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Part I - Nature and Ecology in Jewish Tradition
Nature is an inherent part of Jewish life. Nature plays an important role inthe history and celebration of Jewish holidays, in the Torah's stories,
and in our prayers. Nature is the "footprint" of HaShem (God) and through its careful observance one can come to understand Judaism and the world far better. (And, long before the word "environmentalism" was coined,
Jewish tradition was teaching us the importance of taking care of the earth.) Nature and ecology are as much a part of Jewish life as are Shabbat and the other mitzvot.
Each month, this section will offer teachings from Judaism's Written and Oral traditions. These teachings will look at nature "through the eyes of
Jewish text" and examine the profoundly simple solutions Jewish tradition offers to contemporary environmental problems.
These teachings will call upon a core of texts, commentaries and contemporary writings. These will include portions of Torah, writings from the
Mishnah and Gomorra, selections from the Siddur, Torah and Flora (Louis I. Rabinowitz) and The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols (Ellen Frankel and Betsy Platkin Teutsch). If you have any comments or questions,
please e-mail me and reference the subject area as Teachings.
The Forbidden Fruit - Genesis I:1-6:8
As you can see, the Torah never specifies
what the forbidden fruit was. In Talmud (Berakot 40b) three possibilities are mentioned by various rabbis. One of these is wheat, which seems odd because wheat is not a tree (reasons are put forth for why wheat
might be considered a tree). Another possibility is the grape vine, which is also not a tree though its ability to climb trees makes it easier to understand this possibility than that of wheat. The third choice is
the fig tree. Middrash (Genesis Rabbah 15:8) adds the etrog as a candidate for the forbidden fruit and this is the choice whole-heartedly supported by Nachmanides. (See his commentary on Leviticus 23:40.)
The fig tree receives the most first place votes based on the principle of
"that which Adam and Eve sinned with, is also that which they used to make right their wrong." Consequently, the original two-legged creatures cover their nakedness with fig leaves (which are very broad). For this same reason, wood from the fig tree was used as fuel for the sacrificial altarthe only fruit-bearing tree that was so used.
The fig is the first fruit mentioned in the Torah. It is included among the seven species that are said to exemplify the beauty and honor of Israel and is eaten on the holiday of Tu b'Shevat. Last but
not least, we are told that in the time when the Meshiah comes, everyone will "sit under a (grape) vine and fig tree and that no one will be afraid again (Micah 4:4).
More About Fig Trees (Ficus carica) -
Excerpted from Time/Life Plant Encyclopedia Website
The delicately sweet 1- to 3-inch fig is one of the oldest fruits known to man. The trees may grow 6 to 20 feet tall and spread to an equal or greater
distance. The handsome deeply lobed leaves, often used as a motif in art, are borne on thick stubby twigs; the trunks and branches are covered with pearl-gray bark and can become attractively gnarled as the trees
become old. Most figs are white, brown or purplish in color when ripe. The fruit itself is unusual in that the edible part we call the fig is not the true fruit but a fleshy receptacle whose inner walls are lined
with tiny seeds; these are the true fruit.
Fig trees produce two crops a year, one in early summer from buds on the previous season's growth and another in late summer on the current season's growth;
occasionally a third crop is borne on the late summer's branches. Fig trees may bear for 50 years or more, and a 15- to 20-foot tree ordinarily yields at least 40 to 50 pounds annually.
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