The
Talmud tells us that Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
(in the Garden of Eden) was a fig tree:
Berachoth
40a ... OVER FRUIT OF THE GROUND etc. This is obvious,
is it not? — R. Nahman b. Isaac said: It required to be stated in view of the
opinion of R. Judah, who maintains that wheat is a kind of tree. For it has
been taught: R. Meir holds that the tree of which Adam
ate was the vine, since the thing that most causes wailing
to a man is wine, as it says, And he drank of the wine and was drunken. R. Ezra-Nechemiah (Nehemiah)-Nechemiah
(Nehemiah) says it was the fig tree, so that they repaired their misdeed with
the instrument of it, as it says, And they sewed fig leaves together. R. Judah says it was wheat, since a child does
not know how to call ‘father’ and ‘mother’ until it has had a taste of corn. Now you might think that because R. Judah says
that wheat is a kind of tree, therefore we should say over it the benediction
‘who createst the fruit of the tree’. Therefore we are told that we say ‘who
createst the fruit of the tree’ only in those cases where if you take away the
fruit the stem still remains to produce fruit again
Other
Talmudic references to the fig tree:
Berachoth
57a ... If one sees a fig tree in a dream, his learning will be preserved within him, as it
says: Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit
thereof.
And:
Eiruvin
54b ... R. Hiyya b. Abba in the name of R. Johanan
expounded: With reference to the Scriptural text: Whoso keepeth the fig tree
shall eat the fruit thereof, why were the words of the Torah compared to
the ‘fig tree’? As with the fig treethe
more one searches it the more figs one finds in it so
it is with the words of the Torah; the more one studies them the more relish he
finds in them.
Bethphage,
the name means "House of Unripe Figs", was often mentioned in the
Scriptures. Understanding the meaning of Bethphage is the key to understanding
the importance of this city.
Bethphage
was understood to be the city where the Kohanim (Priests)
lived, who took care of the "clean place" on the top of the Mount of Olives. They lived in this city because if the
figs were unripe then there was no chance of repeating Adam's
sin. The name was used to picture righteousness.
Lets
look at where Bethphage is used:
Matityahu
(Matthew) 21:1-11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two disciples, Saying to them, "Go to the village
ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied
there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says
anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right
away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say
to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" The disciples went and did as Yeshua had instructed them. They brought the donkey and
the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Yeshua
sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others
cut branches from the trees and spread them over the
road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" When Yeshua entered
Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked,
"Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Yeshua, the prophet
from Nazareth in Galilee."
Marqos
(Mark) 11:1-10 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives,
Yeshua sent two of his disciples, Saying to them,
"Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a
colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If
anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and
will send it back here shortly.'" They went and found a colt outside in
the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, Some people standing there
asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" They answered as
Yeshua had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt
to Yeshua and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread
their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the
fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
"Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord!" "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"
Luqas
(Luke) 19:29-40 As he approached Bethphage
and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his
disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you
enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie
it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him,
'The Lord needs it.'" Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as
he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them,
"Why are you untying the colt?" They replied, "The Lord needs
it." They brought it to Yeshua, threw their cloaks on the colt and put
Yeshua on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he
came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of
Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God
in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the
highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Yeshua,
"Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied,
"if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
There
was another city closely associated with Bethphage. This city was also called
after the fig. Bethany was the House of [Ripe] Figs.
Matityahu
(Matthew) 21:17-22 And he left them and went out of
the city to Bethany,
where he spent the night. Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to
the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but
found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear
fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this,
they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they
asked. Yeshua replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not
doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say
to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If
you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Matityahu
(Matthew) 26:6-13 While Yeshua was in Bethany
in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, A woman came to him with an
alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was
reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant.
"Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold
at a high price and the money given to the poor." Aware of this, Yeshua said to them, "Why are you bothering this
woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with
you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell
you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached
throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of
her."
Marqos
(Mark) 11:11-14 Yeshua entered Jerusalem and went to the temple.
He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Yeshua was
hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it
had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was
not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat
fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.
Some
see the cursing of the fig tree as a curse on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,
especially considering that this tree was close to Bethany, the House of Ripe Figs.
Marqos
(Mark) 14:3-9 While he was in Bethany,
reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman
came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She
broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were
saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could
have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the
poor." And they rebuked her harshly. "Leave her alone," said
Yeshua. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The
poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did
what she could. She poured perfume on my body
beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has
done will also be told, in memory of her."
