Parshat Eikev: Cultivating Our Internal Gardens

We are introduced in Parashat Eikev to the seven species of grains and fruit for which the Land of Israel is praised - "a Land of wheat, barley, grape, fig, and pomegranate; a Land of oil-olives and date-honey..." (Devarim 8:8). The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, taught that these seven species symbolize seven essential human attributes. 

Wheat, being the ancient staple of the human diet, represents our essential and distinct humanity.

Barley, more typically associated with animal feed, represents the nourishment and harnessing of our animal souls and driving passions.

The grape, an intoxicant, represents joy and excitement - a heightened, more ecstatic state of being.

The fig, exemplified by Adam and Eve eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (here interpreted to be a fig tree), connotes the desire for depth, intimacy, involvement, and knowledge.

The pomegranate, with its many compartments, represents our capacity for action, to reach beyond our perceived limits or current capacities.

The olive, which requires being pressed to yield its oil, reminds us that not only is struggle an unavoidable part of life, but that we often perform best only when pushed to our limits.

Finally, the date represents tranquility, calm, and perfection - as we sing in Tehillim (Psalms) 92: "Tzadik k'tamar yifrach" - "the tzadik (a completely righteous person) will flourish like a date palm."

All seven of these attributes can be found in every person, and all are necessary to nourish for their proverbial fruits to blossom.

Perhaps if we recall these middot (attributes) when we praise the Land for its produce, we can strengthen our resolve to cultivate our own internal gardens. Which of the seven species do you most resonate with? Which attributes come most naturally to you, and which are you still working to develop? What models for excellence in any of these attributes might you have, and how might you perhaps serve as a model of these attributes to others?

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Artwork by Hillel Smith.