Nappping under the Carob tree -garrofera

Stories from old and new

1 -The carob (=garrofa) does feature in Jewish tradition. One famous tale (The short nap) is the story of Honi and the carob tree.

Once, a long time ago, there lived a young man named Honi. One day he saw one of the old men of the village planting a carob tree. Honi said: "Hey old man, why are you planting that carob tree? Surely you don’t expect to live to eat its fruit?"

The old man straightened up, looked at the youngster with patience and understanding in his eyes, and replied: "There were trees in the world when I was a boy – that I could climb on and enjoy their fruit. Who do you think planted them?" And he went back to his work.

Honi sat to watch the old man but soon felt tired and lay down to sleep. But his 'short nap' ended up lasting for 70 years! When he woke up, he was amazed to find himself beneath the towering branches of a fully grown carob tree. A middle-aged man was picking its fruit. "You aren't the man who planted this tree, are you?" asked Honi.

"No," he replied. "My grandfather planted this tree not long before he died, so that we today would have fruit and shade to enjoy."

CNN's Nadia Bilchik talks about a siesta competition in Madrid, as well as the benefits ·


The art of napping
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Bible land trees. Although the carob tree itself is not mentioned by name in either the Old nor the New Testament, it is thought that Jesus does refer to when he mentions the husks in the parable of the Prodigal Son.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. Luke 15:15-19

EXTRA: wild honey, carats (read below)

Some believe that this was the 'wild honey' that John the Baptist ate in the wilderness.
John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.: Matthew 3:4

As summer grows on in the Bible land the seed pods dry and around ten small hard seeds fall out. These are of such a uniform size that for millennia they have been used as a standard measure of weight. In a sense they are still used, because even today their weight – called the carat – is the weight by which diamonds are weighed and valued all over the world.