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.

exodus, moses

Mother Earth could have parted sea for Moses' escape
Study cites perfect storm that could have helped with biblical exodus

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in the meantime, scientists have put science into the parting of the red sea and they think there might be a physical explanation for moses's miracle. might not have been like the classic movie, "the ten commandments." the new study indicates that strong persistent winds could have been a major factor in the sea's movement. they did these computer simulations re-creating 3,000-year-old acts and found that 63-mile-per-hour winds blowing for 12 hours could have actually pushed the water to bend. scientists base their study on shifting depths over waterways over time .
you're sticking with the bible?
that and a guy called moses happened to be there with his hands open like this.
if he looked like charleston heldstone, who is going to ....

NEWS
Mother Earth could have parted the Red Sea, hatching the great escape described in the biblical book of Exodus, a new study finds.
A strong east wind, blowing overnight, could have swept water off a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon along the Mediterranean Sea, said study team member Carl Drews of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. While archaeologists and Egyptologists have found little evidence that any events described in Exodus actually happened, the study outlines a perfect storm that could have led to the 3,000-year-old escape.
"People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts," Drews said. "What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws."

Drew and his colleagues used models that showed that a wind of 63 mph, lasting for 12 hours, would have pushed back waters estimated to be 6 feet deep. This would have exposed mud flats for four hours, creating a dry passage about 2 to 2.5 miles long and 3 miles wide.
To match the account in the Bible, the water would have to be pushed back into both the lake and the channel of the river, creating barriers of water on both sides of newly exposed mud flats, which is exactly what the models show could have happened.
As soon as the winds stopped, the waters would come rushing back. Anyone still on the mud flats would be at risk of drowning.
As the Bible story goes, Moses and the fleeing Israelites were trapped between the Pharaoh's advancing chariots and a body of water that has been variously translated as the Red Sea or the Sea of Reeds. In a divine miracle, a mighty east wind blew all night, splitting the waters and leaving a passage of dry land with walls of water on both sides. The Israelites were able to flee to the other shore. But when the Pharaoh's army attempted to pursue them in the morning, the waters rushed back and drowned the soldiers.

"The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus," Drews said. "The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in."
A similar phenomenon is found on Lake Erie near Toledo, Ohio, where water will recede several feet when a strong wind blows through, Drews told OurAmazingPlanet.
The research shows how strong and persistent winds can affect water depths, and will also help with understanding storm surges, Drews said.
By pinpointing a possible site south of the Mediterranean Sea for the crossing, about 75 miles north of the Suez reef, where other groups have focused, it also could be of benefit to experts seeking to research whether such an event ever took place.