Ancient Hebrew Uses of Aromatic Plants

Sources

Cedar

Behold,the Assyrian was a cedar (EREZ) in Lebanon,
With fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud,
And of a high stature;
And its top was among the thick boughs.
--Ezekiel XXXI : 3

Cedar / Cypress

The beams of our houses are cedars, and our panels are cypresses.
--Song of Songs I:17

The ceremony of the leper

And the Lord spoke unto Moses saying: This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing : he shall be brought unto the priest....then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and CEDAR-WOOD, and scarlet, and HYSSOP And the priest shall command to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water. As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the CEDAR-WOOD and the scarlet, and the HYSSOP, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. And he shall sprinkle over him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living bird into the open field....
--Leviticus XIV

The Red Heifer

The Red Heifer was used in the preparation of the most important purification ceremony of ancient Israel. It was a strange and paradoxical ceremony, describe traditionally as defiling the pure and purifying the defiled. As explained by Herz (see bibliography) , "the majestic cedar of Lebanon represents pride and hyssop represents humility."

This is the statute of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer, faultless, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke. And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, and she shall be brought forth without the camp, and she shall be slain before his face. And Eleazar the the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And the heifer shall be burnt in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall be burnt. And the priest shall take CEDAR-WOOD, and HYSSOP, and scarlet, and cast it in the midst of the burning of the heifer...
-- Numbers XIX: 2-6

Pine

The Rabbis describe how the new months were signaled. In Tractate Rosh Hashanah Chapter 2, the Mishnah reads:
Beforetime they used to light beacons, but after the Samaritans caused great harm, they enacted that messengers should go forth.
(Mishnah 2) In what manner did they kindle the beacons?- They used to bring long poles of cedar- wood, and rushes, and pine-wood*, and tow-flax; and a man tied these together with twine.... (Mishnah 3)

*the term pine-wood is called in the original Hebrew Etz Hashemen "the oil tree".

The Talmud comments:
Rabbi Yehuda says: "There are four kinds of cedar : cedar (EREZ), KARTOM, ETZ HASHEMEN, and BROSH". Rav says: the KARTOM is what we call ADRA. A discussion then ensues in Aramaic defining the kinds of trees.
--Tractate Rosh Hashanah Chapter 2

Hyssop

In Egypt, the Children of Israel are commanded:
And ye shall take a bunch of HYSSOP, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
-- Exodus XII: 22

Cinnamon

Take thou also unto thee the chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin.
Exodus XXX: 23-24

Rose

If one feels pain in his loins [on the Sabbath], he must not annoint with wine or vinegar, but he may annoint with oil but not with rose-oil. The children of kings may annoint their wounds with rose-oil because that is their wont to anoint on ordinary week-days. R. Simon says, All Israelites are the children of kings.
--Mishna Sabbath 14:4.
Blackman explains:Because oil as unguent is used for healthy skin. There is no class- distinction in such a case, and all may use rose-oil for anointing on the Sabbath. <

<< Back | Main | Next >>

Go to Top