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A Date Palm Tree of Life would be a lot easier to resist temptation to pick fruit from! #ParshaChat

I guess one thing about the possibility of it being figs is that figs are pretty easy to reach and pick. My elementary school had a fig tree that we weren't allowed to pick the figs from, so of course all of us did. It wasn't hard.
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This is reminding me of the affinity that Mel Baggs had with trees in general and the Mother Tree in particular. #ParshaChat

The Torah isn't specific at all except about it being some kind of tree fruit. I kind of imagine it as shiny and coming from something like a giant redwood tree. #ParshaChat

And also important to acknowledge their limits, both material limits and ethical limits. #Parshachat

That said, when we see our relationship to the natural world as *solely* one of domination, bad things happen.

But I do think it's important to acknowledge the power dynamics involved. #ParshaChat

And likewise animals: We do a lot of animal breeding, a lot of domestication, a lot of dog training, etc. And in the case of zoos, a lot of proactive species preservation. #ParshaChat

That said, we do make a lot of decisions about things like where to plant plants, which plants to protect and which to cut down, which plants to genetically modify, which plants to selectively breed, which pollinators to proactively expose plants to, etc. #ParshaChat

I think the second version of the creation story implies that. #ParshaChat

Although, I think the classical Jewish understanding was that this is a fig tree, and fig trees aren't particularly awe-inspiring as far as trees go. Apple trees though... #ParshaChat

They're also living things that are bigger and older than we are. There's something kind of awe-inspiring about trees. #ParshaChat

I'm not sure; it's a fairly uncommon word. #ParshaChat

How could people direct prayers without knowing the name of the god they were directing prayers to? #ParshaChat

A4: At the same time, the plant and animal worlds are vast, and complex, and the idea of them being completely in our control seems like dangerous hubris to me.

It reminds me of how badly it goes when people decide to just make wild animals pets.
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A4: I think it's true in some sense and not others. There are ways in which it is appropriate to rule over plants and animals and to use them in ways that it would *not* be appropriate to rule over and use human beings. #ParshaChat

Q4: What do you make of this instruction to rule over plants and animals? To what extent is it possible or impossible to do this? To what extent is it a good or bad idea to do this? #ParshaChat

And it's complicated by the fact that it's good to have *some* resistance to being told you're wrong, it's not good to be too easily influenced.

But we do need to be able to learn new things and change our minds when it's warranted. Easier said than done.
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It occurs to me that later on in the Torah, we do see a lot of Things Not To Do With Rocks, and people breaking those prohibitions. But those are mostly about not worshipping other gods. #ParshaChat