The 7 Species of the Promised Land
(ז) כִּ֚י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מְבִֽיאֲךָ֖ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ טוֹבָ֑ה אֶ֚רֶץ נַ֣חֲלֵי מָ֔יִם עֲיָנֹת֙ וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת יֹצְאִ֥ים בַּבִּקְעָ֖ה וּבָהָֽר׃ (ח) אֶ֤רֶץ חִטָּה֙ וּשְׂעֹרָ֔ה וְגֶ֥פֶן וּתְאֵנָ֖ה וְרִמּ֑וֹן אֶֽרֶץ־זֵ֥ית שֶׁ֖מֶן וּדְבָֽשׁ׃ (ט) אֶ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹ֤א בְמִסְכֵּנֻת֙ תֹּֽאכַל־בָּ֣הּ לֶ֔חֶם לֹֽא־תֶחְסַ֥ר כֹּ֖ל בָּ֑הּ אֶ֚רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲבָנֶ֣יהָ בַרְזֶ֔ל וּמֵהֲרָרֶ֖יהָ תַּחְצֹ֥ב נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (י) וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃
(7) For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; (8) a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; (9) a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. (10) When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.
Commentary
(1) זית שמן (lit., olive of oil) means "olives that produce oil."
(1) אל ארץ טובה, a land which contains all kinds of good things, things not found together in other places. The verses tell of 5 kinds of goodness, each of them prefaced with the word ארץ (land).
1) The first of these is ארץ נחלי מים עינות ותהומות (a lands of streams of water, of springs surging from the depths), not the waters from polluted rivers or stagnant ponds, the kind of waters described as evil waters in Kings II 2:19.
2) The second of these is ארץ חטה ושעורה (a land of wheat and barley), which are required for food.
3) The third of these is ארץ זית שמן ודבש (a land of olive oil trees and honey), delicacies fit for a king.
4) The fourth of these is ארץ אשר לא במסכנות תאכל בה לחם (a land where you will eat without want), a land where you will find cheap bread, a land full of treasures, as it says in Isaiah 2:7 “the land is full of silver and gold and there is no end to the treasures it hides.” Dearth of money is more serious than shortage of the products which can be bought with it, as our Sages state (B Taanit 19b): "They taught this only with regard to a time when money is cheap and everyone has it, and produce is expensive. However, when money is expensive, i.e., unavailable, and produce is cheap, they cry out about it immediately, as this is considered a famine."
5) The fifth of these is ארץ אשר אבניה ברזל, (a land whose stones contain iron), for in it are found many hard and shiny stones suitable for use in building.
(1) a land of wheat… Scripture mentions the foods that are metabolized into blood. I have already explained honey [comment on Leviticus 2: 11 ("Many people have said that the word honey here, and in every occurrence of “a land flowing with milk and honey”, denotes honey made from dates. Grounds for their interpretation can be found in Ezra’s book [(II Chronicles 31:5)]."
(1) אשר לא במסכנות תאכל בה לחם, you will not eat dry bread like poor people, for in addition to the wheat and barley which the land produces, you will also enjoy vineyards and their products, and pomegranates, as well as honey derived from dates which are sweet.
(ב) , אֶלָּא שִׁבְעָה מִינִין אִינוּן, חִטָּה וּשְׂעוֹרָה וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹן אֶרֶץ זֵית שֶׁמֶן וּדְבָשׁ, דְּהוּא דְבַשׁ תְּמָרִים.
There are 7 types (of fruits that the land of Israel is praised for), Wheat, Barley, Grapes, Figs, Pomegranates, Olives, Honey which is the honey of Dates.
The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy at XXX (Jeffrey H. Tigay, 1996) : "In describing the riches of the land in verses 7-9 Moses style becomes elevated and quasi-poetic. The description consists of six parts, each beginning with "a land" followed by somes of the land's features. In this way the text mentions only a few features at a time and lingers over them lovingly before going on to the next group. Several of these parts are formulated in parallelism (cf 11:11-12). The laudatory description culminates in verse 10 where "land" is mentioned a seventh time in the phrase "the good land" which echoes the same phrase in verse 7 and, with it, forms a frame around the description."
The Women's Torah Commentary (Andrea Weiss & XXXXX) at 1095. "In marked contrast to the wilderness (see Numbers 20:5), this passage depicts the Promised Land as a place of plenitude and prosperity---with water, abundant agricultural products, and natural resources. This description displays an elevated style: first, the phrase "good land" frames the passage (an inclusio), occurring at its beginning and end; and second, the symbolically complete number seven appears twice: the key word eretz (land) occurs seven times, and the list of agricultural species includes seven items (v.8)."
A Commentary on the Book of Genesis: From Adam to Noah, U. Cassuto (I. Abrahams trans.) at 12 (commenting on the story of Creation): "The structure of our section is based on a system of numerical harmony. Not only is the number seven fundamental to its main theme, but is also serves to determine many of its details. Both to the Israelites and to the Gentiles, in the East and also in the West--but especially in the East--it was a number of perfection and the basis of ordered arrangement; and particular importance attached to it in the symbolism of numbers.
The Nature of the Good Land
(13) He will favor you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the issue of your womb and the produce of your soil, your new grain and wine and oil, the calving of your herd and the lambing of your flock, in the land that He swore to your fathers to assign to you.
(10) For the land that you are about to enter and possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come. There the grain you sowed had to be watered by your own labors, like a vegetable garden; (11) but the land you are about to cross into and possess, a land of hills and valleys, soaks up its water from the rains of heaven. (12) It is a land which the LORD your God looks after, on which the LORD your God always keeps His eye, from year’s beginning to year’s end.
(1) כי הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה לרשתה לא כארץ מצרים היא, This is part of the structure of these portions of the Torah, i.e. you need to observe the commandments of the Lord your G’d for the land of Israel cannot be compared to the land of Egypt, being superior in quality to the land of Egypt for the people who observe G’d’s laws. At the same time, it will prove inferior to the land of Egypt for people who do not observe G’d’s laws. Proof of this can be seen already in the fact that the land of Egypt enjoys constant irrigation from the river Nile, does not need rain, whereas the land of Israel is totally dependent on rainfall at the proper time of the year. The Egyptians enjoy their irrigation regardless of their being G’d fearing or not. Their staple foods are assured. The land of Israel, on the other hand, seeing that (2) עיני ה' אלוקיך בה, being constantly under the detailed scrutiny of the Lord your G’d, מרשית שנה ועד אחרית השנה, to ensure that you will have the necessary rainfall at the right time in the right amount, makes you aware of the need to conduct yourself so that He approves of you.
(ד) ארץ מצרים - אם אינו עמל בה בפסל ובקורדום, ונודד שנת עיניו עליה - אין לו בה כלום; אבל א"י אינה כן, אלא הם ישנים על מטותיהם והמקום מוריד להם גשמים. משל, למלך שהיה מהלך בדרך, ראה בן טובים אחד - מסר לו עבד אחד לשמשו. שוב ראה בן טובים אחד, מעודן ומפונק ועוסק בפעולה, ומכירים את אבותיו. אמר: גזירה, שאני עושה בידי ומאכילך! כך כל הארצות - נתנו להן שמשים לשמשן: מצרים שותה מן הנילוס, ובבל שותה מן הנהר יובל. א"י אינה כן, אלא הם ישנים על מטותיהם והקב"ה מוריד להם גשמים! וללמדך שלא כדרכי בשר ודם דרכי המקום: בשר ודם קונה לו עבדים, שיהיו זנים ומפרנסים אותו. אבל מי שאמר והיה העולם קונה לו עבדים שיהיה הוא זן ומפרנס אותם.
(4) The land of Egypt — If one does not work in it (i.e., in the soil) with mattock and axe and (does not allow) sleep to escape his eyes, he has nothing of it. Not so Eretz Yisrael, but they (its inhabitants) sleep and the L-rd brings down rain for them. An analogy: A king is walking on the road, and, seeing a man of high estate, gives him a servant to serve him. He then sees another man of high estate, (having obviously been) preened and pampered, engaging in (mundane) labor, (all the while), conscious (of the nobility) of his ancestors — at which he says: I decree that you not toil with your own hands, and I will feed you (gratuitously). So, with all the lands, He gives them servants to serve them. Egypt drinks from the Nile; Bavel drinks from the Yuval. Not so Eretz Yisrael, but they (its inhabitants) sleep on their beds, and the Holy One Blessed be He brings down rain for them. To teach that not as the ways of flesh and blood are the ways of the Holy One Blessed be He. (A man of) flesh and blood acquires servants to feed and sustain him. But He who spoke and brought the world into being — He acquires servants for Himself, whom He Himself feeds and sustains.
