Day 29 - Forbidden (and Permissible) Fruits

Eve giving Adam the forbidden fruit, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1533. (Wikipedia)

When we review the creation narrative from the book of Genesis in our heads, we think it is a pretty simple story. God creates the world and everything in it, God creates Adam and Eve and tells them that they can eat from all the fruits in the garden of Eden except for the fruits from the trees of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. The serpent tricks Eve into eating the fruit, she then gives it to Adam and he eats it, and they get kicked out of the garden. The reality is much more complicated and nuanced. For example, there are actually two creation stories (join us on the second day of Rosh Hashanah to hear that story). I wanted to focus on one misconception: the forbidden fruit. In the creation story, God tells them they cannot eat the fruit from these trees, but the fruit is never revealed. In the Talmud, the rabbis debate what kind of fruits were on those trees, and they come up with a list: vine (grapes), figs, pomegranates, etrogs, and arguably the most mysterious answer, wheat. 

Wheat is an interesting possibility for many reasons, but one that stuck out to me is that it is the only 'fruit' on the list that has to be processed. There is a parable in our tradition that speaks about God giving us wheat, and Torah: 

A human king who had two servants, and he loved them dearly. And he gave to one a kab (a measure) of wheat and to the other kab of wheat. And he also gave to each one of them a bundle of flax. The wise one of them took the flax and wove a beautiful cloth, and took the wheat and made it into fine flour, and sifted it, and ground it, and kneaded it, and baked it, and set it on the table, and spread the beautiful cloth over it, and left it there until the king should come. And the fool of them did nothing. After some time the king came into his house, and said to them, to his two servants, "My sons, bring to me what I gave you." One of them brought out the bread of fine flour, on the table, with the beautiful cloth spread over it. And the other of them brought out the wheat in a pile and the bundle of flax upon it. Woe for that shame! Woe for that disgrace! Which one is more favored? You must admit it is the one who brought out the bread on the table with the beautiful cloth spread over it.

And I further said...

"...Rather, when the Holy One Blessed Be He gave the Torah to Israel, it was only given to them as wheat from which to bring forth fine flour, and as flax from which to weave a garment..."

- Tanna Debei Eliyahu Zuta (composed 968 CE - 984 CE). 

Photo by Wesual Click on Unsplash

One of the great messages of Rosh Hashanah and its connection to the creation story is the following: God wants us to be partners in creation with Him. 

These are the permissible fruits of the world. 

There is a story told about Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the creator of Neo-Orthodoxy in19th century Germany. As he neared the end of his life, he told his students that he must travel. His students were perplexed and asked him why such a journey was so important to him. He responded: "When I stand shortly before the Almighty, I will be held answerable to many questions. But what will I say when God asks – and God is certain to ask – 'Shimshon, did you see my Alps?'"

God gives us wheat at the beginning of the year, and wants us to create bread and cakes with it. The High Holy Days bring our focus to what we should avoid, but also what we should taste during the year. On the evenings of Rosh Hashanah, the Kabbalists devised a Seder where we taste different exotic fruits. When we taste them, we also taste the things that we haven't experienced in a long time, maybe even a year. This is also a mitzvah, to taste of the fruits of this world. Before we eat, we bless, acknowledging God's role in our lives, and when we taste them, we think about our role in the world. 

Writing Prompt

Write about a new experience you had this year, an experience that God would 'smile' upon knowing you did something sacred with the gifts God gave to you this year. What was it like to experience something new and fresh? How did it change you for the better?

Also, please check out the words from my colleague and friend, Rabbi Amy Pessah on bucket lists.