Genesis 21:33, “And [Abraham] planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.”
I was reading a passage in the Talmud this morning in Sotah 10a-b. We read in
Genesis 21:33 that Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba. The word grove is ‘eshel which is spelled Aleph, Shin and Lamed. This actually means a tamarisk tree which is a small prickly type tree. It has no real value, it is basically a bush. Bedouins use it to protect themselves from the wind and the bark is used to fuel a fire, which gives off a lot of smoke. Bible scholars have pondered this verse for centuries. Why would Abraham plant bushes that are perfectly capable of growing wild and offer no value whatsoever other than a windbreaker and smoky fire.
It says that Abraham planted the tamarisk and called upon the name of the Lord (YHWH), the everlasting God. Scripture is being very specific here. What does the planting of a thorny bush have to do with worshipping God? In ancient cultures Archaeologist have found the tamarisk in Akkadian literature where it was used for divination and for magical and medicinal purposes. It was used in the worship of the god Annunaki as the branches of the tamarisk were pictured as the bones of the gods that Annunaki threw down to earth when they refused to work. You find the Akkadian word quddus (holy) often associated with the tamarisk. From this some scholars suggest that the planting of the tamarisk by Abraham was for the purpose of worshipping God. Pretty heady stuff. But I really hate the thought that Abraham would use a pagan symbol of worship to worship Jehovah. Then again, Abraham was the father of the nation that would introduce monotheism so we really can’t slight the old boy for resorting to an ancient pagan symbol to worship God. I mean even the Ram caught in the thorns just before Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac could very well have been a symbol of the gods of the land of Ur that influenced Abraham as a child. The Talmud does teach his father made a living in manufacturing idols (see Ram in the Thicket on our website www.chaimbentorah.com). Perhaps this was one way of God purging all the idolatry out of Abraham. I think Scripture would have been more explicit about it if this were the case. I mean the least the writer could have done was add a few more lines to explain the reason for planting tamarisk trees so future generations would not spend countless hours in debate over the reason for it.
Not only is there no practical reason for planting tamarisk trees but what is the spiritual value of even mentioning such a thing. I mean the God of the Universe, our Creator gave us one skinny little book to tell us all about Himself and then He wastes all this time with mysteries and things that don’t make a lick of sense. Frankly, I believe the Bible is really a Tardis. The Tardis (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) is a box a little bigger than a refrigerator that the British science fiction character Dr. Who uses as a star ship. It is only about four by four foot around and seven feet high on the outside, but once inside you enter a vast starship with so many rooms that not even Dr. Who himself has visited them. I believe when you enter the Bible you are entering a vast star ship with so many rooms that not even the 53 volumes of the Talmud has visited every room. Every verse, every word was carefully chosen by God to reveal a message to us.
So I refuse to write Genesis 21:33 off as just literary fluff so God could get enough pages in His book to meet the minimum requirements for publication. We read it, think “Ok Abraham planted tamarisk trees, praise the Lord” and then we move on. No, I am not moving on, I am stopping right here and I will not leave until I have an answer as to what God is trying to teach me in this verse.
So that is how I happened to find myself in the Talmud this morning, seeking some answers from those who spent a lifetime studying the Word of God. I found something interesting. Certain sages see the Hebrew word for tamarisk ‘eshal as an acronym. Yes, they have acronyms in Hebrew. The word is spelled Aleph which is the first letter for ‘akila which means food, Shin which is the first letter for the word setiya which means drink and Lamed which is the first letter for lewiya which means fellowship. The sages concluded that Abraham went into the motel business and planted the tamarisk trees as fence around his inn serving as a billboard sign that within the grove was a hotel, an inn or a hostel. There travelers could come and find rest, food and companionship. But this hostel really served as more like a coffee house with a religious theme.
The Talmud goes on to explain that the words he called in Hebrew is vayakrie which is really in a Hiphal imperfect third person form and should be rendered, he caused others to call (upon the name Jehovah). In other words Abraham caused God’s name to be spoken in the mouths of all of all his guests. The Talmud says, roughly translated: “After they ate and drank they blessed him (Abraham) and Abraham said: ‘Have you eaten my food? No, your food and drink was provided by Jehovah, thank and bless Him who spoke the world into being.”
Frankly, I like that explanation better than the idea that he just set up a place to worship God using pagan symbols. I like to think that he set up a place to worship God by sharing the love of God. He set up a mission station where he was our first missionary.
I have found, for myself at least, that I have been so wrapped up in my praise and worship to God that I fail to vayakrie cause others to speak the name of God. We are all called to share the message of the love and salvation of God. It is very easy to get one dimensional and just focus on our own worship, needs and problems but when Abraham the father of not only Judaism but Christianity worshipped God he set an example for us and that was to also share the Good News.
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