Sweet as Honey – Eikev (2023)
אֶרֶץ חִטָּה וּשְׂעֹרָה וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹן אֶרֶץ זֵית שֶׁמֶן וּדְבָשׁ (דברים ח, ח).
The only passuk in the Torah that lists the שִׁבְעַת הַמִּינִים raises a number of questions.
The first question is why is this the order? If the passuk intended to subdivide the seven items in order of food group, דָּגָן, תִּירוֹשׁ, פֵּרוֹת, יִצְהָר, then the order should be wheat, barley (grains), grapes (wine), figs, pomegranates and dates (fruit), olives (oil). However, the passuk splits the fruit list into two parts, first the figs and pomegranates and only after the oil part, does it list dates.
Secondly, the passuk repeats the word אֶרֶץ twice. The first אֶרֶץ for wheat, barley, grapes, figs and pomegranates and then a second אֶרֶץ for olives and dates. It is as if there are two different types of אֶרֶץ and not one integral אֶרֶץ.
The third question is why the passuk calls olives זֵית שֶׁמֶן, the fruit and the byproduct – oil. If the passuk was listing the fruits and also the byproducts derived from them, it should have also said חִטָּה וּשְׂעֹרָה לֶחֶם, גֶּפֶן יַיִן and תָּמָר דְּבַשׁ.
Lastly, dates are not mentioned at all in the passuk, only the word דְבָשׁ, honey. How do we know that the passuk even means dates? It could be "bee honey", or honey made from other types of fruit as well.
In this shiur I would like to discuss honey, both the physical form and the spiritual concept.
Before we begin, I would like to add a disclaimer. This is a very complicated subject and I will not pretend that I understand it fully. Not for nothing the gematria of דְבָשׁ (in "milui" form דלת בית שין) is אָמַרְתִּי אֶחְכָּמָה וְהִיא רְחוֹקָה מִמֶּנִּי (קהלת ז, כג). Secondly, the explanation may contain quotes that appear to be "chauvinistic". These are taken from well-known commentators and I am just quoting them.
After that provocative introduction, let us begin.
The Seven Species are not only types of produce שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּבְּחָה בָּהֶם אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, that are indigenous to Eretz Yisrael and when grown here are superior to those grown in any other country - they also have many halachic ramifications pertaining to בִּכּוּרִים, בְּרָכוֹת, etc.
R' Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, author of the sefer Bnei Yissaschar, says that we specifically read about the Seven Species on the Shabbat in close proximity (before or after) after טו' באב, because טו' באב parallels טו' בשבט in the yearly cycle.
There are two opinions in the Gemara (Rosh Hashana 11a) when the world was created – on the 1st of Nisan or the 1st of Tishrei. Tu Bishvat, (when we celebrate the trees), is forty days before Rosh Chodesh Nisan and Tu BeAv is forty days before Rosh Hashana (Rosh Chodesh Tishrei).
So, on Tu BeAv (or close to it), we celebrate the Seven Species – the fruit of the trees. What is the significance of forty days? The Gemara (Sota 2a) says that forty days before the fetus is created, a bat kol announces "בַּת פְּלוֹנִי לִפְלוֹנִי בֵּית פְּלוֹנִי לִפְלוֹנִי שְׂדֵה פְלוֹנִי לִפְלוֹנִי". Forty days before HKB"H actually created the world, He already planned how it was going to be in advance.
R' Pinchas from Koretz, one of the talmidim of the Ba'al Shem Tov, in his sefer Imrei Pinchas, says that what makes these seven species unique is that they can all be grown successfully in Eretz Yisrael. You have other countries, like Spain, that grow olives for making oil, but Spain is not well known for growing wheat and barley, or Ukraine which is well known for its grains, but not for its figs or pomegranates.
The superiority of these species grown in Eretz Yisrael has already been established in parshat Shlach, when the meraglim brought back samples of a cluster of grapes, figs and pomegranates.
