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TREES
Table of Contents
What is the
eshel tree that Abraham planted [1]
and why did he select it over other trees? In many places in the vicinity
of Beersheva a certain tree stands out. From afar its thick crown looks
like grey-green pillows. Its heavy shade attracts passersby, shepherds
and their flocks. One of its Arabic names in athal, very much like
the Hebrew eshel; in Latin Taramix sp.; in English tamarisk.
Anyone sitting in
the morning shade of the tamarisk feels its pleasant coolness. If the
sojourner raises his eyes to the tree's branches, he will be surprised
to discover shiny droplets of water on the thin branchlets. These droplets,
most plentiful after a humid night, evaporate towards noon. A lick of
the tamarisk's branches reveals its secret: tiny salt crystals are exuded
by the tree into the leaves. At night as the moisture increases in the
cooler air, the water vapor adheres to the hygroscopic salt particles
and condenses into droplets. With morning, as the sun warms the air, the
water evaporates and so cools the tamarisk's branches.
It appears that the
Patriarch Abraham did not simply plant any tree upon arriving in Beersheva
for a lengthy sojourn. He chose a tree whose shade is cooler than that
of other trees. Moreover, the eshel can withstand heat and long
dry spells by sending roots deep down to find underground water. Not surprisingly,
the eshel remains to this day in the vicinity of Beersheva, its
ancient biblical name preserved by both nations sprung from Abraham: the
descendants of Ishmael and the descendent of Isaac.
It does not take great
flights of fancy to assume that Abraham planted more than just one tamarisk.
A tamarisk branch planted in damp soil, especially if that soil is sand
or loess (as is the case in the vicinity of Beersheva), will quickly send
out roots and branches. If water is available during the first growing
season , the roots will continue to seek out the damp soil strata and
the tamarisk will continue to flourish without additional irrigation.
Thus we can imagine that were Abraham settled he planted not one tree,
but rather several trees, perhaps even a grove. The modern reader who
can imagine an entire grove from the one word "tamarisk" still
cannot compete with the rich imagination of the creators of the midrashim.
The tamarisk, for all of its pleasant shade, is not a fruit bearing tree.
The midrashic commentators therefore, wondered what refreshments Abraham
had to offer his guests in the shade:
Reish Lakish[2]
said: "This teaches that he created an orchard and planted all
sorts of choice fruit therein." (Sota 10a)
Rabbi Judah[3]
says: Eshel means orchard. Ask what you will of it: figs, grapes
and pomegranates (Bereshit Rabba 54:6).
Rabbi Nehemiah[4]
really lets his imagination go, saying that the sojourner received
from Abraham whatever his appetite desired: a loaf of bread, meat,
wine and eggs."(Bereshit Rabba 54:6).
The delightful shade
of the tamarisk is responsible for its widespread planting in other parts
of Israel, Today, tamarisks are frequently grown as shade trees, especially
in parks and along the boulevards of Israel's coastal cities.
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The
sages commonly used the expression "large tamarisks" as
a nickname for the greatest of the tannaim[5]
of the first generations, in whose shade the amoraim[6]
saw themselves taking shelter. When an amora cited one of
the early tannaim, it was said that he "suspended himself
from the large tamarisks"[7], i.e.,
cited the higher authority of the tannaim. This same metaphor
led the amoraim to say: "The great and respected tamarisks
(the leading scholars) of the Diaspora are themselves equal only
to the young chicks (the least) among the scholars and the Sages
residing in the Land of Israel."[8]
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[1]
Genesis 21:33 [back]
[2]
Reish Laksish (Rabbi Simeon ben-Lakish): one of the greatest amoraim
[6] of Israel in the second generation
(250-290 CE); head of the Academy at Tiberias together with Rabbi
Johanan. He was a gladiator in his youth. He was so highly esteemed
for his personal integrity that if he were seen talking to anyone
in public, that person would be lent money without any witnesses.[back]
[3]
Rabbi Judah (bar Ilai) was one of the greatest tannaim [5]
in the fourth generation (135-170 CE); one of Rabbi Akiba's disciples.[back]
[4]
Rabbi Nehemiah was a fourth generation tanna (see below)
(135-170 CE); worked as a potter; laid the foundation for the composition
of theTosefta; one of Rabbi Akiva's last pupils.[back]
[5]
Tanna (plural tannaim): those Sages mentioned in the
Mishna or living in the Mishnaic period, i.e., from about 20 CE
to the final redaction of the Oral Law (the Mishna) circa 200 CE
by Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi. These two centuries are divided into five
generations, a useful frame of reference that has been used since
it was introduced in the second half of the twelfth century. [back]
[6]
Amora (plural "amoraim") Those sages mentioned
in the Gemara or active from the early third century (when the Mishna
was codified) until the completion of the Babylonian Talmud at the
end of the fifth century CE. It is customary to divided the amoraic
period into eight generations although many scholars span two successive
generations. The first five generations consist of both Palestinian
and Babylonian amoraim. The last three generations, however,
are limited to Babylonian amoraim since the Jerusalem Talmud
was completed about a century before the Babylonian. The tile "Rabbi"
or "Rabban" is given not only to all of the tannaim,
but also to the amoraim who resided in Israel. The title
Rav or the absence of a title indicates amoraim of
the Babylonian Talmud. [back]
[7]
Babylonia Talmud, Beitza 27a; Babba Batra 31b [back]
[8]
Jerusalem Talmud, Babba Metzia 1,8 [back]
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Nogah
Hareuveni, Tree and Shrub in Our Biblical Heritage, translated
from the Hebrew and adapted by Helen Frenkly,
Neot Kedumim, Ltd. Kiryat Ono, 1984; used with permission of Neot
Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel.
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