Bar-Ilan University
Parshat Hashavua Study Center
Parshat Ekev 5774/August 16, 2014
This series of faculty lectures on the weekly Parsha is made possible by the Department of Basic Jewish
Studies, the Paul and Helene Shulman Basic Jewish Studies Center, the Office of the Campus Rabbi,
Bar-Ilan University's International Center for Jewish Identity and the Computer Center Staff at Bar-Ilan
University. For inquiries, please contact Avi Woolf at: opdycke1861@yahoo.com.
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The Seven Varieties in the Midrash
By Yisrael Rosenson*
The "seven varieties"—a list of seven botanical items—are seldom treated as an integral
conceptual unit in the legends of the Sages or in works following in their wake, even though
one might expect that the patently typological number seven would stimulate the creation
of special homiletic interpretations. The absence of such material also stands in contrast to
the embellishment often found on items comprising other lists. Below we present two
instances of ideas developed on the basis of this famous list and other words in praise of the
land that are scattered throughout Parashat Ekev.
The kabbalist exegete Recanati's interpretation of Deut. 8:8 provides a fine elucidation of the
difference between the plain sense of the text in praise of the seven varieties and the
symbolism that in his view lies therein:
One cannot say that this praise was meant merely on the level of plain
sense, for in a certain location outside the land of Israel these seven
varieties are found in abundance. The seven varieties indeed allude to the
*
Prof. Yisrael Rosenson heads Efrata Teachers College in Jerusalem.
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seven days of creation, and the land mentioned there is the acme of
perfection.
Thus, the seven varieties are included in this week's reading not because their presence in
the land is so very praiseworthy. Regions blessed with these varieties could be found
elsewhere in the world known to this exegete.1 Yet he spins their symbolic allegorical
potential into a far-reaching symbolic interpretation. He draws a connection between the
seven varieties that the verse in Deuteronomy associates with the land (eretz) and the seven
days of creation in which the earth (eretz) was created and perfected.
A similar idea, although of broader scope, appears in the midrash:2
In the beginning—as Scripture says, "Mitzvot light upon the head of the
righteous" (Prov. 10:6).3 Moses4 said that the Lord your G-d is bringing you
to a good land. This was written in respect of creation of the world:
regarding the first day it says that "G-d saw that the light was good," and
here it says "to a good land." On the second day, "Let there be an expanse
in the midst of the water," and here, "a land with streams." On the third
day, "Let the earth sprout vegetation," and here, "a land of wheat and
barley." On the fourth day, "Let there be lights," and here, "a land of olive
trees and honey." On the fifth day, "Let the waters bring forth swarms…,"
and here, "a land…without stint."5 On the sixth day, "Let us make man," and
here, "a land whose rocks are iron."6 On the seventh day, "G-d blessed the
1
R. Menachem Recanati (1250-1310) was probably influenced by the agricultural countryside of his
native Italy.
2
E. Urbach, "Seridei Tanhuma—Yelamdenu," Kovetz `Al-Yad, 1966, p. 11.
3
The scriptural text reads: "Blessings light upon the head of the righteous."
4
Following the idea that Deuteronomy was said by Moses. Perhaps this this explains the error,
"Mitzvot light on the head of the righteous" instead of "Blessings light upon the head of the
righteous," insofar as Deuteronomy consists primarily of commandments.
5
"Without stint" indicates a land of plenty, appropriately paired with swarms of fish.
6
Pairing the expressions of praise for the land in Deuteronomy with the act of creation raises a
certain difficulty when it comes to the creation of man, which is set opposite "a land whose rocks are
iron." Presuming that the midrash is not just a technical compilation of sayings, we expect it to teach
us something about human nature. A somewhat parallel text in Yalkut Shimoni says that "man is the
tree of the field," a line taken from Deuteronomy (20:19), although not from this week's reading.
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seventh day," and here, "When you have eaten your fill, give blessings to the
Lord."
The "vegetation" of the third day of creation calls to mind the list of the seven varieties
beginning with two grains—wheat and barley—and all the trees in the list are called to mind
by the concluding ones—olive trees and honey—both symbolizing the light/heavenly bodies7
created on the fourth day. The midrash equates the general praise of the land of Israel—
called a "good land" in this week's reading, with the praise of the world the Lord created,
"seeing that it was good." The association between these two goods indicates an essentially
optimistic approach to the land and creation alike.
A liturgical poem by Yannai (from Kerovah on Num. 26:22)8 contains a series of epithets for
the land of Israel and the people of Israel, based on the seven varieties:
A land to which in Your might You gave us / A goodly gift bequeathing us.
An inheritance, a holding, a portion, an estate / By rope and by straw, by lot
and by draw.
A land of wheat and barley / To the first of the barley harvest (reshit
se`orah).
A land of vineyards / To those planted as a vineyard // A land of fig trees / To
the first fruits of the fig tree.
