaka.

Lessons in the garden will be taught by GrowTorah’s farmer Menuchah and will be anchored in values from the weekly parsha and upcoming Jewish holidays. A portion of the curriculum will connect with what students are currently learning in their science classes. Students will be involved in every step of the process, from preparing the area, uprooting the weeds, solarizing the space, building the beds, planting the crops and packaging the harvest. During the first few weeks of school, students will be helping to create this garden so that they can be involved in the full process of what it means l’ovdah u’lshomrah, to work and guard over Hashem’s land.

They took part in this mitzvah in their first session by building their very own garden beds, filling them with soil. They also had a fun introduction to seeds, playing a memory game where they matched different kinds of seeds to what they will grow into, and got to enjoy some homemade pesto as well, using basil which will be growing in the garden this year!