The Tale of Sinuhe written during the reign of Amenhotep I, founder of the 12th Egyptian dynasty (approx. 1875 B.C.E.)
He caused me to choose for myself of his country, of the best that belonged to him on his border to another country. It was a goodly land called Yaa (unknown region in Canaan). Figs were in it and grapes, and its wine was more abundant than its water. Plentiful was its honey, many were its olives; all manner of fruits were upon its trees. Wheat was in it and spelt, and limitless cattle of all kinds.
Letter of Aristeas, 107-16. (prob. 2nd Century B.C.E.)
For the country is extensive and beautiful. Some parts of it are level, especially the districts which belong to Samaria, as it is called, and which border on the land of the Idumeans, other parts are mountainous, especially (those which are contiguous to the land of Judea). The people therefore are bound to devote themselves to agriculture and the cultivation of the soil that by this means they may have a plentiful supply of crops. In this way cultivation of every kind is carried on and an abundant harvest reaped in the whole of the aforesaid land....For the land is thickly planted with multitudes of olive trees, with crops of corn and pulse, with vines too, and there is abundance of honey. Other kinds of fruit trees and dates do not count compared with these. There are cattle of all kinds in great quantities and a rich pasturage for them. Wherefore they rightly recognize that the country districts need a large population, and the relations between the city and the villages are properly regulated. A great quantity of spices and precious stones and gold is brought into the country by the Arabs. For the country is well adapted not only for agriculture but also for commerce, and the city is rich in the arts and lacks none of the merchandise which is brought across the sea. It possesses too suitable and commodious harbours at Askalon, Joppa, and Gaza, as well as at Ptolemais which was founded by the King and holds a central position compared with the other places named, being not far distant from any of them. The country produces everything in abundance, since it is well watered in all directions and well protected from storms. The river Jordan, as it is called, which never runs dry, flows through the land.
The Gezer Agricultural Calendar
The Natural History of the Bible, Daniel Hillel, at 144: Gezer was one of the largest cities during the Canaanite and Israelite periods. Its importance was due to its proximity to the fertile coastal plain and to two important trade routes....A small tablet of soft limestone was discovered at Gezer by R.A.S. Macalister in 1908. On it was an inscription, in Biblical Hebrew (or newly identical Canaanite), listing the sequence of agricultural activities performed during the twelve months of the year. Dated to the third quarter of the tenth century (ca. 925 B.C.E.), the calendar is considered to be the earliest discovered record of ancient Hebrew writing. It has been variously analyzed and interpreted. A plausible possibility is that it was written by a young person as a school exercise (cast in verse, a kind of mnemonic ditty),
Its two months are (olive) harvest
Its two months are planting (grain)
Its two months are late planting
Its month is hoeing up of flax
Its month is harvest of barley
Its month is harvest and feasting
Its two months are vine-tending
Its month is summer fruit
The calendar appears to begin in the autumn. Olives are usually harvested in late September and October. The sowing of winter grains (wheat and barley) is usually carried out in November and December. The "late planting" of spring-growing crops is done in January and February. Row crops are hoed to control weeds mainly in the late winter and early spring, in the month of March, and flax is harvested in April. The harvesting of barley may begin in April and continue into May when wheat is also harvested and threshed. Grapevines are tended in June and July, and summer fruits--grapes, figs and pomegranates---are gathered in August and early September.
The First Fruits and the Seven Species
(1) When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, (2) you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God will choose to establish His name. (3) You shall go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, “I acknowledge this day before the LORD your God that I have entered the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to assign us.”
Commentary
מראשית [THEN THOU SHALT TAKE] OF THE FIRST [OF ALL THE FRUIT OF THE GROUND] — of the first fruits, but not all the first fruits, for not all fruits are subject to the duty of bringing to the Temple their first-fruits, only the seven chief kinds of products of Palestine alone, for there is mentioned here ארץ, “the land” (אשר תביא מארצך) and it states there (Deuteronomy 8:8) “a land (ארץ) of wheat, and barley, etc.”, (thus suggesting an analogy — that the fruits of the land referred to here are those enumerated there). What is it that Scripture is speaking of there? Of the seven products through which the land of Israel is distinguished! So, too, here it speaks only of the distinguished products of the land of Israel which are seven species only (Sifrei Devarim 297:4; Menachot 84b).
§ The Gemara notes: Ulla and Rav Aḥa bar Abba disagree with regard to the issue that is the subject of the dispute of earlier amora’im: Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Even if one did bring mountain dates or valley produce as first fruits, he does not thereby consecrate them, i.e., they do not attain the sanctified status of first fruits. Reish Lakish says: If one did bring them, he has consecrated them; they are regarded just like a gaunt animal with regard to sacrificial animals. Although it is improper to consecrate such animals or such produce as an offering, if one does, the consecration certainly takes effect. The Gemara discusses the dispute: Granted, the opinion of Reish Lakish is well founded, as he stated the reason for his ruling. But as for Rabbi Yoḥanan, what is the reason for his ruling? Rabbi Elazar said: I have an explanation of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s ruling and since I was privileged to see Rabbi Yoḥanan in a dream, I know that I am saying a proper matter. The verse states with regard to first fruits: “And you shall take from the first of all the fruit” (Deuteronomy 26:2). The addition of the word “from” indicates that one should take from some of the first fruits, but not from all the first fruits. This teaches that one should use only the seven species for the mitzva. The verse continues: “That you shall bring from your land.” The addition of the word “from” indicates that one should take first fruits from some areas of the land, but not from all areas in your land. This teaches that one should not take dates from the mountains or produce from the valleys. The Gemara asks: And as for Reish Lakish, for what halakha does he use this term “your land”? He holds that the term is necessary for that which is taught in a baraita: Rabban Gamliel, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, says: “From your land” is stated here (Deuteronomy 26:2), with regard to the first fruits, and “land” is stated there with regard to the praise of Eretz Yisrael: “A land of wheat and barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey” (Deuteronomy 8:8), which are the seven species. This serves as the basis for a verbal analogy and teaches that just as there, the verse is referring only to the produce that is the praise of Eretz Yisrael, so too, here, with regard to the mitzva to bring the first fruits, the verse is referring only to the produce that is the praise of Eretz Yisrael, i.e., the seven species.
(ד) ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה. יכול כל הפירות כולם חייבים בביכורים? ת"ל מראשית, ולא כל ראשית. ועדין איני יודע איזה מין חייב ואיזה מין פטור? הריני דן - נאמר (הכא) [הבא] בכורי צבור, ונאמר (הכא) [הבא] בכורי יחיד; מה בכורי צבור שנאמר להלן, מז' המינים; אף בכורי יחיד משבעת המינים. (ומה) [אי מה] להלן חטים ושעורים, אף כאן חטים ושעורים. מנין לרבות שאר מינים? ת"ל (בכורי אדמתך) [כל פרי האדמה]. ריבה אחר שריבה הכתוב ומיעט, הא אין עליך לדון אלא כדין הראשון. נאמר (הכא) [הבא] בכורי יחיד, ונאמר (הכא) [הבא] בכורי צבור; מה בכורי צבור, משבעת המינים האמורים בשבח הארץ; [אף בכורי יחיד, משבעת המינים האמורים בשבח הארץ]. ואלו הם: חטה ושעורה וגפן ותאנה ורמון, ארץ זית שמן ודבש.
(4) (Ibid. 2) "Then you shall take of the first of all the fruits of the earth": I might think that all the fruits are subject to the mitzvah of bikkurim; it is, therefore, written "of the first," and not all of the first. And I still would not know which are subject and which are not. I, therefore, reason: Communal bikkurim (the omer and the two breads) are mentioned elsewhere (viz. Vayikra 23:17), and individual bikkurim are mentioned here. Just as the communal meal-offerings, mentioned elsewhere (wheat and barley) are from the seven species, so, the individual offerings, mentioned here, are from the seven species. — But why not say: Just as there, (only) wheat and barley (are mentioned), here, too, wheat and barley! Whence are the others (of the seven species) to be derived? It is, therefore, written (Shemoth 34:26) "the bikkurim of your land," to include (all of the seven species mentioned in praise of your land). Since Scripture includes (i.e., all of the seven species) and excludes (five of them [in the instance of communal bikkurim]), you revert to the original (reasoning), viz.: Individual bikkurim are mentioned here, and communal bikkurim are mentioned elsewhere. Just as the communal bikkurim (wheat and barley) are of the seven species mentioned in praise of the land, so, the individual bikkurim are of the seven species mentioned in praise of the land. And they are (Ibid. 8:8) ("a land of) wheat, barley, grapevine, fig, and pomegranate, a land of olive-oil and honey."
