Here are some fun facts about figs (FFAF) brought to you because over the weekend we were down at the Tbomb’s and it turns out that Tbomb is Yiddish or Germanic or something for Fig Tree. Think “O Tannenbaum” but without the Tannen part. So that got me all thinking about fig trees and the thing is that they are supposed to be maybe the oldest domesticated plant. Or the plant that has been domesticated for the longest time. Not that the original plant has been around for that long because it’s fruit would be kind of withered and not fun to eat.
Under Jewish law, that’s not necessarily and excuse to cut it down. For some Jews, maybe but for very conservative Jews there is no excuse for cutting down a fruit bearing tree. I guess if you have been trucking it through the desert for 40 years and only ask for one thing, one stinking thing, you might ask for a nice ripe fig. Once you get the fig you might be mighty grateful and you’d have a thing about not cutting down the tree that gave it to you, regardless of how old and withered the tree got.
If someone came by and said “Hey, why don’t you cut down that withered old tree?” you might actually “give them the fig.” This is accomplished by inserting the thumb between the index and middle fingers only as far as the cuticle. It’s an insulting gesture in Greece, meant to resemble a private lady part. These are the guys who came up with the constellations, which also don’t look like what they are supposed to look like. The Greeks have an active collective imagination. But anyway, the Greek word for fig is “sykon” and a politician who would kiss up to another public figure but urge his followers to give that person the fig became a “sycophant.” Fun Facts About Figs!