The Wishing Tree, The Abu Tree / by Zeev Shahaf
In the oak tree reserve, in front of the eucalyptus row, near the cemetery in the veteran housing project, there is a jujube tree. Its fruits are small, the size of marbles balls, and look like tiny apples. Pieces of blue fabric are hanging from its thorny branches and that is what makes that tree so special.
We had been watching the tree for a while, just to find out if somebody was renewing the worn out pieces of fabric.
Our curiosity wasn’t satisfied.
One day we spotted an old lady standing on her toes trying to tie a piece of blue fabric on one of the branches. That moment we started an investigation, and what came out of this you will see yourself.
Miss Aboksis arrived to the tree from a near by Moshav. “This is the tree of luck” she answered our question. “Ever since 1952, when I first arrived to Israel, I have been coming here at the beginning of every Jewish month, even during wartime, to ask for some luck for my family!”
“Does it help”? We asked
“Sure it does” the old lady answered. “I have asked for baby boys grandchildren and it helped. I've prayed for my drug addict son, and it helped…”
“And what else?”
“I've prayed for my daughter that had a very difficult pregnancy…”
“And for those who come and pray here, does it help them”?
“It helps only if one really deserves it”
“So what should we do”? We asked
“The best” she said “is to take a woman’s head cover, the one she goes to the synagogue with”
”So the tree can’t help men” we guessed
“I can’t tell you that. But I want you to know that this tree, Abu the rabbi, is a holy tree”.
“From whom did you learn about this tree?” “When we arrived to Israel I was very sick so one of the rabbis told me about it”
During one of our visits , we met a botanist that willingly checked the tree - he checked the multiple trunks, leaves, fruits and roots and he even took a trunk core example. Eventually, he said that the three is probable very old, around 400 years old. 100 years ago the tree was damaged and recovered by growing a few additional trunks. He refused referring to the special qualities of the tree. “If I believed that, I would have asked for the lottery numbers.” he laughed.
Since the botanist couldn’t help us, we went to our friend, a social psychologist, and we asked him, how a tree could help people?
“It is all about control location” the psychologist began with his professional jargon. We asked for vernacular translation. “There are individuals and groups who think they are masters to their own destiny, those people have inner control location. Others think that outer factors determine their destiny and those have outer control location”.
“So?” We asked
“The latter are convinced that their actions, the prayers, can improve their situation”.
“But it is a fact” we continued our query, “they report of successes”
“Indeed” the psychologist confirmed, “it makes them feel good, which is a very important part of every therapy”.
We continued our investigation. One raining winter morning, we saw a track parked nearby and five women of different ages surrounding the tree and praying. The driver told us they had came there to ask for luck. One of the youngest in the group told us that they had arrived there from a nearby Yemenite Moshav and that they had been coming here every holiday’s eve.
“It is not superstitious! It really helps!” We returned to the driver who looked as an educated man:”say” we asked him “do you believe in this stuff”?
“You see” he answered, “even if it doesn't help, it doesn't hurt, and besides, what do we know about stuff like this? Some believe in meditation, while others put a note in the Kothel. Why don't you question those believes? Why do you have daubs regarding this tree?”
We wanted to check the story from a traditional point a view. Luckily, during one of our visits, we spotted two young orthodox boys praying under the tree. The boys, Yeshiva students willingly explained the importance of the tree. “Why are people, of the sudden, blessing a tree”? we asked one of them. “Isn't it like worshiping an idol?
“God forbid” the boy was appalled, “there is nothing about the tree. The praying and the requests are the heart of it but the holy man Abu, to whom a miracle happened, is the one who makes things happen”
“But still, it is not a tree from the seven species of abundant, it is just a thorny tree”.
“The legend tells” he said, “that the jujube tree was a tree like all other trees, it had tender leaves and its fruits was tasty like an apple. However, a terrible thing took its happiness away. Therefore, today it is thorny and its fruits are small and bitter. What could take away its taste of life if not an unrequited love? About that issue, said the wise of all men “and I shell find a woman bitter then death…” since he had 1000 wives but no love. I don’t want to talk about love since surely every man tested love. Rabbi Abu, started practice Torah only as young man. When he was a young boy, he pastured his fathers sheep in Biria forests in the Zefat mountains. One day, as all shepherds did, he lead the sheep to drink at the stone basin, and there, he saw a young girl. Their hearts tied together and that was all I have to say about it. Things happened under the shady jujube tree and there was an act with the girl’s blue scarf. The story ended with a Abu’s broken heart, that made him go to the yeshiva, where he discovered as a miracle. In days to came he became a rabbi in Israel, however, he had a strange custom to hang a blue scarf on every jujube tree.
The tree, got punished as well as it sheltered the loving couple with its branches. Now it is growing thorns so that no loving couple will host in his shade again.”
We referred to the second yeshiva boy, “this tree doesn't look very special, and besides, it is hidden among eucalyptuses and oak trees”
“The other trees” said the boy “grew here because one lady came to the tree and asked from the rabbi to pray for her to have children. So the rabbi told her to plant 351 trees (the gematria of “pri habeten” in Hebrew—that means children) so that passers-by would enjoy a shade.
The lady argued—70 (gematria for ben—baby boy)
“No”! said the rabbi
“102”, the woman negotiated (gematria for banim—baby boys).
But the rabbi insisted.
“Then I shall pray on my own” sighed the woman.
The rabbi was furies, so he cursed her that until the trees were planted, she would not have any children. The women got scared and planted the grove, and we have bless her for that till today”. So told us the boy and added that if I counted the oak trees I would see that the story was true.
We left the yeshiva boys and went looking for some historical information. So we reached Abdul Latiff a man who is like a historical and archeological institute. He was born at the beginning of the century, multilingual, even speaking Yiddish, with Hebrew being the only language problematic to him.
Any way, with regards to historical events, he has a computer in his head. His version to the tree story is a little bit different.
Abdul Lattif remembered that there had been a small dusty road that led to the tree next to which pilgrims riding on donkeys were passing. According to him, it was customary to hang pieces of fabric and put small honey jars inside. “And the most important” he said “it is forbidden to build any house here and fire is also a taboo it brings bad luck!”
But why is it holy? We insisted
“Well, one day the rabbi his name was Abu was passing through, he walked from the Galil to Jappa, and made a night break since he was tired. He lit a fire, which started his problems. Why you ask, some robbers saw the light and did what they knew best. They took his donkey and his money and even took his cloths. They throw him on the tree, which was very painful because of his thorns. The rabbi cried and prayed for help. Out of nowhere the wind brought him blanket and the color of the blanket was blue. He got off the tree but he was wounded, so he took some of the fruits and put them on his cuts. Then he was fine, nothing hurt him anymore. This is why people come here—to ask for good health, but it will not help you unless you have faith!” this is what Abdul Lattif told us.
Apparently, there are some people who weren’t familiar with the importance of the tree and the customs related. Last independence day some body lit a memorial candle near the tree and caused a great fire of the grove.
We went there to see what had happened. The eucalyptuses were burned to the ground, and amazingly, the “whishing tree” stood still without any harm. Near the smoky remains, we met Abdul Lattif. We asked him how he knew about the fire and he mumbled something about blue fire in the sky. May be he meant the fireworks? Sadly he said, “somebody now is gonna have a really bad luck!
The story was translated from Hebrew
In the curtsey of Zeev Shahaf Copyright ©
posted by rebecca @ 1:27 PM
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