According to one opinion it was Yehoshua and Kalev who brought back the fruit, to show Am Yisrael how good the land was. According to a second opinion it was the other ten meraglim who brought back the fruit, to scare Am Yisrael (the fruit was abnormally large).
Even today, Israel exports Durum wheat (the original strain of wheat indigenous to Eretz Yisrael) to Italy for producing semolina for the pasta industry, as Israeli grown Durum is considered the most prestigious quality. Ironically Italy's milling technology is more advanced than Israel's which is why the semolina we use in Machon Lechem Hapanim for experimenting with the Menachot and doing workshops is from Durum wheat grown in Israel but milled in Italy.
According to the Ramban, the choice of these specific seven species is not necessarily to show overflowing abundance, but rather the opposite – הִסְתַּפְּקוּת בְּמוּעָט. These seven species comprise all the major nutritional food groups necessary to sustain life.
Moreover, these specific species are typified by their "shelf life". They can all be dried/processed/juiced/fermented into products with an extended expiration date, enabling consumption long after the fresh produce is no longer available, for example during the winter months.
Today almost any food can be preserved, by canning or with chemicals. However, canning was only invented around 200 years ago, in the time of Napoleon and the modern preservative chemicals used today, emerged many decades (even centuries) later.
In biblical times, the best way to preserve fresh produce was by drying the fruit, making oil from the olives, wine from the grapes, honey from the dates and storing the grains in a dry storage area.
Our passuk above has a definite subdivision, but it is not according to food group. The subdivision is into two distinct groups, each prefaced by the word אֶרֶץ. The first group contains - wheat, barley, grapes, figs and pomegranates and the second group - olives for oil and honey.
What is special about the first group? The five species listed in the first group are all connected to the חֵטְא עֵץ הַדַּעַת.
Wheat and barley were the fruit of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת (Meir Panim, chap. 15).
Chava squeezed grapes into wine and gave Adam to drink (Zohar, part A, 36a).
Following the sin Adam and Chava covered themselves with fig leaves. The word תְּאֵנָה is symbolic of "complaining for no apparent reason", for example וַיְהִי הָעָם כְּמִתְאֹנְנִים (במדבר יא, א). Adam and Chava had no reason to complain for lack of food and eat from the עֵץ הַדַּעַת which Hashem forbade.
The Mefarshim say that the מְעִיל of the Kohen Gadol was an atonement for sins of speech. For this reason, on the edge of the מְעִיל were a series of פַּעֲמֹן וְרִמֹּן פַּעֲמֹן וְרִמֹּן עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל סָבִיב.. (שמות לט, כו).
The Mefarshim (Alsheich, Kli Yakar and others) say that the pa'amon (bell) resembles an open mouth and the rimon (pomegranate) a closed mouth. The sin of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת resulted from the serpent opening its mouth and speaking lashon harah and from Chava not keeping her mouth shut and conversing with the serpent while her husband was not present/sober (Meir Panim, ibid.).
The second group, olives and dates, is typified by a completely different common denominator. Unlike the first group where only the fresh produce is listed, in this second group the byproduct (the processed result) of the fruit is listed זֵית שֶׁמֶן וּדְבָשׁ. Regarding olives it lists both the fruit and the byproduct – oil and with dates, it omits the fruit completely and lists only the byproduct – honey.
How do we know that the passuk is actually talking about dates when it says דְבָשׁ? Honey is made from other sources, other fruit and also bees make honey. In fact Rashi (Shmot 13, 5) on the passuk זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ says that the milk is from goats and honey is from dates and figs.