The Seven Species Enumerated: Wheat
Wheat (Heb. חטה hittah) was a major field crop in Israel during the biblical period. The name is connected to the verb hanot ("to project") because the grain grows out from the ears of the wheat when it ripens. In ancient Israel, wheat was grown on the coastal plains or in the rich soil of river valleys. Less hardy than barley, wheat required more care as a crop and was more expensive to buy as a result. Given the differential in price, wheat products were frequently considered food for the wealthy. Wheat was the most valuable of the 5 kinds of cereal cultivated in the ancient Near East and is mentioned first among the 7 species. Like barley, wheat is sown at the beginning of winter but develops more slowly and ripens about 2 months after the barley crop. Hence, after the counting of the barley Omer for 7 weeks during and following Passover, the first fruits of the wheat crop are offered around the time of Shavuot.
Wheat was consumed in many different forms in ancient Israel, exported (I Kings 5:25, Ezek 27:17) and used as an offering at the Temple (Ex. 29:1-2). In addition to using the grain to make flour for bread, the staple of the Israelite diet, providing over half of the caloric intake of the typical Israelite. In addition to the grain, the wheat stems and chaff also were used as animal fodder, for animal bedding, compost, mulch and fertilizer. In the Bible, an abundance of hittim symbolizes symbolizes well-being and peace. Wheat, Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.)(Jehuda Feliks), Flora, Anchor Bible Dictionary (Irene Jacob & Walter Jacob), What Did the Ancient Israelites Eat? (Nathan MacDonald) at 19-21.
חִטָּה, חִיטָּה f. (b. h.; v. חָנַט) [the clean, bright, cmp. פת נקיה, s. v. נָקִי,] wheat-grain, (collect.) wheat. Midr. Till. to Ps. II, 12; Cant. R. to VII, 3 מה ח׳ זו סדוקה as the wheat-grain is slit. Shebu. V, 3 אמר ח׳ if he says ḥittah (in the sing.). Ib. 38ᵃ אפי׳ ח׳ בכלל חטין even ḥittah means a quantity of wheat. Tosef. Ned. III, 7; Y. ib. VI, end, 40ᵃ חי׳ שאני וכ׳ if one vows, ‘I will not taste ḥittah (wheat-grains)’, contrad. to חִטִּין; a. fr.—Pl. חִטִּים, חִטִּין, חִי׳. Ib. Pes. II, 5. Ib. 35ᵃ כוסמין מין ח׳ spelt is a species of wheat; Men. 70ᵃ. Gen. R. s. 15 ח׳ היו ‘the tree of knowledge’ was wheat. Shebu. l. c.; a. fr.
(1) This is what you shall do to them in consecrating them to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull of the herd and two rams without blemish; (2) also unleavened bread, unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, and unleavened wafers spread with oil—make these of choice wheat flour.
(22) You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of the wheat harvest; and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
(3) He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that the LORD decrees.
(25) and Solomon delivered to Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as provisions for his household and 20 kors of beaten oil. Such was Solomon’s annual payment to Hiram.
(14) He endows your realm with well-being, and satisfies you with choice wheat.
ר' יהודה אומר חטה היה שאין התינוק יודע לקרוא אבא ואימא עד שיטעום טעם דגן
Rabbi Yehuda says: It (the Tree of Knowledge) was the wheat plant. This is proven by the fact that, even today, an infant does not know how to call out to his father or mother until he tastes the taste of grain, and for this reason wheat is called “the Tree of Knowledge.”
(ז) מָה הָיָה אוֹתוֹ הָאִילָן שֶׁאָכַל מִמֶּנּוּ אָדָם וְחַוָּה, רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר חִטִּים הָיוּ, כַּד לָא הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ דֵּעָה אִינּוּן אָמְרִין לָא אֲכַל הַהוּא אִינְשָׁא פִּתָּא דְּחִטֵּי מִן יוֹמוֹי. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַבִּי יִצְחָק בָּעֵי קַמֵּי רַבִּי זְעֵירָא אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֶפְשָׁר חִטִּים הָיוּ, אָמַר לוֹ הֵן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְהָכְתִיב עֵץ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מְתַמְּרוֹת הָיוּ כְּאַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן. אָמַר רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אַחָא אִתְפַּלְּגוּן רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה וְרַבָּנָן, רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁכְּבָר הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ. וְרַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי מוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים עב, טז)
(7) What was the tree, from which Adam and Eve ate? Rabbi Meir said, it was wheat. When a person lacks knowledge people say "That person has not eaten bread made from wheat even a day." Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzhak asked before Rabbi Zeira and said to him "Is it possible that it is wheat?" He said to him, "Yes!" He said to him, "But isn't it written, 'tree'" He said to him, "It rose like the ceders of Lebanon" Rabbi Yaakov Bar Aha said: Rabbi Nechemiah and the Rabbis disagree. Rabbi Nechemiah said, "[When we bless our bread we should say]...'the one who brings bread from the earth', since bread already came from the earth." But the Rabbis say, "'who is bringing bread from the earth' since in the future he will bring bread from the earth, as it is said, 'There will be a abundant grain in the land.' (Psalm 72:16).
Barley
Barley (Heb. שערה, se'orah) was an important cereal crop in Israel during the biblical period, second only to wheat. Se'orah, the Hebrew name for barley, derives from the long hairs (Heb. se'ar, "hair") of its ears, and the cereal is designated by cognate words in almost all Semitic languages. In biblical times barley bread was a staple of the Israelite diet and was extensively cultivated, especially as it grows even in the alkaline soil of the hill country of central Israel. Of the cereals, barley ripens first (Ex. 9:31) and "the barley harvest season" is a way of designating spring (Ruth 1:22). On the second day of Passover, the Israelites started bringing an Omer ("sheaf") to the Temple for a week of weeks (49 days), and rabbinic tradition maintains the Omer was comprised of barley (Men. 84b) since barley ripened during the Passover season. The fact that barley was so widely sown accounts for the biblical ruling that the value of a field is to be estimated on the basis of the amount of barley required to sow it (Lev. 27:16).
The cash value of barley was approximately half that of wheat, making it more affordable for those of limited means. As a result, barley bread and porridge was often thought of as the food of the poor or of those living in marginal agricultural areas. In the days of the Judges, farmers in Eretz Israel sustained themselves mainly on barley, so much so that a cake of barley bread symbolized the agricultural Israelites (in contrast to the nomadic Midianites) in the dream of the Midianite soldier (Judg. 7:13). Barley was also used to make beer and as animal fodder. Wheat is the preferrred grain for Temple offerings although the "Sotah" ritual for the woman accused of adultery used barley flour in place of wheat, a distinction noted in the Mishnah and Talmud. "Barley," Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.)(Jehuda Feliks), Flora, Anchor Bible Dictionary (Irene Jacob & Walter Jacob); What Did the Ancient Israelites Eat? (Nathan MacDonald) at 19-21.
שערה, שְׂעֹרִ֔ים
Biblical Hebrew
שְׂעֹרָה n.f. barley. bearded grain; Targum סְעָרְתָא, wheat, grain(;—abs. שׂ׳: Ex 9:31 +; usu. pl. שְׂעֹרִים Ho 3:2 +;—barley, common grain oft. || חִטָּה, etc.(: 1. growing, standing, sg. Ex 9:31, 9:31, Dt 8:8, Jb 31:40, 1:11, as sown Is 28:25; standing, pl. 2 S 14:30 שְׂעוֹ׳: 1 Ch 11:13, reaped קְצִיר (הַ)שְׂעֹרִים 2 S 21:9, Ru 1:22, 2:23, גֹּרֶן הַשּׂ׳: 3:2. 2. pl., the grains, measured, cooked, etc.: Ho 3:2, 3:2, Ez 4:9, 13:19, 45:13, 2 K 7:1, 7:16, 7:18, Je 41:8, 2 Ch 2:9, 2:14, 27:5, Ru 2:17, 3:15, 3:17, 2 S 17:28, 1 K 5:8, food for horses (; זֶרַע חֹמֶר שׂ׳: Lv 27:16 )P(; קֶמַח שׂ׳: Nu 5:15, לֶחֶם שׂ׳: Ju 7:13, 2 K 4:42, עֻגַת שׂ׳: Ez 4:12.
