Every Herb and Fruit Given for Food, Shelter, and Fire

Midrash Aggadah Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 1:29 View source

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 9, 2025

The Torah's provision for humanity is stated briefly: "every herb yielding seed, every tree yielding fruit, to you it shall be for food." Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 1:29) expands the gift. The Lord gave not only food-bearing plants but "every unfruitful tree for the need of building and for burning."

The verse divides the plant kingdom into two categories. Fruit trees are for nourishment. Barren trees are for houses and firewood. Both are gifts. The Targumist refuses to let anything in creation be wasted or scorned — the tree that does not give fruit is not useless. It shelters and warms. Every piece of the world has a purpose; the question is what kind.

Themes

Creation Adam & Eve Righteousness

Biblical References

Genesis 1:29

Continue Reading

Midrash Aggadah The Argument in Heaven Before God Made Adam Genesis 6:6 is one of the most unsettling verses in the Torah: And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the eart... Midrash Aggadah The Earth Waited for a Person to Cultivate It Before there was rain, before there was agriculture, there was a waiting earth. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 2:5) ... Philo Noah in Battle The words that seem almost... unnecessary? Like when we read, "Noah did everything which the Lord commanded him" (Genesi... Philo Philo Saw the Dove That Never Returned as Virtue Itself You remember the story: the floodwaters are receding, and Noah sends out a dove to see if there's dry land. The first ti... Apocrypha How Light And Darkness Were Created We read the first chapter of Genesis and it feels so…orderly. But there are other stories, wilder tales, that offer a gl... Apocrypha The Palace Of Heaven Jewish tradition has some pretty incredible ideas about that. Let's peek inside God's house, shall we? According to some... Apocrypha The Fall of Helel ben Shachar One figure looms large in this discussion: Satanael. In the ancient text of 2 Enoch, this was the name of the highest an... Apocrypha Satan Cast From Heaven Jewish tradition offers some pretty fascinating, and sometimes unsettling, answers. Take the story of Satan's fall from ... Apocrypha Anafiel, The Creator Of The Beginning Let’s talk about Anafiel. Now, Anafiel isn't exactly a household name, even in circles that discuss angels. But, accordi...