Cedar Trees: Constant vs. Change
“And this is the offering which you shall take of them...
[R]ams' skins dyed red, and seal-skins, and cedar wood...”
Exodus 25:3,5
The Midrash notices something interesting about these verses, which discuss the types of gifts B'nei Yisrael brought to help build the Tabernacle: how is it possible that, in the desert, B'nei Yisrael could find cedar wood? Rashi, quoting the same Midrash, explains that when Jacob traveled to Egypt over 200 years earlier, he had the the forethought to plant these trees specifically to build the Tabernacle.
There is another patriarch who planted a tree: Abraham, who planted a tamarisk tree (an eishel, in Hebrew), also called a salt cedar tree, in the town of Beersheba (Genesis 21:33). What is the connection between Abraham's salt cedar tree and Jacob's cedar tree?
Rashi, on the word “tamarisk”, explains that there are three different opinions as to what Abraham intended to do with the tree. One opines that the tamarisk tree that Abraham planted was actually a whole orchard of trees, with the intention of using the fruits of these trees to serve guests. The other believes that the tree was actually an inn for visitors, while the third and final opinion is that the word eishel refers to housing, that Abraham “planted” his tent in Beersheba, which was open to all. All three of these explanations seem to refer to one of Abraham's distinguishing characteristics: his kindness to guests.
The explanations that Rashi offers are supported by science. Salt cedar trees are able to regrow after fires and floods, and are resistant to many herbicides and chemicals. They can survive at very high altitudes, at elevations of up to 5,400 feet. Because the salt cedar reproduces vegetatively, by creating saplings from existing trees' roots rather than from seeds, it is difficult to completely destroy. Perhaps this is the reason that Abraham specifically picked a tamarisk tree: it symbolizes resilience and the ability to withstand both nature and man. Since it would remain there for a long time; it makes sense that Abraham would pick a tamarisk as a way to symbolize his legacy.
While Abraham's tamarisk tree represents the ability to remain stalwart, Jacob's cedar trees symbolize almost the opposite: his trees were chopped down and used for the construction of the Tabernacle. While Abraham's tamarisk tree did not need to be changed to serve its purpose, Jacob's trees needed to be changed to fulfill their purpose.
Abraham lived knowing that his legacy — his tamarisk tree — would only be carried on only by one of his sons: Isaac. In comparison, Jacob knew that the legacy that he had taken his father would be carried on by all of his sons in turn. In order for his legacy to be established, Abraham had to make sure that it would remain constant, and, like a salt cedar, could grow directly from its roots. Two generations later, Jacob, whose entire family would remain Jewish, knew that his descendants did not need a constant, rather, they needed something that they could use to continue the work that Abraham had started.
Abraham needed to establish; Jacob needed to build.