Aramaic
סְעַרְתָּא f. (collect. noun) = h. שְׂעֹרָה, barley. Targ. Y. Ex. IX, 31 סַרְתָּא (contr. of סְעַרְ׳). Targ. Job XXXI, 40 (some ed. סַעֲרָתָא pl.).—Pl. סְעָרִין, סְעָרֵי, סְעָרַיָּא, סְעוֹרִין. Targ. O. Ex. l. c. (ed. Vien. סַעֲרֵי; סערניא, corr. acc.). Targ. O. Num. V, 15 ed. Berl. (oth. ed. שׂ׳). Targ. Is. XXVIII, 25. Targ. Ruth III, 15; 17; a. e.—Y. M. Kat. I, beg. 80ᵃ דהוות זריעה ס׳ (not דהוון) which was planted with barley. Pes. 42ᵇ דשדי ביה שערי they put barley into it (the grape vinegar); a. e.
(10) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. (11) He shall elevate the sheaf before the LORD for acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it on the day after the sabbath.
(טז) וְאִ֣ם ׀ מִשְּׂדֵ֣ה אֲחֻזָּת֗וֹ יַקְדִּ֥ישׁ אִישׁ֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְהָיָ֥ה עֶרְכְּךָ֖ לְפִ֣י זַרְע֑וֹ זֶ֚רַע חֹ֣מֶר שְׂעֹרִ֔ים בַּחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים שֶׁ֥קֶל כָּֽסֶף׃
(16) If anyone consecrates to the LORD any land that he holds, its assessment shall be in accordance with its seed requirement: fifty shekels of silver to a ḥomer of barley seed.
(11) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (12) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: If any man’s wife has gone astray and broken faith with him (13) in that a man has had carnal relations with her unbeknown to her husband, and she keeps secret the fact that she has defiled herself without being forced, and there is no witness against her— (14) but a fit of jealousy comes over him and he is wrought up about the wife who has defiled herself; or if a fit of jealousy comes over one and he is wrought up about his wife although she has not defiled herself— (15) the man shall bring his wife to the priest. And he shall bring as an offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley flour. No oil shall be poured upon it and no frankincense shall be laid on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of remembrance which recalls wrongdoing.
(א) הָיָה מֵבִיא אֶת מִנְחָתָהּ בְּתוֹךְ כְּפִיפָה מִצְרִית וְנוֹתְנָהּ עַל יָדֶיהָ כְּדֵי לְיַגְּעָהּ. כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת תְּחִלָּתָן וְסוֹפָן בִּכְלִי שָׁרֵת, וְזוֹ תְּחִלָּתָהּ בִּכְפִיפָה מִצְרִית וְסוֹפָהּ בִּכְלִי שָׁרֵת. כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת טְעוּנוֹת שֶׁמֶן וּלְבֹנָה, וְזוֹ אֵינָהּ טְעוּנָה לֹא שֶׁמֶן וְלֹא לְבֹנָה. כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת בָּאוֹת מִן הַחִטִּין, וְזוֹ בָאָה מִן הַשְּׂעוֹרִין. מִנְחַת הָעֹמֶר אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁבָּאָה מִן הַשְּׂעוֹרִין הִיא הָיְתָה בָאָה גֶרֶשׂ, וְזוֹ בָאָה קֶמַח. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמַּעֲשֶׂיהָ מַעֲשֵׂה בְהֵמָה, כָּךְ קָרְבָּנָהּ מַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה:
(1) He would bring her meal-offering in a twisted basket and put it into her hand in order to tire her. All meal-offerings start and end in service-vessels, but this one starts in a twisted basket and ends in a service-vessel. All meal-offerings require oil and frankincense, but this one requires neither oil nor frankincense. All meal-offerings come from wheat, but this one comes from barley. The meal-offering of the omer, though it comes from barley, comes from that which was sifted, but this one comes from unsifted. Rabbi Gamliel said: Just as her deeds were like those of an animal, so too her sacrifice is from food for animals.
ד"א מה הדד הזה משל אומרים לאדם: מפני מה אתה אוכל פת שעורים? - מפני שאין לי פת חיטים. מפני מה אתה אוכל חרובים - מפני שאין לי דבילה. כל אלו היו בידן של ישראל. אותה קמיצה שקמצו ביום שמת בו משה, שאכלו ממנו כל מ' שנה - לא רצו לאכול מתבואת ארץ כנען:
An analogy: A man is asked: Why are you eating barley bread? He answers: Because I have no wheat bread. Why are you eating carobs? Because I don't have figs. Similarly, if Israel had that handful (of manna) that they took on the day of Moses' death, from which they ate all forty days, they would not desire to eat of the grain of the land of Canaan. (Bamidbar, Ibid. 9)
Vines/Grapes
The vine (Heb. גפן, gefen) is the first cultivated plant mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Gen. 9:20). The name gefen may comes from a verbal root 'kafan' meaning "to bend and curl," a reference to the vine stems and tendrils that bear the fruit of the vine. Gefen and other words associated with grapes and their products occur numerous times in the Hebrew Bible. According to archeologists, viticulture in Eretz Yisrael goes back to before the days of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. The presence of viticulture in Palestine is mentioned in an Egpytian inscription about the Military Governor, Uni, in the reign of Pharaoh Pepi I, who sent his troops to put down a revolt in Israel, and how his soldiers 'destroyed the fortresses. . . and felled the fig trees and the vines."
Grapes (Heb. ענב, anav) the fruit of the grape vine, were consumed fresh or dried into raisins or currents. Grapes were also pressed to produce juice that was used to make wine or vinegar. Wine was an important drink in the ancient world since it could be stored over long periods and carried by travelers over extended distances without spoilage. Where potable water could not be found, wine often served as a substitute for water. Although excessive consumption is considered undesirable, wine also has an important place in Jewish rituals and meals. In addition to the grapes, the leaves are also edible and the vines can be used for animal fodder. As a result of its multiple uses, vines, along with olives, were second only to cereals in their agricultural importance. In the Hebrew Bible, the vine is often used as a metaphor for Israel and a symbol of peace and prosoperity. Vine, Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.)(Jehuda Feliks), Flora, Anchor Bible Dictionary (Irene Jacob & Walter Jacob)
גֶּפֶן c. (b. h. , v. גפף) vine, esp. grape-vine. Kil. VII, 2; a. fr.—פרי הג׳ wine. Ber. VI, 1; a. fr.—צֶמֶר ג׳ cotton, cotton tree, v. גּוּפְנָא. Kil. l. c.—Pl. גְּפָנִים. Ib.; a. fr.
עֵנָב c. (b. h.; preced.) 1) grapes with the tendrils, also berry. Y. Ned. XI, 42ᵈ קונם תאנה … ועוד ע׳ I swear that I will not taste figs and furthermore (after thirty days) grapes.—Pl. עֲנָבִים, עֲנָבִין; const. עִנְּבֵי, עִי׳. Ib. Gen. R. s. 19 סחטה ע׳ וכ׳ she (Eve) pressed grapes and gave him the juice to drink. Pes. 49ᵃ משל לע׳ הגפן בע׳ הגפן (a marriage between a scholar and a scholar’s daughter is) like bunches of grapes combined with bunches of grapes; לע׳ הגפן בע׳ הסנה (a scholar married to an ignorant man’s daughter is) like a bunch of grapes with berries of thorns. Snh. 99ᵃ יין המשומר בעֲנָבָיו מששת וכ׳ wine preserved in its grapes from the six days of creation (future reward of scholars); Ber. 34ᵇ.—Succ. III, 2 ענביו מרובות מעליו if the berries on the myrtle exceed its leaves; a. fr. —2) (cmp. σταφύλωμα) a growth on the eye. Bekh. VI, 2 ועֵינָב (Ar. וענב; Bab. ed. 38ᵃ עצב, corr. acc.); ib.ᵇ עצב (corr. acc.); Sifra Emor, ch. II, Par. 3 עֵינָיו (Rab. ענב); v. אֵינָב.
(17) When Moses sent them to scout the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into the Negeb and on into the hill country, (18) and see what kind of country it is. Are the people who dwell in it strong or weak, few or many? (19) Is the country in which they dwell good or bad? Are the towns they live in open or fortified? (20) Is the soil rich or poor? Is it wooded or not? And take pains to bring back some of the fruit of the land.”—Now it happened to be the season of the first ripe grapes. (21) They went up and scouted the land, from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, at Lebo-hamath. (22) They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron, where lived Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the Anakites.—Now Hebron was founded seven years before Zoan of Egypt.— (23) They reached the wadi Eshcol, and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes—it had to be borne on a carrying frame by two of them—and some pomegranates and figs.
(5) All the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba dwelt in safety, everyone under his own vine and under his own fig tree.
