DATES

of the ONE

Music Player Instruction:  play and allow in this ancient fruit

As I was walking along the forest path at The Sanctuary in Virginia I heard the word ‘lulav”.  It made no sense so I let go of it. Then out of nowhere came – date palms. It was my ha! ha! moment.  Yes, the lulav is a branch of the date palm tree.  So here I was downloading the ancient fruit of dates.
It is truly an ancient fruit as it is mentioned and eaten as a fruit by all ancient religions.  Jews have dates on Passover and Rosh Hashanah [ New Year]. They also use the palm branch [lulav] to bless the 4 species on Sukkot [Feast of Tabernacles] – as a symbol of perfection, success and prosperity. Christians engage with it on Palm Sunday as a symbol of victory and peace.  Moslems break their daily Ramadan Fast on dates and water. A fruit for all – encompassing ONENESS.  
I love dates and have been eating them since early childhood.  I love their sweetness and texture. I love them as they bring people together to celebrate.
My early recollection was in downtown Haifa when the Arab traders on their camels would sell dates and prickly pear.  My mother bought them and we’d sit near-by and enjoy eating them.
Another memory – travelling in the Sinai desert and stopping at Sharem –el –Sheik.  On the way, passing by tall palm trees and in the distance camel trains carrying goods.  Yes, they were people of the desert- the Bedouins.    They were mysterious and so were their ways.  As time passed by I learnt how honouring the Bedouins are to their visitors, to the desert area they temporarily occupy and to the date trees. They pass the oral custom from generation to generation of always asking the tree’s permission before taking its fruit.  They know that the trees and their fruit are precious to all.

As I continued my research I found out that dates are healers.  They

• strengthen the nervous system/ improve bone health/ purify blood/ support digestion and skin health/ lower cholesterol   
• are rich in proteins/ fiber/ vitamins – B1 / B2 / B3 / B5 / B6 / A1 / C / minerals – calcium/ iron/ phosphorus/ potassium/ magnesium/ zinc
• assist in weight gain – natural sugars – glucose/ sucrose / fructose – when eaten with cucumbers weight kept normal

Miriam Broder

References
https://stampcenter.com/israel-2018-festival-palm-tree-dates-etc-3v/
https://www.thebedouinway.com/Bedouin-blog/2015/11/14/palm-trees-dates-the-south-sinai-bedouin
https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/10-dates-benefits-from improving- bone-health-to-promoting-beautifulskin-1258714 

Note
If medical conditions persist – please seek a qualified medical practitioner

Music:  Now – Master Charles Cannon
Meditation Music Downloads – available for purchase – click here