A land of pomegranate trees / To the pomegranate split open. // A land of
olive trees / To those whose beauty is as the olive.
A land flowing with milk and honey / To those under whose tongue is milk
and honey.
It is holy / And they are holy. // May the holy ones come and inherit the holy
and sanctified land.
"The first of the barley harvest": the comparison of Israel to barley is rare, probably
because of its inferiority to wheat. Nevertheless, here barley is deliberately chosen to
represent the pair of grains, "wheat and barley." We can only surmise that the poet was
impressed by barley being the first to ripen and may have wished to play on the words reshit
and se`orah (perhaps reflecting the poet's accent).
Reshit comes from an expression
mentioned in conjunction with the omer (omer reshit ketzirkhem, or the "omer from the
7
Olive oil was used for light, and the sweetness of honey is used in the Bible to symbolize light.
8
Rabinowitz, Yannai, 2, p. 117.
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beginning of your harvest" [Lev. 23:11]), which is brought from the barley harvest. Thus we
have here an epithet for a people who observe the commandment of the omer. Reshit here
can also allude to the people: "Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits (reshit) of His
harvest" (Jer. 2:3).
"Planted as a vineyard": alluding to the verse, "I planted you with noble vines" (Jer. 2:21);
"and planted it with choice vines" (Isa. 5:2); "You plucked up a vine from Egypt" (Ps. 80:9).
"The first fruits of the fig tree": alluding to the verse, "your fathers seemed to Me like the
first fig to ripen on a fig tree" (Hos. 9:10).
"A pomegranate split open": alluding to "Your brow…[gleams] like a pomegranate split
open" (Song 4:3), which is interpreted: "Even the most vacuous among you is as full of good
deeds as a pomegranate [is full of seeds]" (Hagigah 27a and elsewhere).
"Whose beauty is as the olive": alluding to "His beauty shall be like the olive tree's" (Hos.
14:7).
"A land flowing with milk and honey": a commonly-used epithet for the land of Israel, with
"honey" concluding the list of the seven varieties. The poem opens with a paired metaphor,
"A land of wheat and barley," and concludes with a pair, "a land flowing with milk and
honey."
"To those under whose tongue is milk and honey": referring to the blessing of the people
of Israel, "Honey and milk are under your tongue" (Song 4:11), the woman in Song of Songs
being viewed in midrashic literature as symbolizing the Assembly of Israel, loved by her
beloved, the Holy One, blessed be He.
Thus the poem here expresses an opinion regarding the fine match between the people of
Israel and their land. The land is graced with seven varieties, and the people are compared
in Scriptures and in the homilies of the Sages with each of the seven varieties.
The passage cited above has three parts: an introduction, proclaiming that the land was
given to the people and describing our firm hold on the land by means of several synonyms
for having hold ("inheritance," "holding," "bequest," "possession") and reference to the way
it was apportioned ("by rope," "by straw," "by lot" and "by draw").9 The middle section hints
that giving the land to the people was not an arbitrary act on the part of the Holy One,
blessed be He, but rather reflected the two being inherently well-suited to each other. This
9
Pesikta de-Rav Kahana, Zakhor, 3, p. 36, notes the apportionment of the land to the tribes by lot
(Num. 34:13).
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finds symbolic botanic expression through the seven varieties with which the land is blessed,
which stand for various facets of the people's character. The conclusion brings out the full
depth of the bond between the people and the land, not the result of arbitrary combination,
but rather of the mutual sanctity that connects them.
The structure here shows development: first comes the Lord's decision to give the land,
something beyond our grasp; then we are shown how well-suited the land is to the people,
revealing a certain logic that ostensibly can be fathomed. Both these factors provide the
foundation for shared sanctity. The framework of the poem reflects its deep structure in all
that regards the sanctity of the people and the land. The sanctity of the land is connected
with its fruits, insofar as "the omer, first fruits, and two loaves of bread are brought from it"
(Mishnah, Kelim 1.6). It becomes clear in the poem that bringing these things is more than a
technical expression of sanctity; it expresses a deeper and more essential bond. The poem
concludes with the sanctity of the land, which derives from the seven varieties and their
ideological connection with the people of Israel, who receive the land as their inheritance
and are obliged to perform the commandment of first fruits. The beginning of the poem,
with its reference to having inherited the land, calls to mind the "passage on first fruits,"
which is primarily about this theme.
So we see that the seven varieties as a group are used as a motif for developing deep ideas
about the essence of the land of Israel. Lines beneath the surface tie the land with creation,
while others relate the concept of sanctity of the land with sanctity of the people. Botanic
symbolism channels the raw material of these ideas into a colorful tapestry of seven
agricultural products encountered in the fields, so that whoever reads this aggadic material
will no longer be able to view these plants as mere agricultural produce.
Translated by Rachel Rowen
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