(1) Israel is a ravaged vine And its fruit is like it. When his fruit was plentiful, He made altars aplenty; When his land was bountiful, Cult pillars abounded.
(13) A time is coming —declares the LORD— When the plowman shall meet the reaper, And the treader of grapes Him who holds the [bag of] seed; When the mountains shall drip wine And all the hills shall wave [with grain].
(4) But every man shall sit Under his grapevine or fig tree With no one to disturb him. For it was the LORD of Hosts who spoke.
(14) You make the grass grow for the cattle, and herbage for man’s labor that he may get food out of the earth— (15) wine that cheers the hearts of men oil that makes the face shine, and bread that sustains man’s life.
(ח) אָמַר רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, לֹא הָיוּ יָמִים טוֹבִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּאָב וּכְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, שֶׁבָּהֶן בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם יוֹצְאוֹת בִּכְלֵי לָבָן שְׁאוּלִין, שֶׁלֹּא לְבַיֵּשׁ אֶת מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ. כָּל הַכֵּלִים טְעוּנִין טְבִילָה. וּבְנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם יוֹצְאוֹת וְחוֹלוֹת בַּכְּרָמִים. וּמֶה הָיוּ אוֹמְרוֹת, בָּחוּר, שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה, מָה אַתָּה בוֹרֵר לָךְ. אַל תִּתֵּן עֵינֶיךָ בַנּוֹי, תֵּן עֵינֶיךָ בַמִּשְׁפָּחָה. שֶׁקֶר הַחֵן וְהֶבֶל הַיֹּפִי, אִשָּׁה יִרְאַת ה' הִיא תִתְהַלָּל (משלי לא). וְאוֹמֵר, תְּנוּ לָהּ מִפְּרִי יָדֶיהָ, וִיהַלְלוּהָ בַשְּׁעָרִים מַעֲשֶׂיהָ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ (שיר השירים ג). בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ, זֶה מַתַּן תּוֹרָה. וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ, זֶה בִּנְיַן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שֶׁיִּבָּנֶה בִמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ. אָמֵן:
(8) Rabbon Simeon hen Gamaliel says, "Never were more joyous festivals in Israel than the 15th of Ab and the day of atonement, for on them the maidens of Jerusalem used to go out dressed in white garments—borrowed ones, in order not to cause shame to those who had them not of their own;—these clothes were also to be previously immersed, and thus they went out and danced in the vineyards, saying, Young men, look and observe well whom you are about to choose [as a spouse]; regard not beauty [alone], but rather look to a virtuous family, for 'Gracefulness is deceitful, and beauty is a vain thing, but the woman that feareth the Lord, she is worthy of praise' (Prov. 31:3); and it is also said (Prov. 31:31), 'Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.' And thus is it said [in allusion to this custom], 'Go out, maidens of Jerusalem, and look on King Solomon, and on the crown wherewith his mother has encircled [his head] on the day of his espousals, and on the day of the gladness of his heart' (Cant. iii. 11); 'the day of his espousals,' alludes to the day of the gift of the law, and 'the day of the gladness of his heart,' was that when the building of the Temple was completed." May it soon be rebuilt in our days. Amen!
Figs
The fig is the first fruit tree mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Gen. 3:7). On the basis of this verse, Rabbi Nechemya maintained that the fig tree was the Tree of the Knowing of Good and Evil (Ber. 40a) of which Adam and Eve ate. The expression "every one under his vine and under his fig tree" (Micah 4:4) refers to a time of past peace and security as the model for an ideal future. The fig has been cultivated in Eretz Yisrael for millenia, perhaps even as far back as the Neolithic Age. The fig was part of the ancient diet of Israelites, including the syrup made from the fruit. Some scholars claim that the phrase "honey out of the rock" in Psalm 81:17 refers to fig syrup since fig trees can grow in rocky places where water is found. Figs were either eaten fresh or dried and pressed into cakes. Fig trees in Israel often grow along streams or near springs and provide ample shade given their numerous branches and large leaves. The figs themselves begin to ripen in the late summer but do not ripen simultaneously, even on a single tree. Cultivation of figs consequently requires constant attention. The first figs to ripen in season were considered particularly delicious. Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.)(Jehuda Feliks), Flora, Anchor Bible Dictionary (Irene Jacob & Walter Jacob)
אמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן מאי דכתיב נוצר תאנה יאכל פריה למה נמשלו דברי תורה כתאנה מה תאנה זוכל זמן שאדם ממשמש בה מוצא בה תאנים אף דברי תורה כל זמן שאדם הוגה בהן מוצא בהן טעם
Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “He who guards the fig tree shall eat its fruit” (Proverbs 27:18)? Why were matters of Torah compared to a fig tree? Just as this fig tree, whenever a person searches it for figs to eat, he finds figs in it, as the figs on a tree do not ripen all at once, so that one can always find a recently ripened fig, so too, with matters of Torah. Whenever a person meditates upon them, he finds in them new meaning.
על פירות הארץ וכו׳: פשיטא אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק לא נצרכה אלא לרבי יהודה דאמר חטה מין אילן היא דתניא אילן שאכל ממנו אדם הראשון רבי מאיר אומר גפן היה שאין לך דבר שמביא יללה על האדם אלא יין שנאמר וישת מן היין וישכר רבי נחמיה אומר תאנה היתה שבדבר שנתקלקלו בו נתקנו שנאמר ויתפרו עלה תאנה
We learned in the mishna: One who recited: Who creates fruit of the tree, over fruits of the earth, did not fulfill his obligation. The Gemara asks: That is obvious, as fruits of the earth do not fall under the rubric of trees. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: This ruling in the mishna is only necessary according to the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, who said in another context that wheat is a type of tree, as we learned in a baraita: The tree from which Adam, the first man, ate, Rabbi Meir says: It was a vine, as nothing brings wailing and trouble upon man even today other than wine, as it is stated with regard to Noah: “And he drank from the wine and became drunk” (Genesis 9:21). Rabbi Neḥemya says: It was a fig tree, as with the object with which they were corrupted and sinned they were rehabilitated, as it is stated: “And they sewed together fig leaves and made for themselves loincloths” (Genesis 3:7). They must have taken the leaves from the tree closest at hand, the Tree of Knowledge.
וַיִּתְפְּרוּ עֲלֵה תְּאֵנָה. אִתְדַּבָּקוּ לְאִתְחֲפָאָה בְּאִנּוּן צוּלְמִין דְּהַהוּא אִילָנָא דְּאֲכָלוּ מִנֵּיהּ דְּאִקְרוּן טַרְפֵּי דְאִילָנָא. וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם חֲגוֹרוֹת. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר כֵּיוָן דְּיָדְעוּ מֵהַאי עָלְמָא וְאִתְדַבָּקוּ בֵּיהּ. חָמוּ דְּהַאי עָלְמָא מִתְדַּבַּר עַל יְדָא דְאִנּוּן טַרְפִּין דְּאִילָנָא. וְעֲבָדוּ לְהוֹן תּוּקְפָא לְאִתְתַּקְפָא בְּהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וּכְדֵין יָדְעוּ כָּל זְיָינֵי חָרְשִׁין דְּעָלְמָא. וּבָעוּ לְמִחְגַּר זַיְינִין בְּאִנּוּן טַרְפֵּי אִילָנָא בְּגִין לְאַגָּנָא עֲלַיְיהוּ.
And they sewed together leaf of fig (Gen. 3:7) They arranged to be covered by the shade of that tree from which they had eaten, called leaves of the tree. And they made themselves loinclothes, Rabbi Yossi said, "They immediately gained knowledge of this world and grasped it. They saw that this world works according to the control of these leaves of the tree. They made for themselves a stronghold, strengthening themselves in this world, in order to master every kind of sorcery in the world. They desired to gird themselves with weapons through leaves of the tree to protect and guard themselves.
Pomegranates
The pomegranate (Heb. רמון, rimmon) grows on a small deciduous tree or bush that can reach a height of up to twenty feet. The name of the fruit may be connected to the Hebrew root for "high (רום)" either because it grew high up on the tree or because it ripens late in summer. The fruit is generally red and round with many small, juicy seeds inside a hard, thick and bitter rind. The seeds can be eaten fresh or made into juice, wine or syrup. The pomegranate tree is widely distributed in the Mediterranean and grew in almost every region of ancient Israel. The pomegranate was a minor part of the ancient Israeli diet but had a number of important symbolic and metaphoric meanings in ancient Israel. In the Hebrew Bible, the numerous seeds found inside the pomegranate symbolized the fruitfulness of the land as well as human fertility. The large fruit itself, with its deep red color and its characteristic persistent calyx on top, often was associated with royalty, particularly divine sovereignty. In rabbinic literature, the seeds of the pomegranate sometimes symbolized the number of the mitzvot, the Jewish people or faithful students sitting in rows and learning Torah. The hem of the robe of the High Priest had pomegranate decorations embroidered in yarn and the capitals of the beams supporting the Temple roof were carved in the shape of pomegranates. Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.)(Jehuda Feliks), Flora, Anchor Bible Dictionary (Irene Jacob & Walter Jacob)
(13) Let us go early to the vineyards; Let us see if the vine has flowered, If its blossoms have opened, If the pomegranates are in bloom, there I will give my love to you.
