Jewish Traditions: A JPS Guide

Plants

Plants Trees (Myx1i2) In ancient Israel, trees were an important source of food and shelter. Their wood provided for the construction of houses, boats, the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and the Temple in Jerusalem. The shade of trees was especially valuable in the hot sun of the Land of Israel, and their fruit was a valuable commodity for nutrition and export. Many primitive peoples in the ancient Near East congregated in sacred groves to worship the spirits inhabiting the trees. Solidly rooted in the ground and reaching upward toward the limitless sky, trees were viewed as representing the link connecting Heaven and earth. The Bible prohibited all sacred plantings (Deut. 16:21), so that the Israelites would not imitate the practice common among their Canaanite neighbors of planting beautiful, shapely trees to honor their idols in their houses of worship. Consequently, no trees were permitted for purposes of adornment and beautification within the courtyard of the Sanctuary (where the altar stood), even for the worship of God. However, images of trees have been used as religious symbols. The tree of life (etz hayim; see below), which tradition associates with the Torah, has long been a favorite decoration in synagogues. Trees were models for the two supporting pillars of the Temple (Jachin and Boaz), which in turn probably served as the basis for the wooden staves (atzei hayim) around which the Torah scroll is rolled (see p. 330).1 Jews are forbidden from destroying fruit trees during a military campaign so as not to cause distress and suffering to the inhabitants of a besieged city (Deut. 20:19–20). Unlike human beings, trees cannot protect themselves by taking refuge behind city walls.2 Even during times of war, Jews must remain conscious of the need to maintain their 695 concern for the general welfare, including of their enemies. Recognizing that fruit trees are vital to humankind, the Rabbis developed the general principle of bal tashchit—prohibiting the wanton destruction of anything valuable to human existence, including vessels, clothing, buildings, springs, and food. The Zionist movement went even further, stressing the planting of trees as a tangible manifestation of the rebirth of the Land of Israel. Today, many Jews plant a tree in Israel to memorialize special family occasions, such as a birth, bar or bat mitzvah, wedding, or death.3 The “New Year of the Trees,” Tu b’Shevat, is celebrated with a “seder” that includes four cups of wine and the eating of fruits and nuts grown in the Land of Israel (see p. 253). Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (ir+v+ boe ti-d<_h- Xi2) The first command given by God to Adam in the Garden of Eden was to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17). Legends variously identify this as the fig, apple, pomegranate, etrog, carob, palm, or nut tree.4 Induced by the serpent to consume the forbidden fruit of the tree, Eve in turn gave some to her husband to eat (Gen. 3:6). The punishment decreed for disobeying the divine commandment was explicitly stated: “For as soon as you eat of it, you shall die” (Gen. 2:17). This penalty cannot be understood literally, for Adam continued to live for 930 years. Instead, various commentators have suggested that the consequence of their sin was that Adam, Eve, and their progeny became both subject to death and the only creatures aware of their own mortality.5 All parties involved received additional punishment (Gen. 3:14–19). The snake was condemned to crawl on its belly and eat the dust of the earth, as well as to become the eternal enemy of human beings (see p. 730). Just as Eve had convinced her husband to eat at her command, so now she and all subsequent women would become obedient to the demands of their husbands (“he shall rule over you”; Gen. 3:16). Rather than conceive promptly and have an easy delivery, from this time on many women would have difficulty attempting to become pregnant (as with the experiences of Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah) and “in pain shall you bear children” (Gen 3:16). Adam would be forced to work hard to sustain himself: “By the sweat of your brow shall you get bread 696 The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions to eat” (Gen. 3:19). The ultimate punishment for the first couple was their expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:23–24). Ibn Ezra and many modern scholars have argued that the “knowledge ” imparted by eating of the fruit of the tree was carnal knowledge: “the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths” (Gen. 3:7). The shame that this engendered was so intense that they “hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8). Tree of Life (Myyf!c- Xi2) Planted in the middle of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9), the Tree of Life has long been associated with the Torah. When the Torah scroll is returned to the ark, the congregation proclaims that “it is a tree of life (etz hayim) to all who hold fast to it, and all who uphold it are me-ushar [variously translated as “praiseworthy,” “happy,” “content,” or “safe”]” (Prov. 3:18).6 The blessing recited after each aliyah states that the Torah represents “eternal life planted within us.” The wooden staves around which the parchment of the scroll is rolled are called atzei hayim (trees of life; see p. 330). Consequently, the image of the Tree of Life as a symbol of the Torah has become a popular synagogue decoration. Specific Plants A number of plants are mentioned in the Bible and Talmud and are involved in Jewish rituals. Some of these are discussed in the following sections, arranged in alphabetical order. Acacia (he<=D1) Acacia (shittah) was the only wood used in the building of the Tabernacle and its accessories (ark, altar, table, staves) (Exod. 25–27). A hard but light and water-resistant wood, the acacia was used extensively for construction and shipbuilding during biblical times. However, because acacia trees are not native to the Sinai wilderness, where did the Israelites find them after the Exodus from Egypt? According to a midrash quoted by Rashi, while on his way to Egypt for Specific Plants 697 his reunion with Joseph, the Patriarch Jacob foresaw that his descendants would someday need acacia trees and planted them in the wilderness, instructing his sons that their progeny should take the wood with them when they were freed from bondage centuries later. The huge planks for the Tabernacle are described as “acacia wood, upright ” (Exod. 26:15), which the Rabbis interpreted as a guarantee of Jewish survival in the darkness of exile (Yoma 72a).1 Cedar (zr#a3) The majestic cedar was renowned in biblical times for its strength, fragrance , and hardiness. Described as “the trees of the Lord … His own planting” (Ps. 104:16) and famed for their longevity, the tall cedars were contrasted to the lowly hyssop (1 Kings 5:13). An indication of divine power was that “the voice of the Lord breaks the mighty cedars” (Ps. 29:5). The best-known biblical reference is: “The righteous bloom like a date palm; they thrive like a cedar in Lebanon” (Ps. 92:13).2 Along with hyssop and some scarlet-dyed material, small pieces of cedar wood were used in the purification rites for the person afflicted with the skin disease tzara’at (Lev. 14:4) and in preparing the ashes of the red heifer (Num. 19:6) used to ritually purify a person who had been contaminated by contact with a corpse. The fine-grained, reddish wood of the cedar is resistant to water and was used to construct royal palaces, the walls and ceilings of houses, and the masts of ships (Ezek. 27:5). King David thought it inappropriate that “I am dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of the Lord abides in a tent!” (2 Sam. 7:2). Later his son Solomon used cedar wood in the construction of the First Temple, and it was also used in building the Second Temple after the return from Babylonian exile (Ezra 3:7). The Talmud reports, “It was the custom when a boy was born to plant a cedar tree and when a girl was born to plant a pine tree, and when they married, the trees were cut down and a canopy [huppah] made of the branches” (Git. 57a). Cypress (rVD