Ancient Plants in Israel and Creating Ancient Shemen the Torah Way

 

This photo of Cooking Classes & Food Tours in Israel courtesy of Tripisraeltours

In the Bible (Tanach) mentions about 100 names of plants, the bulk of them of Ereẓ Israel, the others being trees of Lebanon and tropical plants that yield an aromatic substance or were used in incense. (See Table: Plants in the Bible and Mishnah.) These names refer to specific plants, but some are generic names, such as koẓ ve-dardar (“thorns and thistles”) and shamir vashayit (“briars and thorns”). Although the biblical plants are chiefly those which were economically important, they are to a large extent mentioned fortuitously. The carob, for example, although undoubtedly grown at that time, is not mentioned in the Bible, while specific vegetables are mentioned in one verse only of the Bible; and these are the vegetables of Egypt for which the children of Israel longed during their wandering in the wilderness (Num. 11:5).

In Talmud Literature

The Mishnah, the Talmud, and the Midrash quotes hundreds of names of plants to those mentioned in the Bible. They are particularly numerous in the Mishnah of Zera’im which treats of laws connected with agriculture. In the aggadic Midrashim, too, many plants are mentioned in simile and parable. In all, the ancient literature on Ereẓ Israel mentions close to 500 names of flora. The Babylonian Talmud refers to scores of plants of Babylonia and its neighborhood. In the Table: Plants in Bible and Mishnah, only one identification is given. Alternative suggestions of identification will be found in the individual articles on this site according to the writing of Jewish sages.

Maceration, also known as infusion, of plants is an ancient practice that is so simple in its method that you can carry out the process at home. According to Patricia Davis, in Aromatherapy: An A-Z, maceration of plants pre-dates the process of extracting essential oils. Ancient civilizations such as Israelites simply stood jars of plant material out in the sun to macerate. Infused, or macerated, oils hold similar medicinal properties to those extracted to produce an essential oil; however, some plants can be macerated that do not produce an essential oil too. Some material have to sit up to 40 days such as Frankincesnse or Myrrh which are resin. Some a very short sitting like Roses, or Jasmine.
A highly skilled person can bring out the very best infused oils and the healing properties are equal to distilled essential oil but come with a carrier oil.

We can understand this text more clearly in the Torah that states: And he made the Moshiach Shemen and the pure ketoret of sweet b’somim, after the art of the perfumer.  ויעש את־שמן המשחה קדש ואת־קטרת הסמים טהור מעשה רקח׃  ~Shemot/Exodus 30

Picture by Rivka Sari

Only a  highly skilled person will use plant material such as roses, honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender, calendula, rosemary and lilac to make macerated or infused oils according to ancient Biblical Traditions. These oils are amazing smell and have a long shelf life. Essential oils have been an integral part of the daily lives of people for over ten thousand years. They have been used to heal the body, mind and spirit since before the time of record keeping as we know it.

Picture by Rivka Sari

This is an exciting time to use essential oils as a tool to awaken as a whole body, mind, and spirit (Nefesh, Neshamah, and Ruah). The Sages teach us that  caring for  our whole self  is like “rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash kodesh” (the Holy Jewish Temple). Each part of us is a living stone of the Body’s Temple. When we start the restoration or rebuilding  of our outer being, “cell by cell” and deep within, we are creating both the inner court and outer courts of our Body’s Temple. This is a step towards rebuilding the physical Beis HaMikdash.

                                                                                    Picture by Rivka Sari

Smell is considered the loftiest and most transcendent sense. The Jewish sage Arizal says that when the sin of Adam brought lust into the world it affected all of the senses except for that of smell. The sense of smell remained unaffected.  We see that in the Gan Aden that Chava (Eve) used all her senses except one which is the sense of smell when she ate the forbidden fruit. As a result, we were left with only our divine sense of smell which still helps us know, innately, the exact herbs and oils we need to balance and heal ourselves.

In the Torah Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve are located in a magnificent garden known as Gan aden in Hebrew was filled with the scents of healing flowers, trees and other plants. G-d, our higher power, created everything we need to heal on an emotional, physical, mental and spiritual level, including wonderful aromatic plants and Infused Essential oils. Jewish sages teach that Adam and Eve were Taught by G-d how to make infused essential oils. In the Tanach there are over 600 references to essential oils and/or aromatic plants.

It wasn’t until the 20th century that physical and spiritual healing got completely separated. Allopathic medicine does not truly heal – however, it does get us out of crisis; and therefore while it is a necessary part of modern day society, it is not a cure all. And it certainly does not address the emotional and spiritual issues of dis-ease.

For complete healing to occur it must come from within self; and be in harmony with G-d (III Chronicles 7:14). So many of us believe that our doctors can heal or cure anything, but honestly the only one that can heal you is yourself. Emuna is key to healing oneself.  I am continually reminded that just 80 years ago modern medicine as we know it today didn’t exist.

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Chart resources:

Encyclopaedia Judaica. and http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

Research of Babylon Talmud and Yerushalayim Talmud Plant life

Plants of Israel The Holy Land by Moshe  Krispis 1887

Nature’s Wealth Health and Teaching of the Rambam by R’Moshe Cohen Shaouli and R’ Yaacov Fisher 1999