Hebrew: תָּמָר מָצוּי , tamar matzuy
Family: Palmae
Scientific name: Phoenix dactylifera
The common date palm is an evergreen with an erect trunk that can reach impressive heights. The stem maintains a uniform thickness and is covered over time by the bases of fallen leaves that developed on it over the years. As a dioecious species, male and female flowers develop on different trees. In wild palms, the fruit typically measures 2–2.5 cm in length, while cultivated varieties produce fruit twice the size. Due to the trunk’s structure, it is impossible to graft other plants onto it.
The common date palm has multiple uses and it is possible to use all of its parts; none of it goes to waste: “dates for eating, fronds for praise (hallel), branches for roofing, fiber for ropes, leaves for sieves, large beams for roofing the house” (Bereishit Rabbah 41:1).
Leaves: From a botanical perspective, the common date palm consists solely of a trunk and leaves; it has no branches. All new growth occurs always at the apical meristem (kor), also known as the heart of palm, is edible and is located at the very top of the tree. Since it is situated at the top of the palm and there is an absence of cell-producing tissue in other parts of the tree, it develops only at the tree top and does not thicken the trunk or produce side branches (with the exception of root-suckers, which emerge from the ground). Removing or damaging the apical meristem is fatal to the tree, since it does not have any other live tissue-producing cells.
The lulav is the new leaf that emerges from the apical meristem after classification as a leaf.
Palm oil: Palm oil, derived from date palms, is a staple in many tropical countries and a significant ingredient in various processed foods. In Israel, it is also used during Passover as a substitute for oils produced from legumes.
The common date palm has grown in our region since ancient times. Many date pits have been found in archeological excavations in the Jordan Valley and in the Dead Sea region, areas that are especially suitable for date palm cultivation.
The date is also one of the seven species with which the Land of Israel is blessed, and the palm frond is one of the four species waved on Sukkot.
The common date palm is mentioned in scriptures as a symbol of stability and strength: “The righteous flourish like the date palm,” “Your stature is like a date palm.” And in the midrash: “Just as the date palm has no waste … so too Israel has no waste.” The date palm is a plant with flavor (in the fruit) but without a scent, and this is an allegory to members of the Jewish People who learn Torah but do not have good deeds.
Until the sugarcane and sugar beet were introduced to our region, honey produced from fruit, especially date honey, and bee honey were the main sweeteners.
Orlah & neta revay (waiting three years for fruit & fourth-year trees): Since it is a tree, one must wait three orlah years before using, eating, or benefiting from its fruit. On the fourth year, a special blessing is recited to transfer the sanctity of the fourth-year fruit to a coin.
Kilei ilan (grafting mixed species): The common date palm is a monocot, meaning that it grows upwards only, which is why it is impossible to graft other trees onto it. For this reason, there is no concern of kilayim for date palms. Despite this, the barayta forbids grafting an olive tree onto a date palm. It is difficult to see a way for this practically to take place, also because olive trees can only be grafted onto other olive trees. It seems that this does not refer to regular grafting, but rather to planting an olive sapling in the cut trunk of a date palm to us the moisture of the palm’s trunk to stimulate the sapling’s growth during the dry summer months.
Bikkurim (first fruits): The date requires relatively high temperatures to thrive, which are generally found in low areas. For this reason, bikkurim should not be brought from palms growing in hilly areas, since they are of lower quality, but dates may be brought from palms growing in valleys, as they are high-quality.
Biblical measurements: Kotevet, the date fruit, is the unit used to quantify the minimal amount eaten on Yom Kippur that carries the punishment of karet (lit. “cutting off the soul”).
Shemitah (Sabbatical year): Since the date palm is dioecious, there are both male and female trees and to produce fruits, it is important to actively pollinate the female flowers with pollin from male trees at appropriate times. This pollination must take place in a short window of opportunity. There is a significant halachic challenge related to pollinating date palms during the shemitah year. It seems that pollinating date palms is termed by the Sages harkavah (though this generally means grafting).
לע”נ בניהו בן רחל ואלקנה
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לע”נ הנרצחים אורי לוקר גיבורי שלומית שנפלו בשמחת תורה אביעד כהן, אוריאל ביבי, בכור סויד, ראובן שישפורטיש
ולהצלחת עם ישראל
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להצלחת עם ישראל