דָּבָר אַחֵר אֶל גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי, זֶה הָעוֹלָם. לִרְאוֹת בְּאִבֵּי הַנָּחַל, אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל. לִרְאוֹת הֲפָרְחָה הַגֶּפֶן, אֵלּוּ בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיּוֹת וּבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת. הֵנֵצוּ הָרִמֹּנִים, אֵלּוּ הַתִּינוֹקוֹת שֶׁיּוֹשְׁבִין וְעוֹסְקִין בַּתּוֹרָה,, וְיוֹשְׁבִין שׁוּרוֹת שׁוּרוֹת כְּגַרְעִינֵי רִמּוֹנִים.
Another explanation for "I went down to the nut grove,"--this refers to the world, "to see the budding of the valley," this refers to Israel, "to see the fruiting of the vine," this refers to the synagogues and study halls, "the blossoming of the pomegranates," this refers to the students sitting and immersed in Torah, sitting row by row like pomegranate seeds.
(2) I would lead you, I would bring you To the house of my mother, Of her who taught me— I would let you drink of the spiced wine, of my pomegranate juice.
THE EXODUS
"AND it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go" (Ex. xiii. 17). This is what the Scripture says, "Your limbs are a garden of pomegranates" (Song of Songs. iv. 13). Just as this garden is full of (various) kinds of trees, each one bearing according to its kind, so the Israelites, when they went forth from Egypt, were full of all good, (endowed with) the various kinds of blessings, as it is said, "Your shoots are (like) a garden of pomegranates" (ibid.).
Olives
Olive trees (Heb. זית, zayit) both wild and cultivated, are widely distributed in Israel and have been a feature of the Land since antiquity. The tree thrives in Mediterranean climates and is well suited to the rocky soil of Israel highlands. A single olive tree grows many small fruits which, when pressed, produce oil usable for food, cooking, lighting and as an application for skin and hair. The trees have dense foliage and the trunks, over time, become gnarled and twisted. An evergreen tree, the olive tree also produces shoots that sprout from its roots and ensure its continuity if the main trunk dies or is cut down. For this reason, the olive tree also symbolizes longevity Due to its great longevity, an olive tree can produce fruit for many centuries.
The tree blossoms at the beginning of summer and the fruit ripens in the early fall. The fruit was typically gathered by beating the branches with sticks and then placing the olives in baskets which were taken for pressing and the seperation of the oil from olive pulp. Olives were part of the triad of grain, vines and oil which formed the basis of Israel's agriculture in ancient Israel. The fruit itself, however, is bitter to the taste when raw and procedures for making olives edible on their own were probably unknown to the ancient Israelites.
The Hebrew Bible considers olive trees particularly beautiful, especially when laden with fruit. The olive tree and its branches are symbols of peace and two olive branches appear on the emblem of Israel to emphasize this aspiration. As noted above, the olive also symbolizes continuity and the transmission of life and knowledge from one generation to another. As with the vine, the olive tree also serves as a symbol of people of Israel in the Hebrew Bible. When the olive tree flourishes, the people thrive. When the boughs of the tree are broken, the people suffer. Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.)(Jehuda Feliks), Flora, Anchor Bible Dictionary (Irene Jacob & Walter Jacob)
(3) Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons, like olive saplings around your table.
(5) I will heal their affliction, Generously will I take them back in love; For My anger has turned away from them. (6) I will be to Israel like dew; He shall blossom like the lily, He shall strike root like a Lebanon tree. (7) His boughs shall spread out far, His beauty shall be like the olive tree’s, His fragrance like that of Lebanon.
(א) וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (ירמיה יא, טז): זַיִת רַעֲנָן יְפֵה פְרִי תֹאַר קָרָא ה' שְׁמֵךְ, וְכִי לֹא נִקְרְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא כַּזַּיִת הַזֶּה בִּלְבָד, וַהֲלוֹא בְּכָל מִינֵי אִילָנוֹת נָאִים וּמְשֻׁבָּחִים נִקְרְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים פ, ט): גֶּפֶן מִמִּצְרַיִם תַּסִּיעַ, תְּאֵנָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע ט, י): כְּבִכּוּרָה בִתְאֵנָה בְּרֵאשִׁיתָהּ, כַּתָּמָר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שיר השירים ז, ח): זֹאת קוֹמָתֵךְ דָּמְתָה לְתָמָר. כָּאֶרֶז, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים צב, יג): כְּאֶרֶז בַּלְּבָנוֹן יִשְׂגֶּה. כֶּאֱגוֹז, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שיר השירים ו, יא): אֶל גִּנַת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי, וּקְרָאָן בְּכָל מִינֵי שְׁלָחִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שיר השירים ד, יג): שְׁלָחַיִךְ פַּרְדֵּס רִמּוֹנִים, וּבָא יִרְמְיָה לוֹמַר: זַיִת רַעֲנָן יְפֵה פְרִי תֹאַר, אֶלָּא מָה הַזַּיִת הַזֶּה, עַד שֶׁהוּא בְּאִילָנוֹ מְגַרְגְּרִין אוֹתוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ מוֹרִידִין אוֹתוֹ מִן הַזַּיִת וְנֶחְבָּט, וּמִשֶּׁחוֹבְטִין אוֹתוֹ מַעֲלִין אוֹתוֹ לַגַּת וְנוֹתְנִין אוֹתָן בַּמַּטְחֵן, וְאַחַר כָּךְ טוֹחֲנִין אוֹתָן, וְאַחַר כָּךְ מַקִּיפִין אוֹתָן בַּחֲבָלִים, וּמְבִיאִין אֲבָנִים וְאַחַר כָּךְ נוֹתְנִין אֶת שַׁמְנָן. כָּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּאִין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וְחוֹבְטִין אוֹתָם מִמָּקוֹם לְמָקוֹם וְחוֹבְשִׁים אוֹתָן וְכוֹפְתִין אוֹתָם בְּקוֹלָרִין וּמַקִּיפִין אוֹתָן טַרְטְיוֹטִין, וְאַחַר כָּךְ עוֹשִׂין תְּשׁוּבָה וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹנֶה לָהֶם, מִנַּיִן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ב, כג): וַיֵּאָנְחוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכֵן (דברים ד, ל): בַּצַּר לְךָ וּמְצָאוּךָ (דברים ל, לא): כִּי אֵל רַחוּם ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, הֱוֵי: זַיִת רַעֲנָן יְפֵה פְרִי תֹאַר. דָּבָר אַחֵר, מָה רָאָה יִרְמְיָה לִמְשֹׁל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ כַּזַּיִת, אֶלָּא כָּל הַמַּשְׁקִין מִתְעָרְבִים זֶה בָּזֶה, וְהַשֶּׁמֶן אֵינוֹ מִתְעָרֵב אֶלָּא עוֹמֵד, כָּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינָם מִתְעָרְבִים עִם הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ז, ג): וְלֹא תִתְחַתֵּן בָּם. דָּבָר אַחֵר, כָּל הַמַּשְׁקִים אָדָם מְעָרֵב בָּהֶם וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ אֵיזֶה תַּחְתּוֹן וְאֵיזֶה עֶלְיוֹן, אֲבָל הַשֶּׁמֶן אֲפִלּוּ אַתָּה מְעָרְבוֹ בְּכָל הַמַּשְׁקִין שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הוּא נָתוּן לְמַעְלָה מֵהֶן. כָּךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵם עוֹשִׂים רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם נִצָּבִים לְמַעְלָה מִן הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כח, א): וּנְתָנְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ עֶלְיוֹן, הֱוֵי: זַיִת רַעֲנָן יְפֵה פְרִי תֹאַר. דָּבָר אַחֵר, זַיִת רַעֲנָן, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (תהלים מח, ג): יְפֵה נוֹף מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל הָאָרֶץ, מַהוּ יְפֵה נוֹף, לָשׁוֹן יְוָנִי קוֹרִין לְכַלָּה נִמְפִּי, מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁלֹא הָיָה אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל מֵצֵר כְּשֶׁהָיָה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם, לָמָּה, שֶׁהָיָה אָדָם נִכְנָס לְשָׁם מָלֵא עֲוֹנוֹת, וְהָיָה מַקְרִיב קָרְבָּן וּמִתְכַּפֵּר לוֹ, אֵין שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה מִזּוֹ שֶׁהָיָה יוֹצֵא צַדִּיק, הֱוֵי: יְפֵה נוֹף מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל הָאָרֶץ. כְּתִיב בְּצוֹר (יחזקאל כז, ג): צוֹר אַתְּ אָמַרְתְּ אֲנִי כְּלִילַת יֹפִי, אַתְּ אָמַרְתְּ אֲבָל אֲחֵרִים אֵינָם אוֹמְרִים, אֲבָל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם הַכֹּל אוֹמְרִים שִׁבְחָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איכה ב, טו): הֲזֹאת הָעִיר שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ כְּלִילַת יֹפִי, וּכְתִיב (תהלים מח, ג): הַר צִיּוֹן יַרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן קִרְיַת מֶלֶךְ רָב, מָקוֹם שֶׁמַּקְרִיבִין בּוֹ קָרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא א, יא): וְשָׁחַט אֹתוֹ עַל יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ צָפֹנָה, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: זַיִת רַעֲנָן יְפֵה פְרִי תֹאַר, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהַשֶּׁמֶן מֵאִיר כָּךְ בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ מֵאִיר לְכָל הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ס, ג): וְהָלְכוּ גוֹיִם לְאוֹרֵךְ, לָכֵן נִקְרְאוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ זַיִת רַעֲנָן, שֶׁהֵם מְאִירִים לַכֹּל בֶּאֱמוּנָתָם, לְכָךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה: וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ.
