Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, February 1890, oil on canvas, 73.3 cm x 92.4 cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation). For more information about this image, enjoy the video at the bottom of this sheet.
This image beautifully illustrates a verse in Korach, Num. 17:23, the text of which is provided below and highlighted in red type in both the Hebrew and the English.
In the Union for Reform Judaism The Torah: A Modern Commentary Revised Edition (CCAR Press, c. 2005), the footnote on almonds from Num. 17:23 is as follows:
Almonds. Rapid flowering is characteristic of the almond tree. In Jeremiah's dedication to his prophetic mission, the almond branch, שָׁקֵד (shaked), symbolizes the speedy coming to pass of the words that God will put into his mouth: "For I am like an almoner (שָׁקֵד) [dispensing] My word to be fulfilled" (haftarah with Matot, Jer. 1:12). According to a later Jewish tradition, the staff of the Messiah will be an almond branch.
FUN FACT: The word מַטֶּה (mateh) translates as both "staff" and "tribe," as our textbook, The First Hebrew Primer Third Edition, explains on page 180 in the middle of the page.
Biblical Figures דמויות תנכיות
Korach was a Levite who rebelled against Moses's authority. He, his fellow rebels, and their families were all swallowed up by the earth.
(טז) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (יז) דַּבֵּ֣ר ׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְקַ֣ח מֵֽאִתָּ֡ם מַטֶּ֣ה מַטֶּה֩ לְבֵ֨ית אָ֜ב מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־נְשִֽׂיאֵהֶם֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר מַטּ֑וֹת אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ תִּכְתֹּ֖ב עַל־מַטֵּֽהוּ׃ (יח) וְאֵת֙ שֵׁ֣ם אַהֲרֹ֔ן תִּכְתֹּ֖ב עַל־מַטֵּ֣ה לֵוִ֑י כִּ֚י מַטֶּ֣ה אֶחָ֔ד לְרֹ֖אשׁ בֵּ֥ית אֲבוֹתָֽם׃ (יט) וְהִנַּחְתָּ֖ם בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד לִפְנֵי֙ הָֽעֵד֔וּת אֲשֶׁ֛ר אִוָּעֵ֥ד לָכֶ֖ם שָֽׁמָּה׃ (כ) וְהָיָ֗ה הָאִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶבְחַר־בּ֖וֹ מַטֵּ֣הוּ יִפְרָ֑ח וַהֲשִׁכֹּתִ֣י מֵֽעָלַ֗י אֶת־תְּלֻנּוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֛ר הֵ֥ם מַלִּינִ֖ם עֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ (כא) וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיִּתְּנ֣וּ אֵלָ֣יו ׀ כָּֽל־נְשִֽׂיאֵיהֶ֡ם מַטֶּה֩ לְנָשִׂ֨יא אֶחָ֜ד מַטֶּ֨ה לְנָשִׂ֤יא אֶחָד֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר מַטּ֑וֹת וּמַטֵּ֥ה אַהֲרֹ֖ן בְּת֥וֹךְ מַטּוֹתָֽם׃ (כב) וַיַּנַּ֥ח מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־הַמַּטֹּ֖ת לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה בְּאֹ֖הֶל הָעֵדֻֽת׃ (כג) וַיְהִ֣י מִֽמָּחֳרָ֗ת וַיָּבֹ֤א מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל הָעֵד֔וּת וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּרַ֥ח מַטֵּֽה־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לְבֵ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיֹּ֤צֵֽא פֶ֙רַח֙ וַיָּ֣צֵֽץ צִ֔יץ וַיִּגְמֹ֖ל שְׁקֵדִֽים׃ (כד) וַיֹּצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶת־כָּל־הַמַּטֹּת֙ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֶֽל־כָּל־בְּנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּרְא֥וּ וַיִּקְח֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ מַטֵּֽהוּ׃ (ס)
(16) The Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: (17) Speak to the Israelite people and take from them—from the chieftains of their ancestral houses—one staff for each chieftain of an ancestral house: twelve staffs in all. Inscribe each man’s name on his staff, (18) there being one staff for each head of an ancestral house; also inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. (19) Deposit them in the Tent of Meeting before the Pact, where I meet with you. (20) The staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout, and I will rid Myself of the incessant mutterings of the Israelites against you. (21) Moses spoke thus to the Israelites. Their chieftains gave him a staff for each chieftain of an ancestral house, twelve staffs in all; among these staffs was that of Aaron. (22) Moses deposited the staffs before the Eternal, in the Tent of the Pact. (23) The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Pact, and there the staff of Aaron of the house of Levi had sprouted: it had brought forth sprouts, produced blossoms, and borne almonds. (24) Moses then brought out all the staffs from before the Eternal to all the Israelites; each identified and recovered his staff.
