Discovering 'Abraham's Tree': The Ancient Oak of Israel

The Torah tells us that after Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech, he planted a tamarisk tree: "He planted a tamarisk at Beersheba, and there he invoked the name of Hashem, the Eternal God."

The Midrash describes how Abraham created a hostel for travelers seeking shelter under the tree, where he revealed to them the Creator and asked them to give thanks, "and called there on the name of Hashem." To this day, the acronym for hospitality, א.ש.ל, represents eating, drinking, and lodging.

"Abraham sat by the oak known as 'Ogigi' (meaning primal), a place near Hebron in the land of Canaan... This city was the dwelling of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews... Their memorial tombstones are visible in this city to this day, made of beautiful marble for honor and glory. Six stadia from the city, a large oak is visible, said to have stood since the beginning of the world," (The War of the Jews with the Romans, Book IV, Chapter IX, 7).

A Church Father describes meeting a woman in Italy who kept a branch of the "Abraham's Tree" as a talisman, while another Christian traveler named Arculf recounts how people would sell twigs from Abraham's Tree as amulets.

Rabbi Petachia of Regensburg, the brother of Ri HaLavan from the Tosafists, recounts his visit to Hebron: "At the Oaks of Mamre, far from there, an old man resided. When Rabbi Petachia arrived, the old man was near death. He instructed his sons to show Rabbi Petachia the tree under which the angels rested."

Exactly a hundred years ago, the book "Eretz Yisrael Calendar" by researcher Lunz was published. In it, he wrote: "On the narrow path between the road to Jerusalem and the road to Gaza, there is an incredible tree—a very ancient and vigorous oak believed to be the 'Oak of Mamre'. This oak and every branch bears the signs of age. Its trunk measures ten meters in circumference at the base, and it stands nine meters tall. Four large branches stretch high, with a combined girth of ninety-five steps higher up. There once was a fifth branch, lost approximately forty years ago when heavy snow fell, and this branch was taken to Britain. The general populace calls this tree 'Abraham's Tree'."

The tree is indeed considered the oldest in Israel, and during that period, students from the Hebron Yeshiva photographed themselves with the famous tree.

Sadly, today, the tree lies within the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. Despite their promises to allow Jewish access, they have not kept their word, and we currently have no way to visit it.