On the passuk כִּי כָל שְׂאֹר וְכָל דְּבַשׁ לֹא תַקְטִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ אִשֶּׁה לַה' (ויקרא ב, יא) Rashi says that any sweet fruit is called honey. So how do we know that our passuk above is specifically speaking about dates? We know it from a Gemara in the Yerushalmi (Bikkurim chapter 1, halacha 3) - אֵין מְבִיאִין בִּכּוּרִים חוּץ מִשִּׁבְעַת הַמִּינִים וְלֹא מִן הַתְּמָרִים שֶׁבְּהָרִים וְלֹא מִן הַפֵּרוֹת שֶׁבָּעֲמָקִים וְלֹא מִזֵּיתֵי שֶׁמֶן שֶׁאֵינָן מִן הַמֻּבְחָר.
As we know, Bikkurim may only be brought from the Seven Species and from the choice fruits. The Gemara says that the choice dates are those that grow in the valley (even today the best dates grow in the Jordan valley) and the other choice fruit does not grow in the valley (Israel's choice fruit even today comes from the hilly regions in the Galilee and Shomron).
The Gemara (Brachot 41b) brings an account of R' Chisda and R' Hamnuna who sat down to a meal. In the meal they served dates and pomegranates. R' Hamnuna first made the bracha on the dates and not on the pomegranates. R' Chisda asked why he had reversed the order of the passuk (in our passuk above, pomegranates are listed before dates).
R' Hamnuna responded that dates have higher priority than pomegranates because they are listed second from the word אֶרֶץ, while pomegranates are listed fifth from the word אֶרֶץ (referring to the two words אֶרֶץ in the passuk). R' Chisda then praised R' Hamnuna for his novel perush.
From these two Gemarot it is clear that the honey referred to in the Seven Species is made from dates.
How do we reconcile Rashi on the other two psukkim, זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ and כִּי כָל שְׂאֹר וְכָל דְּבַשׁ where Rashi says that it is not specifically dates? We learn it from the generalization of the words וְכָל דְּבַשׁ, which means that a distinction is made between bringing "honey" for the mitzva of Bikkurim (from the Seven Species) and bringing honey on the Mizbeach. Regarding the Bikkurim, only dates/honey may be brought, while the issur to bring honey on the Mizbeach applies to all types of honey וְכָל, not only date honey.
So now we have established that our passuk above, when it writes ,דְבָשׁ is referring to dates.
As we have said, the second group of אֶרֶץ lists the byproducts of the fruits, not the actual fruit. Even though it says זֵית שֶׁמֶן, it is referring specifically to the oil, not the fruit. Nobody back then ate the fruit of the olive tree, only the oil made from it.
The Gemara (Horayot 13b) says that eating olives makes one forget the Torah they have studied, as opposed to eating olive oil which helps one to remember what they have studied. Today everyone eats olives (the fruit) - in marinade, split, Greek and myriad other types – they obviously never read that Gemara.
In the second group therefore, we have two products – olive oil and date honey.
Although the passuk in the Torah refers to the byproducts – oil and honey, the halacha lema'aseh seems to not reflect this. If someone eats the fruit – olives or dates they must say Borei pri ha'etz before and bracha acharona בְּרָכָה מֵעֵין שָׁלוֹשׁ afterwards.
If, however, someone eats olive oil (on its own) there is a machloket whether any bracha is required at all, or whether you say Borei pri ha'etz before and bracha acharona after. Since most people don't drink olive oil by itself (it is not so healthy to do so), but rather in combination with another ingredient, for example in a salad, or as part of some medicinal mixture.
If in a salad, the olive oil is טָפֵל to the salad and a separate bracha is not recited on it, similarly if olive oil is an ingredient in bread etc. If in the medicinal mixture the majority is olive oil, some opinions say that one should say Borei pri ha'etz before and bracha acharona after drinking such a mixture.
Regarding Silan (date honey), certainly the product made today (which is not pure date honey), the consensus is that you recite shehakol before and Borei nefashot after. Most opinions (except for the בה"ג) say that even on pure date honey one says shehakol and Borei nefashot.
That was the introduction, now we can begin the shiur. We have accumulated a lot of "disjointed" tidbits of information that seemingly have no connection with each other. We are now going to tie everything together.
(continued Part II)
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