The seven species are seven special products of the land of Israel, listed in Deuteronomy 8:8. They are: wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranates, olive (oil), and date (date honey). The fruits have significance in different areas of Jewish law; for example, a unique blessing is recited after eating them.
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The Bounty of the Promised LandTANAKH
The Bounty of the Promised Land
TANAKH
The Torah lists seven species that represent the bounty and blessing of the land of Israel. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses describes the land of Israel as fertile and ripe with possibility, associating the land with these particular grains and fruits.
The Forbidden FruitMIDRASH
The Forbidden Fruit
MIDRASH
The Torah does not specify which fruit grew on the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, but later interpreters assume it was one of the seven species. This midrashic interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve offers several possibilities about the identity of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.
Barley’s HumilityCHASIDUT
Barley’s Humility
CHASIDUT
Barley, the second of the seven species after wheat, is considered a lower form of sustenance. Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad Chasidic movement, argues that there is a special spiritual significance to barley in the Jewish tradition.
Divine Love on the Vine LITURGY
Divine Love on the Vine
LITURGY
Grapes are among the seven species, regarded highly because of wine’s place in the Jewish tradition. Perek Shirah, an ancient text that draws on nature to praise God, uses the grape vine as a metaphor for God’s relationship with the Jewish people.
Caring for a Fig TreeCOMMENTARY
Caring for a Fig Tree
COMMENTARY
Figs, one of the seven species, require care and diligent attention to successfully cultivate. In his 19th-century commentary on the book of Proverbs, Malbim describes some of the qualities of figs in order to explain their metaphorical significance in biblical texts.
The Pomegranate’s Mystical IlluminationCOMMENTARY
The Pomegranate’s Mystical Illumination
COMMENTARY
The pomegranate, one of the seven species, is used as a mystical symbol for divine emanation and illumination. In his 20th-century commentary on the Zohar, the Sulam, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag explores the mystical and symbolic significance of the pomegranate.
The Many Meanings of OliveREFERENCE
The Many Meanings of Olive
REFERENCE
The olive, one of the seven species, is known and used for its wood, oil and fruit throughout Jewish law and tradition. Marcus Jastrow’s modern talmudic dictionary lists the different meanings and uses of the Hebrew term for olive — zayit — across various ancient contexts.
Sweet as (Date) HoneyCHASIDUT
Sweet as (Date) Honey
CHASIDUT
Dates, which appear last in the Torah’s list of the seven species, are known in the Torah for the honey they produce. Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, a 19th-century Chasidic leader, offers his interpretation of the symbolism of dates and their honey.
A Picturesque DestinationJEWISH THOUGHT
A Picturesque Destination
JEWISH THOUGHT
The seven species are symbols of the land of Israel’s abundance and the fulfillment of God’s promise. In her book Leadership in the Wilderness, Dr. Erica Brown explores the meaning and function of Moses’s description to the Israelites of the idyllic land of Israel.
The Seven Traits of the SoulCHASIDUT
The Seven Traits of the Soul
CHASIDUT
The seven species have been understood to stand for different traits of the soul. In his 20th-century collection of Chasidic discourses, Shem MiShmuel, Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain of Sochatchov offers a symbolic interpretation of the seven species.
Blessings for the Seven SpeciesTALMUD
Blessings for the Seven Species
TALMUD
The seven species have a special status in Jewish law: Those who eat them recite blessings particular to those foods. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Berakhot outlines the unique blessings to be recited after eating any of these seven species.
Bringing the First FruitsMISHNAH
Bringing the First Fruits
MISHNAH
The offering of bikkurim, or firstfruits, are brought exclusively from the seven species native to the land of Israel. In tractate Bikkurim, the Mishnah — the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel — outlines the specific rules and conditions for offering bikkurim in the Temple.
The First to BlessHALAKHAH
The First to Bless
HALAKHAH
Jewish tradition grants priority to the seven species, which are typically the first foods to be blessed and eaten upon sitting down to a meal. In his comprehensive 12th-century legal code, the Mishneh Torah, Rambam provides a detailed account of the blessings on different types of food, including the order in which blessings are to be recited.
Prosperity Promised through the Seven SpeciesLITURGY
Prosperity Promised through the Seven Species
LITURGY
As symbols of the abundance of the land of Israel and God’s blessing, the seven species are invoked in blessings and praise of God. An annual blessing recited upon seeing trees in the spring highlights the beauty of the land of Israel through its agricultural bounty and refers specifically to the seven species.