A tour of the Botanical Garden of the Hebrew University

- October 14, 2018

Today, we went on a tour with Dr. Pfann, the President of the University of the Holy Land. We toured the Botanical Garden of the Hebrew University, and we learned a lot about the plants of the Bible.

Israel is in the center of 3 continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. There are many different climates in Israel, too. This is why there are so many different kinds of plants and flowers that grow in Israel.

We first stopped by a lavender plant.
Lavender in Israel looks a bit different from ones in the US, but it smells just as nice!

This tree below is the Ceratonia Siliqua, also known as the Carob Tree. The Carob Tree can be used for food and medicine. There are male and female Carob Trees. This tree is a male tree because of the stamens on the branches. We will talk more about carob beans at the end of the post.

Below is the Majorana Syriaca, the hyssop of the Bible. It was used for cleansing. When you dip it in the water, it can really soak up all the water. After you dip it in the water, you can use it to spray water on yourself.

Hyssop is mentioned many times in the Bible.
In Leviticus 14, it was used to cleanse an unclean house.

"and he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times."

Psalm 51:7 is the most famous verse that mentions hyssop. It says,

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

In Exodus 12:22, it was used to put the blood on the doorposts during Passover:

"And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning."

Hyssop was also used to offer Jesus sour wine at the cross. John 19:29 says:

"Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth."

Tree roots

Dr.Pfann also taught us about the roots of trees in the Bible.

These are the roots of the Olive Tree. Olives are mentioned 57 times in the Bible. Olive trees were so common in Israel that Paul uses them in his epistle to illustrate his point to his audience.

"For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?"

-Romans 11:24

Olives were also used for oil in the temple.

"Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually."

-Leviticus 24:2

Can you see how the roots of the olive tree are clumped at the top?

These are the roots of the almond tree. They are also common in the land of Israel and in the Bible.

"Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds."

-Numbers 17:8

These are the roots of the fig tree.

Jesus uses the fig tree in his parable in Luke 21:

"29 Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

This is the maiden hair fern.

Below is an oak tree. We saw many different kinds of oak trees at the Botanical Garden.

Dr. Pfann also showed us the hawthorn tree. Its fruit is red, small, and edible. The fruit tastes like an apple, but its texture is like a banana.

This is the Urginea Maritima (also known as Drimia maritima)
Dr. Pfann says that it "lives in the ground". The only time when it comes up from the ground is for pollination. This plant is very pretty when it is blooming. Right now it has seeds.
In the winter, the upper part of the plant will "die", but in the spring a new shoot will grow up again.

This is the snap dragon flower! Dr. Pfann showed us how to play with it and make it "talk".

This flower is another plant that "live in the ground". It only "comes up" for a short time for flowers. It is very beautiful.

This is a young sycamore tree. Everyone knows the story of Zacchaeus. He probably climbed a bigger sycamore tree, though.

Below is the Mediterranean Saltbush. Its leaves are edible and taste like salty salad. I'm personally "ok" with it, but some of my siblings LOVE it. People in the desert often eat this plant.

This is the acacia tree. Its wood was used in the Bible to build the ark. The acacia tree below has thorns.
However, the crown of thorns on Jesus' head was not made from this tree because acacia trees were not found in the Jerusalem area in Bible times.

The terebinth tree is mentioned many times in the Bible.

Abraham dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre. He built an altar to the Lord there (Genesis 13:18). God also appeared to him there.
Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, was buried under a terebinth tree.
Absalom's hair was also caught in a terebinth tree (2 Samuel 18:9-10).