References to almonds are also found in Genesis 30:37, Genesis 43:11, Exodus 25:33-34, Ecclesiastes 12:5, Jeremiah 1:11, and many other sources. Some additional references are listed below. Type "almond" in Sefaria's search bar to find more.
(1) בתוך מטותם [AND THE STAFF OF AARON WAS] IN THE MIDST OF THEIR STAVES — He placed Aarons staff in the middle (בתוך) in order that people should not say, “It is only because he placed it at the side where the Shechinah is that it blossomed” (Midrash Tanchuma, Achrei Mot 8 on אחרי מות).
תנו רבנן עשרה דברים נבראו בערב שבת בין השמשות ואלו הן באר ומן וקשת הכתב והמכתב והלוחות קברו של משה ומערה שעמד בה משה ואליהו פתיחת פי האתון ופתיחת פי הארץ לבלוע את הרשעים ויש אומרים אף מקלו של אהרן שקדיה ופרחיה ויש אומרים אף המזיקין
The Sages taught: Ten phenomena were created on Shabbat eve during twilight, and they were: [Miriam’s] well, and manna, and the rainbow, writing, and the writing instrument, and the tablets, the grave of Moses, and the cave in which Moses and Elijah stood, the opening of the mouth of Balaam’s donkey, and the opening of the mouth of the earth to swallow the wicked in the time of Korah. And some say that even Aaron’s staff was created then with its almonds and its blossoms. Some say that even the demons were created at this time.
Excerpt from Contemporary Reflection, Rachel Adler, in The Torah: A Women's Commentary, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Andrea L. Weiss, URJ Press, c. 2008, p. 540:
Clearly the Menorah embodies some kind of metaphor. But metaphor has rules, just like tennis or Scrabble®. One rule is that there has to be some link between the tenor (the topic under discussion) and the vehicle (the concrete object to which it is being compared). What, then, is tall, has a keneh (stem), with kanim (branches) extending from it, and p'rachim (flowers) intermixed with bud-like swellings (kaftorim)? The Menorah is a representation of a flowering almond tree!
The almond tree is distinctive not only in that it blossoms early, but also in that it then rapidly buds leaves, develops new branches, and forms its sustaining fruit—all before the flowers' calyx drops off (Nogah Hareuveni, Nature in Our Biblical Heritage, 1980, p. 130). Its Hebrew name, shaked, means "the early waker," and it may symbolize God's watchfulness or the speed with which God responds (Jeremiah 1:11). It is also the legitimating emblem of the Aaronite priesthood. At the end of Korah's rebellion in Numbers 17, Moses deposits the staffs of all the Israelite chieftains in the Tent of Meeting, "and there the staff of Aaron...had sprouted: it had brought forth sprouts, produced blossoms and borne almonds" (17:23).
Numbers 16:1–18:32
- Korach and his followers, Dathan and Abiram, lead a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. God punishes the rebels by burying them and their families alive. Once again, God brings a plague on the people. (16:1-17:15)
- The chief of each tribe deposits his staff inside the Tent of Meeting. Aaron's staff brings forth sprouts, produces blossoms, and bears almonds. (17:16-26)
- The Kohanim and Levites are established and assigned the responsibility of managing the donations to the Sanctuary. All of the firstborn offerings shall go to the priests and all the tithes are designated for the Levites in return for the services they perform. (18:1-32)
Arvolicos d’almendra que yo plantí
Por los tus ojos vedrulis,
Dame la mano niña que yo por ti,
Que yo por tí me va a morir
La puerta de mi querida ya se abrió,
De lagrimas ya se hinchó,
Como la primavera que ansí salió
La bella ninia que amo yo.
Hermosa sos querida, en quantidá
A ti deseo alcansar
Se yo no te alcansí mi querida
La vida vo a’ empresentar.
Little almond trees
Little almond trees I planted
For the sake of your green eyes,
Give me your hand girl, since for you,
For you I’m going to die.
My beloved’s door is open,
Her eyes filled with tears,
Like spring, the beautiful girl
I love is gone.
You are so beautiful, my love,
I want to come to you.
If I don’t find you, my love,
I shall offer up my life.
I
Moses heard and fell
on his face, it says – It was
all very slapstick
II
The future will be
decided on the scent of
rebellious incense
III
Does killing all the
dissenters always have to
be the go to plan?
IV
It’s become clear I’ve
underestimated the
value of incense
V
Always men and our
contest of staffs – My almond
blossoms are biggest
VI
And the descendants
of Aaron shall forever
live in apartments
VII
Levites – Your temple’s
professional staff – Give them
the best from your vats
Enjoy this video featuring Vincent Willem van Gogh discussing the painting Almond Blossom, symbolizing new life.