(1) ... Another explanation. Why did Jeremiah see fit to compare our ancestors to an olive-tree? All liquids mix with one another, but oil stays separate when mixed. So too Israel does not mix with the idolaters, as it says “You shall not marry them…” (Deuteronomy 7:3) Another explanation. When one mixes all other liquids one doesn’t know what is on top and what is below, but even if you mix oil with all the liquids in the world it rises above the others. So to our ancestors – when they would do the will of God (HaMakom) they stood above the idolaters, as it says “…the Lord, your God, will place you supreme…” (Deuteronomy 28:1) This is “A leafy olive-tree fair with goodly fruit…” (Jeremiah 11:16) Another explanation. “A leafy olive-tree,” this is what is written “The fairest of branches, the joy of the entire earth…” (Psalms 48:3) What does ‘the fairest of branches (nof)’ mean? In Greek they call a bride namfi. ‘The joy of the entire earth,’ because no member of Israel was distressed as long as the Holy Temple stood. And why not? Because one would enter there filled with sins, offer a sacrifice and it would atone for him. There is no greater joy than this, that he would leave there righteous, that is ‘The fairest of branches, the joy of the entire earth.’ It is written regarding Tyre: “Tyre, you said, 'I am the perfection of beauty.'” (Ezekiel 27:3) You say this, but others do not. But everyone speaks the praises of Jerusalem, as it says “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” (Lamentations 2:15) And it is written “Mount Zion, by the north side, the city of a great king.” (Psalms 48:3) The place where they offer sacrifices, as it says “And he shall slaughter it on the northern side of the altar, before the Lord.” (Leviticus 1:11) It says “A leafy olive-tree fair with goodly fruit…” (Jeremiah 11:16) Just as oil illuminates, so too the Holy Temple illuminates the whole world, as it says “And nations shall go by your light…” (Isaiah 60:3) Therefore our ancestors were called ‘a leafy olive-tree’ because they illuminated everyone with their faith. Therefore the Holy One said to Moshe “…and they shall take to you pure olive oil…” (Exodus 27:20)
Honey
Honey (Heb. דבש, devash) in ancient Israel may not have been bee honey but a syrup made from dates or grapes. Although some recent archeological finds at Tel Rehov suggest that ancient Israel knew of the domestication of bees to produce bee honey, the list of honey as the last item in the list of various kinds of agricultural products has persuaded most scholars that devash refers to a product made from the fruit of a tree or vine. The two times the Hebrew Bible refers to bee honey, the bees are found in the wild (Judges 14, 1 Samuel 14) and some continue to argue, from the paucity of the textual and archeological record, that beekeeping for the production of honey did not come to Israel until Hellenistic times. After the discovery at Tel Rehov, the issue may be reopened, although the scholarly consensus before the discovery held that דבש, in the Hebrew Bible at least, referred to a sweet, sticky substance made from fruit, most likely the date. Jewish tradition, on the other hand, firmly maintains that דבש refers to date honey.
The date is the fruit of the palm (Heb. תמר, tamar) which produces edible fruit in hot climates characteristic of the Jordan river valley and the southern coast in ancient Israel. Palm trees have been cultivated for their dates since at least the Neolithic age. In antiquity, Israel was known as part of the "land of the date." Dates can be eaten fresh or dried and can be boiled down to a thick, dark syrup called "date honey." Date honey was considered a delicacy and its presence symbolized a land of particular abundances and sweetness. Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.)(Jehuda Feliks), Flora, Anchor Bible Dictionary (Irene Jacob & Walter Jacob)
דָּבַשׁ , Hif. הִדְבִּישׁ to become liquid, to ferment (of honey). B. Mets. 38ᵃ. Snh. 101ᵃ. Sabb. 154ᵇ
דְּבַשׁ m. (b. h.; preced.) glutinous substance, honey (of bees, dates &c.). Bekh. 7ᵇ. Ter. XI, 2 ד׳ תמרים; a. fr.
(8) I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
(12) The vine has dried up, The fig tree withers, Pomegranate, palm, and apple— All the trees of the field are parched for joy has dried up among men.
(17) He fed them the finest wheat; I sated you with honey from the rock.
(1) I have come to my garden, My own, my bride; I have plucked my myrrh and spice, Eaten my honey and honeycomb, Drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, lovers, and drink: Drink deep of love!
(ג) אֵין מְבִיאִין בִּכּוּרִים חוּץ מִשִּׁבְעַת הַמִּינִים. לֹא מִתְּמָרִים שֶׁבֶּהָרִים, וְלֹא מִפֵּרוֹת שֶׁבָּעֲמָקִים, וְלֹא מִזֵּיתֵי שֶׁמֶן שֶׁאֵינָם מִן הַמֻּבְחָר. אֵין מְבִיאִין בִּכּוּרִים קֹדֶם לָעֲצֶרֶת. אַנְשֵׁי הַר צְבוֹעִים הֵבִיאוּ בִכּוּרֵיהֶם קֹדֶם לָעֲצֶרֶת, וְלֹא קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם, מִפְּנֵי הַכָּתוּב שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה (שמות כג) וְחַג הַקָּצִיר בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע בַּשָּׂדֶה:
(3) One only brings Bikkurim from the seven species [special to the Land of Israel, listed in Deut. 8:8], [but] not from the dates of the mountains or from fruits of the valley, nor from oil-olives that are not of the highest quality. One does not bring Bikkurim before Atseret [Shavuot, the harvest festival]. People from Har Tsevo'im brought their Bikkurim before Atseret and they [the priests] did not accept [the fruits] because of the verse in the Torah, (Exodus 23:16) "And the harvest festival, the first fruits of your labor that you plant in the field."
With regard to the manna, it is written “bread” (Exodus 16:4), and it is written “oil” (Numbers 11:8), and it is written “honey” (Exodus 16:31). How can we reconcile these verses? Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: For the youth it was like bread, for the elderly it was like oil, and for the children it was like honey. Each received what was appropriate.
(א) וַיְנַגַּע ה' אֶת פַּרְעֹה נְגָעִים גְּדֹלִים וגו' (בראשית יב, יז), כְּתִיב (תהלים צב, יג): צַדִּיק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח, אֶתְמְהָא, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר יִפְרָח. מַה תְּמָרָה זוֹ אֵין בָּהּ פְּסֹלֶת, אֶלָּא תְּמָרֶיהָ לַאֲכִילָה, וְלוּלָבֶיהָ לְהַלֵּל, חֲרָיוֹת לְסִכּוּךְ, סִיבִים לַחֲבָלִים, סַנְסַנִּים לִכְבָרָה, שִׁפְעַת קוֹרוֹת לְהַקְרוֹת בָּהֶם אֶת הַבַּיִת, כָּךְ הֵם יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵין בָּהֶם פְּסֹלֶת, אֶלָּא מֵהֶם בַּעֲלֵי מִקְרָא, מֵהֶם בַּעֲלֵי מִשְׁנָה, מֵהֶם בַּעֲלֵי תַּלְמוּד, מֵהֶם בַּעֲלֵי הַגָּדָה.
