in the book of genisis, what is the signifigance of the mandrakes?
Sunday, April 24th, 2011 at
02:37
what is the answer to this question, serious answers only.
Filed under: Mandrake
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They supposedly help women bare children.
Well, the Rabbis are kind of divided in opinion over whether this was actually a mandrake plant or not. Some say it was some other kind of plant, some say no, it was a mandrake.
Whatever plant it was, it was apparently used as an aphrodesiac and/or a natural fertility drug that helped women become pregnant who may have otherwise had difficulty doing so.
That’s about all I remember about it.
Source: Me, Jewish
Just be sure to wear your earmuffs when you handle them.
They may have been the herb known now as ginseng, the roots of which are said to resemble a man, and the powdered roots are used to enhance a man’s overall health (not an herb for women). In Mandarin Chinese, "gin" means MAN, so You can see the connection. For Leah and Rachel, though, it was apparently believed to be an aphrodisiac that also enhanced the chances of his impregnating a woman — which is odd, since the woman’s cycle determines that.
later remark — YaY to Edith Ann (below)
According to Wikipedia:
Hebrew Bible
In Genesis 30, Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah finds mandrakes in the field. Rachel, Jacob’s second wife, the sister of Leah, is desirous of the mandrakes and she barters with her sister for them. The trade offered by Rachel is for Leah to spend the next night in Jacob’s bed. Soon after this Rachel, who was previously barren, gives birth to a son, Joseph. There are classical Jewish commentaries who suggest that mandrakes help barren women to conceive a child.
Mandrake in Hebrew is דודאים (dûwôdãym), meaning “love plant”. It was believed by Asian cultures to ensure conception. Most interpreters hold Mandragora officinarum to be the plant intended in Genesis 30:14 ("love plant") and Song of Songs 7:13 ("the mandrakes send out their fragrance"). Numbers of other plants have been suggested, as bramble-berries, Zizyphus Lotus, the sidr of the Arabs, the banana, the lily, the citron, and the fig. None of these renderings are supported by satisfactory evidence.
(FYI – Significance…. no, I’m not the word police, and if it was just a typo, my apologies, but wanted to make sure you knew the word)
Aren’t those the plants whose roots look like babies?
Just remember them from "Pan’s Labyrinth" Interesting movie.
Think they were in harry potter too.
Excellent question. We just had a wonderful article on Leah and Rachel. There was a trade going on – mandrakes for the sexual affection of Jacob. Mandrakes were thought to help cure infertility. Rachel wanted babies very badly. Leah’s son, Reuben, had found mandrakes, gave them to his mother Leah (who had no problem having children by this time) and Rachel asked for them. When Leah protested, saying, "You’ve got my husband’s love, now you want my son’s mandrakes too", Rachel responded by saying, "Okay, Jacob will lie down with you tonight. In exchange for your son’s mandrakes." Rachel was hoping the mandrakes would help remove her infertility.
The account is found at Genesis 30:14-16.
Hannah J Paul