A Story and a Poem about War and Hope
Methuselah of Masada
My poetry teacher recently assigned us homework to write a poem about trees. The first thing that came to mind, for some reason only my psyche understands, was the Jewish tradition of planting a tree in Israel in the name of a loved one who has died. In researching trees in Israel, I came across an article about a date palm tree birthed from the oldest date seeds in Israel. The article is in the online arm of Bridges for Peace, an organization of Christians whose mission is to build relationships between Christians and Jews in Israel and around the world.
(https://www.bridgesforpeace.com/resource/methuselah-the-story-of-the-worlds-oldest-date-palm-tree). This article left me with myriad feelings – from wonder and awe to sorrow and grief – and got my creative juices flowing.
The modern story starts in 1963, when an ancient clay jar filled with date seeds was found during excavations by Israeli archaeologists at the remains of King Herod’s palace at Masada. Masada was an elaborate fortress complex built in the Judean Desert of Israel in the 1st Century BCE by Judean King Herod the Great for protection against the Romans. In addition to the wartime fortifications, Masada contained architectural marvels such as two palaces, numerous bathhouses, waterworks and a synagogue.
The date seeds found by the archaeologists were perfectly preserved,arbon dating confirmed that the seeds were over 2,000 years old. The seeds were kept in storage for 40 years, when scientists studying medicinal plants and sustainable agriculture in the Israeli Desert engaged in a project of germinating ancient seeds.
A ceremony was held to plant the ancient date seeds found at in King Herod’s palace at Masada in 2005 on TuBiShvat, the Jewish New Year of Trees. Miraculously, one of the seeds sprouted, becoming the oldest seed in the world to successfully germinate. The seedling was affectionately named Methuselah, for the longest-lived person in the Bible.
After it was determined that Methuselah was a male tree, a female tree, named Hannah, and also germinated with ancient seeds, was pollinated by brushing her leaves with Methuselah’s pollen so that Hannah could bear Methuselah’s fruit. Six years later, in the midst of the global Covid pandemic and economic collapse, 111 dates were harvested from the oldest date seed in the world. This story filled me with wonder and sadness at the same time. Here is the poem I wrote to express my feelings.
The Peace Tree: Methuselah of Masada
A date seed,
birthed before the time of Christ
Was found in an ancient clay jar in the war-torn rubble of Israel’s mighty fortress Masada - looming o’er the blue Dead Sea.
The world’s oldest date seed
ever to sprout
Was tended with care, and became
a majestic date palm tree.
He was named Methuselah, for the Bible’s oldest man.
No part of the date palm is wasted, they say:
luscious dates for sustenance
fibers to protect from the cruel desert wind
leaves to ward off the heat of the sun
wood and thatch for shelter from the storm
pits protecting date seeds for continual rebirth
And bringing hope to a world
woebegone by war.