It is written (Psalms 92:13) "the righteous shall flourish like the date palm...," it states "flourish" for just as no part of the palm goes to waste, the dates are eaten, the new shoots used as lulavs for Hallel, the fronds used as covering [for the Sukkah), the fibers for rope, the leaves for brooms and the boards for roofing, so are there none in Israel who are worthless, some are experts of Scripture, others of Mishnah, others of Talmud, others of Haggadah.
The 7 Species and the Sefirot
The Zohar, Arthur Green, at 42: “Out of the womb of Binah, flow the seven “lower” sefirot, constituting seven aspects of the divine persona. Together these constitute the God who is the object of worship and the One whose image is reflected in each human soul. The divine Self, as conceived by Kabbalah, is an interplay of these seven forces or inner directions. So too in each human personality—God’s image in the world.
The First Pairing: Wheat and Barley--the Grains and Grasses
Wheat: Hesed: “First to manifest is Hesed, the grace or love of God. The emergence of God from hiding is an act filled with love, a promise of the endless showering of blessing and life on all beings, each of whose birth in a sense will continue this process of emerging from the one.” The Zohar, Arthur Green, at 42-3.
The Attributes of Hesed: “Love, Gedullah (Greatness) Grace, White, Water, Right Arm, Abraham:” The Zohar, Arthur Green ix, The Ten Sefirot
As the grain emerges from the chaff stalks, so the lower seven sefirot emerge from the womb of Binah, beginning with Hesed. As the word for wheat also means brightness, Hesed is associated with the color white. Wheat and barley are the raw material for bread, the most important part of the ancient Israelites diet, with wheat being the choicest ingredient between the two. Bread is associated with Abraham at the terebinths of Mamre where he offers his angelic visitors a "morsel of bread."
Barley: Gevurah: "Hesed therefore emerges linked to its own opposite, described both as Din, the judgment of God, and Gevurah, the bastion of divine power. This is a force that measures and limits love, that controls the flow of Hesed in response to the needs, abilities, and deserts of those who are to recieve it....The linking together of Hesed and Gevurah is an infinitely delicate balance. Too much love and there is no judgment, none of the moral demand that is so essential to the fabric of Judaism. But too much power of judgment is even worse. The Kabbalists see this aspect of the divine and human self as fraught with danger, the very birthplace of evil. Gevurah represents the "left" side of the divine as the sefirot emerge in humanlike form." The Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green, at 434.
Gevurah: Power, Din (Judgment) right, red, fire, left arm, Isaac The Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green ix, The Ten Sefirot
Wheat and barley were frequently mixed in ancient Israel in making bread, just as Hesed is linked to Gevurah. Too much barley and the bread becomes coarse, too much wheat and the bread becomes too expensive and loses its association with the diet of the ancient Israelites in the hill country of Israel. Barley was also associated with the Sotah ritual, just as Gevurah is associated with judgment and the feminine side of the sefirot.
The Fruit of the Vine: Tiferet
Vine--Tiferet: The balance of Hesed and Gevurah results in the sixth sefirah, the center of the sefirotic universe. This configuration ideally represents the personal God of biblical and rabbinic tradition. This is God seated on the throne, the one to whom prayer is most centrally addressed. Poised between the "right" and "left" forces within divinity, the "blessed Holy One" is the key figure in a central column of sefirot, positioned directly below Keter, the divine that precedes all duality. The sixth sefirah is represented by the third patriarch, Jacob, also called Israel, the perfect integration of the forces of Abraham and Isacc, the God who united and balances love and fear....Nonpersonal designations for this sixth sefirah include Tif'eret ("splendor") mishpat ("balanced judgment"), and emet ("truth") The Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green, at 46-7
Tif'eret: "Beauty, Rahamin (compassion) Blessed Holy One, heaven, sun, harmony, King, Green, Torso, Jacob, Moses." The Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green at ix, The Ten Sefirot
Israel is associated with the vine, just as Tiferet is associated with Jacob. Tiferet is a mix between the white of Hesed and the red of Gevurah, just as wine may be a mixture of white and red. Just as Tiferet is associated with Keter, the divine crown, so is wine associated with royalty. The testament of Jacob connects wine and vine with Judah, the royal line of Israel (Gen. 49:11).
The Second Pairing: Figs and Pomegranates--the Tree Fruit
Figs: Netsach, Pomegranates, Hod Netsach and Hod: "The only major functions assigned to Netsach and Hod in the kabbalistic sources is that they serve as the sources of prophecy. Moses is the single human to rise to the level of Tif'eret, to become "bridegroom of the Shekhinah." Others mortals can experience the sefirotic universe only as reflected in the Shekinah, the single portal through which they can enter....The prophets other than Moses occupy an intermediate position, receiving their visions and messages from the seventh and eighth sefirot, making prophecy a matter of participation in the inner sefirotic life of God." A Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green, at 48
Netzach, Endurance, prophecy, right leg. Hod, splendor, prophecy, left leg. A Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green, ix The Ten Sefirot
Figs and Pomegranates: Figs exemplify endurance because fig trees produce fruit continually during the fruit harvesting season and require diligence to cull the ripened fruit from among the still ripening figs. Pomegranates represent splendor in their brilliant red color when ripe and in the calyx which emerges from the top of the fruit. The calyx of the pomegranate resembles the tiara of royalty. For that reason, pomegranates served as a model for human crowns, as symbolic crests to the stone columns which stood at the forefront of the ancient temple and as models for the silver bells with adorned the hem of the High Priest's robe.
The Third Pairing: Olive Oil and Honey: The Distilled Essence of Olive and Date
Olive Oil: Yesod "The ninth sefirah represents the joining together of all the cosmic forces, the flow of all the energies above now united again in a single place. In this sense the ninth sefirah is paralell to the second: Hokhmah began the flow of these forces from a single point; now Yesod, as the ninth is called, reassembles them and prepares to direct their flow once again. The life force that flows among and animates the sefirot is often described in metaphors of either light or water, the primal substances that best reify free-flowing energy....The biblical personality associated with the ninth sefirah is Joseph, the only figure regularly described in rabbinic literature as tsaddiq, or "righteous."
Olive Oil: Yesod: "Foundation, Tsaddiq (Righteous One), Covenat, Phallus, Joseph" A Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green, at ix "The Ten Sefirot"
Just as Yesod represents the flow of all energies downward from above, olive oil flows from the fruit of the olive tree which must drop to the ground below to produce its oil. Olive oil flows like water and represents the source of energy that kept much of the ancient world lit by fire. Olive oil was also used in Jewish tradition to annoint the righteous.
Date Honey: Malchut/Shekhinah: "By far the richest network of symbolic associations is that connected with the tenth and final sefirah. As Malkhut ("Kingdom"), it represents the realm over which the King (Tif'eret) has dominion, sustaining and protecting her as the true king takes responsibility for his kingdom. As the same time, it is this sefirah that is charged with dominion over the lower world: the blessed Holy One's Malkhut is the lower world's ruler....The last sefirah is also called Shekhinah, an ancient rabbinic term for the indwelling divine presence. In the early Midrash, the Shekhinah was said to dwell in Israel's midst, to follow them into exile, and to participate in their suffering....As the female partner within the divine world, the tenth sefirah came to be described by a host of symbols, derived from both the natural world and from the legacy of Judaism, that are classically associated with femininity. She is the moon, dark on Her own but receiving and giving off the light of the sun. She is the sea, into whom all waters flow; the earth, longing to be fructified by the rain that falls from heaven." A Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green, at 50-2
Honey: Malkhut: "Kingdom, Shekhinah (Presence), Assembly of Israel, Earth, Moon, Queen, Apple Orchard, King David, Rachel" A Guide to the Zohar, Arthur Green, at ix "The Ten Sefirot"
The assembly of Israel dwells in the land of milk and honey, honey whose sweetness comes from dates. The Shekhinah, the in-dwelling Presence of the Divine, is also associated with the manna (see Ramban's comments to Exodus 16:6), which tasted sweet like date honey. The light of Shekhinah is said to be sweet and sustaining (like honey) for the angels, and manna derives from this supernal light. As Shekhinah partakes of aspects of male and female, the palm tree is associated with male and female graftings in the Talmud (Pesakhim 56a) to produce fruit.