Landscape as sacred design: taking inspiration from Temple and Tabernacle

Ironwood flower

DEBORAH MAYAAN
Special to the AJP
As the days begin to cool, the gardener’s mind goes to planting trees and shrubs. Over the last few years, we’ve discussed four plants that are very meaningful in the Jewish tradition that are planted in October — grapevines, and fig, pomegranate and olive trees. You may be ready to plant some of these, but exactly where will you place them? If the trees and other plants are the landscaper’s palette, composition is creating the art of your yard.
In Jewish practice, the traveling Mishkan (Tabernacle) and later Temple in Jerusalem are our models of sacred space. We no longer trek to the Temple to bring our offerings and celebrate the pilgrimage holidays of Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot. Instead our homes, synagogues, and other community spaces are where we make our offerings and celebrate our holidays.
We can gain inspiration in creating Jewish landscapes by examining the teachings about the Mishkan (Exodus 25:1-40:38) and the Temple. A starting point is that the space has clear boundaries. We can mark the boundaries of our property in a way that has meaning, such as painting a shin (the letter represented on mezuzot) on rocks and placing them at entrances, or placing blue marbles along property lines. To convey a message of peace with all our neighbors, we can mark the entrance to our property with a fig tree or arbor of grapevines, based on the idea of everyone sitting unafraid underneath their vine and fig tree (Micah 4:4).
The outer area of the Mishkan is where the altar for burnt offerings stood. Offerings were made in order to atone and give thanks. Since the destruction of the Temple, these offerings have been replaced by study, prayer, and fulfillment of the mitzvot. As the outermost part of our property, the front yard can be viewed as the offering area. One approach is to plant a tree or create an area that is especially conducive to prayer, and that is so soothing it helps passersby also enter a more prayerful state of mind. Additional meaning may be added by using the three colors of the Mishkan — blue, purple, and crimson. The color photographs in Judy Mielke’s Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes offer possibilities from trees to ground covers.
The backyard may be seen as symbolic of the inner area of the Mishkan since it is a more private space. As a reminder to treat this space as an opportunity to create more holiness, we might place a mezuzah not only on the usual outdoor part of the doorway, but also on the inside, where we can see it as we step outdoors. In her book, She Who Dwells Within, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb suggests something similar: placing mezuzot at the entrances to parks and neighborhoods to remember that the whole earth is our home.
The most inner space of the Mishkan and Temple was the Holy of Holies. Only Moses could enter this space in the Mishkan at any time; Aaron was admitted only under special circumstances. In the Temple days, only the Kohen Gadol (high priest) entered this space, and only on Yom Kippur. One way to symbolically honor this sacred space is to mark off part of the yard that does not need to be entered to be maintained, an area of wild vegetation that reminds us of the beauty of G-d’s creation.
These Jewish approaches can be used in combination with other methods of creating sacred space and setting intentions.
The East offers us a template to apply to physical spaces. In feng shui, each space is divided into nine areas representing aspects of our lives. Feng shui principles can be used to help decide on the placement of trees. To me, an ironwood tree represents the courage to follow one’s own spiritual path; planting one in the “beneficial people” area of my yard is a reminder of my intention to cultivate relationships in which we support each other’s spiritual growth.
Many of us prefer to plant native trees. We can find resources about the energies of native plants. For instance, desert willow has a meaning of abundance in Cynthia Athina Kemp Scherer’s work with desert flowers (see The Alchemy of the Desert).
Choosing native plants encourages us to express our gratitude for the opportunity of living in this desert, and to share our knowledge about sustainable living practices that benefit both this land and the land of Israel.
Deborah Mayaan is a writer, energy work and flower essence practitioner based in Tucson.

Things to consider when choosing plants:
• What is a plant’s need for sun? Does it need full sun, shade, or do well in either?
• What are its water needs? Will these be met by contouring the land, by collecting water from roof runoff, by an irrigation system, or by using hoses or watering cans?
• How tall and wide will a plant grow? What is its optimal placement in relation to power lines, buildings, and other plants? As well as keeping it away from obstacles, consider its use in providing shade.
• Does it need the support of a trellis or arbor?
• Does it need protection, so it is not eaten by animals, scorched by the sun or frozen by the cold, either as it becomes established, or on an ongoing basis?
• Does it require maintenance in the form of fertilization, pruning, or clean-up of fallen leaves or fruit?
For basic horticultural information, see books such as George Brookbank’s Desert Landscaping, and ask questions at your local nursery. Additional resources on biblical plants can be found on www.deborahmayaan. ­com/writings.htm

Garden classes on tap in Tucson

Pima County Cooperative Extension will offer free gardening classes this fall. The classes, presented by Pima County master gardeners, will be held Wednesdays at 1 p.m. at the Murphy-Wilmot Branch Library and Fridays at 1 p.m. at the Oro Valley Public library. They include:
Oct. 3 (5) October Yard & Garden Activities
Oct. 10 (12) Container Gardening
Oct. 17 (19) Cool Season Watering of Gardens & Landscapes
Oct. 24 (26) Vines and Ground Covers for Tucson Area Gardens & Landscapes
Oct. 31 (Nov. 2) November Yard & Garden Activities
Nov. 7 (9) Think Before You Pot
Nov. 14 (16) Protecting Cold-Sensitive Plants from Winter Chill
For more information, call 626-5161 or go to cals.ari zona.edu/pima.