Hyssop, in the oregano family, was and is a popular spice in Israel. Here you can pick the fragrant leaves, crush them in mortars and pestles, dip some pita-bread in olive oil and our hyssop spice, and fill small bags to take home.

Enjoying the taste and fragrance is only part of the experience. Equally important is looking at the significance of hyssop in the Bible. Hyssop appears at the Crucifixion: "A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth" (John 19:29). A modest, humble plant that attracts little attention, hyssop can grow anywhere, demands little soil or water, offers healing properties, and was used in purification ceremonies in the Bible (such as the ceremony for the cured leper in Leviticus 14). While munching on pita-and-hyssop sandwiches, you learn about this special plant, representing purity, modesty, and humility, and its appearance at the Crucifixion and elsewhere in the Bible.

Beth Uval