![]() Genesis 12,6: “Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem,up to Eilon Moreh.” Were they oaks, were they terebinths or were they something else? There is much confusion in the translations of “ eilon ” (and “eilonei”) in Genesis. The galls were also used to make black ink used by Torah scribes. These were gathered, ground into flour, and cooked to produce the red dye. The insect attaches itself to the bark, sucks at the trunk and secretes a substance that forms a protective scaly gall nut. The name ‘tolea’ in Hebrew may refer to the name for the famous scarlet dye mentioned in the Bible תולעת שני ‘tola’at shani’ which was made from the oak coccoid. It is deciduous and its acorns are thinner and longer than other kinds of acorns. Quercus boissieri אלון התולע or Aleppo Oak is a taller species and grows in woodland above 800 metres. It produces a fatter acorn with a spiky, shaggy cup. Quercus ithaburensis אלון התבור or the Mt Tabor Oak is taller and deciduous – losing its spiky green leaves in the winter. It is evergreen, it flowers in the spring and produces acorns in the summer and fall. ![]() Quercus calliprinos אלון מצוי or Kermes O ak is the most common species of oak. The prophet Amos was aware of how tough oaks were when he used the term חסון הוא כאלונים – as strong as an oak. Oaks are solid, slow growing trees that can live for hundreds of years. They are confused with other trees and with each other. Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse, was buried under an oak ( Genesis 35, 8) as it was a sign of respect to bury the dead under these tall trees.Įven though oak and terebinth have grown wild in Israel since ancient times and continue to figure prominently in woodland and scrub of the Mediterranean landscape, they are seldom given the respect they deserve. ![]() While the people were chastised for worshipping the oak and terebinth trees, our forefathers and mothers pledged allegiance to their one true God beneath these very trees, possibly in defiance of the popularly held belief that the trees had supernatural, providential powers. Tradition has it that he smashed his father’s idols which may have been fashioned from oak and terebinth wood. When Abraham had a revelation that there was only one almighty God, he campaigned to promote this radical new idea. Alon אלון is the oak and Ela אלה is the terebinth. Two kinds of impressive trees in Israel have the word el אל embedded in their names. Tall, stately trees have been revered as gods since the beginning of recorded history. We can only fully understand their meaning if we learn about the trees, flowers and plants they mention. Profound messages from our prophets, kings and rabbis were drawn from references to nature. By Elly Waller, a guide at the Neot Kedumim Biblical Landscape Reserve.
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