This trail starts here

“A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey” (Deuteronomy 8)

The seven species with which the Land of Israel is blessed reflect the land’s unique character.

The growing season of the fruits extends throughout the year, from early spring to autumn. Their growing locations, like the nature of the country, varies from the Jordan Valley and desert oases to the mountainous regions.

The purpose of the different fruits is diverse and describes their various uses: barley is intended for animals, wheat (bread) is the basic food of man, the date, which was used in the past by desert walkers as an ‘energy snack’, the pomegranate, which sheds its leaves and its many-seeded fruit every year, symbolizes beauty and fertility, and can be preserved for a long time due to its thick peel, the sweet fig that is dried in the summer months, its large leaves and its fruits symbolize strength and passion, the vine with its soft trunk that spreads from place to place symbolizes joy and sociability, and wine is used as a daily drink, as alcohol prevents bacteria, and the olive, which grows all year round and requires crushing to produce oil, symbolizes strength and consistency.

The land is not praised for a single fruit but for the diversity of all seven species together, just as the strength of the people lies in their ability to embrace all individuals in their diversity.