Eikev: Shivat Haminim, The Seven Fruits of Israel
Original author - Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum, edited by the GrowTorah Summer Inchworms 2021-2022 and Shoshi Ehrenreich
View Accompanying Source Sheet Here
The Land of Israel is described as “A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and [date] honey.”[1][2]
The praise of Eretz Yisrael for its fruit trees is a lesson in itself, testifying to the symbolic significance of nature. The Torah paints the shade of the grape vine and fig tree as a metaphor for the idyllic world-peace we await. Our ultimate trust in Hashem is expressed through the serene environment where “Judah and Israel will sit securely, each person under his vine and fig tree…”[3] There is no greater sign of the coming redemption than when the Land of Israel produces fruits in abundance.[4]
Each individual fruit of the seven species is also symbolic, as accentuated by the great Kabbalist Arizal, [5] who attributes the spiritual energies of each fruit to one of the seven lower sefirot (spiritual emanations) that we count during each week of the Omer.[6][7] Wheat corresponds to chesed (kindness); barley reflects gevura (restraint); grapes represent tiferet (beauty); figs correspond to netzach (endurance); pomegranates correspond to hod (glory, majesty, gratitude and recognition); olives and olive oil are yesod (foundation); and dates correspond to malchut (kingdom).
The offerings of the choicest fruits—the bikkurim—brought to the Temple in Jerusalem on Shavuot were only from these seven species. Nogah Hareuveni [11] explains that the seven species flower and fruit during the period between Pesach and Shavuot, a season that depends on the delicate balance between contradictory forces of nature. It is characterized by climatic contrasts between extreme dryness and heat on the one hand and cold storms on the other. Therefore, the seven species are selected to reaffirm our pure faith in Hashem, by our expressing thanks to the One and only Hashem specifically for the fruits of the Land.
The flowering and fruiting of the seven species coincides with our own spiritual development during the season between Pesach and Shavuot, as we count the Omer during the 49 days between Pesach and Shavuot, preparing for receiving the Torah. [12] Both are a part of an annual reaffirmation of faith in Hashem and appreciation for the gifts we were given.
With the effects of anthropogenic climate change, our environment and agriculture are in an even more delicate balance these days. Weather events are increasingly more extreme, and other fluctuations can affect the growing window and yield. [13] In these conditions, the significance of the seven species and the appreciation of Hashem’s role in sustaining us are all the more valuable.
These seven species were the staple foods consumed by the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael during biblical times. Their holiness is crystalized in the unique blessing recited after eating them, thanking Hashem for the goodness of the land. This blessing, said after eating grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives or dates, differs from the blessing said after any other fruits in its effusive praise of the land of Israel and its fruits: “Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, for the tree and the fruit of the tree, for the produce of the field, and for the precious, good, and spacious land which You have graciously given as a heritage to our ancestors, to eat of its fruit and be satiated with its goodness… For You, Hashem, are good and do good to all, and we will thank You for the land and for her fruits. Blessed are You Hashem, for the land and for her fruits.” [14]
These seven species are central to a Jewish spiritual path that endeavors to elevate the physical through intentional living. Through them, we can better connect to the land, promote our spiritual and physical health, and deepen our relationship with Hashem.
Suggested Action Items:
Take advantage of the spiritual healing properties of the seven species of the Land, eating them in their least processed forms when you can. Take time to eat consciously and focus on the blessings and their meanings before and after eating them.
Chana Bracha Siegelbaum, a native of Denmark, is the founder and Director of Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin . She holds a Bachelor of Education in Bible and Jewish Philosophy from Michlala Jerusalem College for Women, and a Masters of Art in Jewish History from Touro College. Chana Bracha lives with her family in Israel, on the land of the Judean hills.
Original Canfei Nesharim Sponsorships:
For Anne Werner, in memory of a wise woman who understood and cared for the environment, dedicated by her daughter Deborah Lesser and Michael Lesser.
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Notes:
[1] Devarim 8:8 (All Tanach translations are the author’s own adaptations from The Jerusalem Bible [Koren]).
[2] The Sages understand the verse’s mention of honey to be date honey. See Mishna Brura 202:44.
[3] I Melachim, 5:5.
[4] Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a.
[5] Rabbi Yitzchak Luria Ashkenazi , Tzfat 1534-1572.
[6] Arizal, Sefer Halikutim, Parshat Eikev, chapter 8.
[7] Click here for more on Omer and the sefirot.
[8] See here for a source on grains and cardiovascular health.
[9] See here for a source on grape skins and diabetes.
[10] See here for a source on the health benefits of figs.
[11] Nogah Hareuveni is the founder and chairman of Neot Kedumim, The Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel, and author of numerous books on Judaism and nature.
[12] The Counting of the Omer is a verbal counting of each of the forty-nine days between Passover and Shavuot. This mitzvah derives from the Torah commandment to count from the day following Passover when the Omer, (a sacrifice containing an omer-measure of barley), was offered in the Temple, until Shavuot when an offering of wheat breads was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem. Moreover, counting the Omer is a spiritual preparation for the receiving of the Torah on Shavuot. According to Kabbalists, each day corresponds to one of the seven lower sefirot with its sub-sefira.
[13] Read the IPCC report on food security.
[14] Translation from chabad.org with author’s amendments.
