"For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. . . of wheat and barley and grapevines and figs and pomegranates; a land of olives and honey (from dates).

1. WHEAT - Chitah
Wheat's essential role puts it first among the seven species. Since ancient times, it has been considered one of man's most basic crops: from wheat flour, bread is produced. On Shavuot, the festival of the First Fruits, the first of the wheat crop would be brought to the Temple.

2. BARLEY - Se'orah
Barley was, and still is, an important grain in Israel. Because it requires less water than wheat, it grows even in the arid fields of the Negev. Since it ripens before wheat, its harvest begins in the month of Nissan (spring). Two weeks later, the Omer offering brought to the Temple in Jerusalem as part of the Pesach festival was a barley offering. Bread prepared from barley was considered to be "poor man's" bread, possibly because it was not considered as tasty as bread made from wheat.

3. GRAPES - Gefen
Man has been cultivating grapes from the earliest times: the first vineyard mentioned in the Bible was planted by Noah after the Flood. The cluster of grapes, brought to the Children of Israel in the wilderness by the Spies, symbolized the bounty of the Land of Israel. Throughout the generations, grapes have provided fruit and wine, and contributed to the economy of the indigenous Jewish community. Wine, indicative of joy, is used in many Jewish rituals and ceremonies.

4. FIG - T'einah
The broad fig tree gives a lot of shade, hence the prophet Micha proclaims in his vision of peace in the Land: "Each man will sit beneath his grapevine and his fig tree, and no one will fear. . . ." The sweet tasting fruit ripens in the hottest part of the summer, and the figs are eaten fresh or dried.The Bible refers to the fig as a symbol of fertility: it was also one of the fruits brought back by the spies to prove that the Land bore fruit.

5. POMEGRANATE - Rimon
An old Hebrew song by Yaakov Orland portrays the pomegranate: The pomegranate tree has aromas that flow Out from the Dead Sea and on to Jericho…

The pomegranate also has rich red flowers and dark red fruit, and its abundant seeds serve as a powerful symbol of fertility. The pomegranate's shape has been used in many decorative objects, such as the rimonim bells used to decorate Torah scrolls, the 200 rimonim of copper on the beams of the Temple and the rimonim which decorated the High Priest's garment in the Temple.

6. OLIVE - Zayit
The olive tree is one of the oldest and most common trees in the Land of Israel. There are olive trees in the Galilee that are estimated to be thousands of years old. Its leaves are green all year round, its roots are strong and the silvery underside of the leaves gives off a sheen of light.

In Biblical times, olive oil was used to anoint priests and kings; in its purified form it was used to light the seven-branched Menorah (candelabra) in the Temple. The olive itself is eaten after being preserved; its oil is used for cosmetics, healing compounds and soaps, as well as for food.

The olive branch is a symbol of peace: it was evidence for Noah that the flood had ended. It is part of the emblem of the State of Israel, its deep roots symbolizing the people's strong attachment to the land.

7. DATE (Honey) - Tamar (D'vash)
The date is both one of the Seven Species for which the Land of Israel is noted, and one of the Four Species used on the festival of Sukkot. The date tree is a tall one, and its fruit grows in clusters near the top. The sweet dates, which ripen at the end of summer, are eaten fresh or dried - and are also used to make honey. The tree itself is very versatile, its branches being used for cover (as in the Sukkah), its fibers for rope and its trunk for building.