The
anointing of Mashiach, Messiah, at Bethany, the
House of Ripe Figs, may allude to the reason why He had to die: Because Adam ate of the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Luqas
(Luke) 24:50-53 When he had led them out to the
vicinity of Bethany,
he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left
them and was taken up into heaven. Then they
worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
And they stayed continually at the temple, praising
God.
Yochanan
(John) 11:1-45 Now a man named Lazarus was
sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary
and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the
same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet
with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Yeshua, "Lord, the one you love
is sick." When he heard this, Yeshua said, "This sickness will not
end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified
through it." Yeshua loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he
heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two
more days. Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." "But Rabbi," they said, "a
short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet
you are going back there?" Yeshua answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will
not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is
when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." After he
had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." His
disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will
get better." Yeshua had been speaking of his
death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them
plainly, "Lazarus is dead, And for your sake I am glad I was not there, so
that you may believe. But let us go to him." Then Thomas (called Didymus)
said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with
him." On his arrival, Yeshua found that Lazarus had already been in the
tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, And many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the
loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Yeshua was coming, she went out
to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Yeshua,
"if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that
even now God will give you whatever you ask." Yeshua said to her,
"Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will
rise again in the resurrection at the last
day." Yeshua said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in me will live, even though he dies; And whoever lives and believes
in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she
told him, "I believe that you are the Mashiach,
the Son of God, who was to come into the world." And after she had said
this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking
for you." When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now
Yeshua had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha
had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,
noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she
was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary
reached the place where Yeshua was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died." When Yeshua saw her weeping,
and the Jews who had come along with her also
weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid
him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Yeshua wept. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved
him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the
blind man have kept this man from dying?" Yeshua, once more deeply moved,
came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take
away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister
of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there
four days." Then Yeshua said, "Did I not tell you that if you
believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone.
Then Yeshua looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard
me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the
people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had
said this, Yeshua called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The
dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth
around his face. Yeshua said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let
him go." Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had
seen what Yeshua did, put their faith in him.
So,
Mashiach hears that Lazarus is sick and He waits two more days, even as Adam (man) was "sick unto death" for two millennia before the "cure of Torah" began
coming to man (Abraham's obedience was the beginning of Torah). Lazarus was
dead for four days, after those first two days, even as
man has been "dead in his sins" for a total of six
millennia. Even as Lazarus was raised on the sixth day, so also will mankind be
raised at the end of six millennia.
The
raising of Lazerus may very well picture the resurrection
of the righteous. A close reading seems to indicate that it took place
after six days, even as the righteous expect to be resurrected after the sixth
millennium. The fact that it took place in Bethany, the house of ripe figs, may allude
to the reason that he died: He partook of Adam's sin who ate of the
"fig" of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil.
Yochanan
(John) 12:1-8 Six days
before the Passover, Yeshua arrived at Bethany,
where Lazarus lived, whom Yeshua had raised from the
dead. Here a dinner was given in Yeshua' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus
was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of
pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Yeshua' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house
was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas
Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume
sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did
not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as
keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. "Leave
her alone," Yeshua replied." [It was intended] that she should save
this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you,
but you will not always have me."
Fig Leaves and
Fires
For
fueling the fire upon the altar from which coals would
be taken for the offering of the incense (and for
all the fires upon the altar) it was customary to take wood which came from a
fig tree.
The
fig tree referred to here must be one that grows wild and bears no edible
fruit. Otherwise, it would be disqualified for use in the same way that the Mishna in the second perek of Mesechta Tamid
disqualifies the wood of all fruit-bearing trees, by citing the examples of
grape and olive trees. The reason given for this by Rabbi Acha bar Yaakov is to
preserve the settlement of Eretz Yisrael for if there
will be no wine or oil or figs to enjoy the land may become desolate.
But
why did they insist on the fig tree?
Rashi
explains that the leaves of the fig tree were the first items of plant life to
be used in human effort for self improvement. When Adam
became conscious of his nakedness following his sinful eating from the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil he fashioned some garments for himself and his wife from
fig leaves (Bereishis 3:7). It is therefore fitting that the wood from this
tree be given priority in the effort of Adam's descendants to achieve
self-improvement through the service of the Beit HaMikdash.
Zevachim 58a
* * *
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
7104 Inlay St SE
Lacey, WA 98513
Internet address:
gkilli@aol.com
Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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Send comments to Greg Killian at his email address: gkilli@aol.com
