8 Dec 2002 Hazelnut Tree
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/fairytales_myths_fables_&legends/96927
"It happened one day that the father went to the fair, and he asked his two step-daughters what he should bring back for them.
"Fine clothes." said one.
"Pearls and jewels!" said the other.
"But what will you have, Aschenputtel?" said he.
"The first twig, father, that strikes against your hat on the way home; that is wht I should like you to bring me."
(Grimms' Fairy Tales, Woolworth Edition, 1993 p119)
The father is confused in his values. Eager to please, he has placed the step-sisters over his own daughter. They want the things of life that make them look beautiful on the outside, the things that attract attention in society on the gossip pages of Salon or the Tatler: clothes and fine jewels. Never mind that they might happily back up their Jags or Bentley's over pedestrians accidentally getting in the way of their temper-tantrums, or be caught cutting price-tags off designer clothes. For them, appearance, not manners or ethics, is what matters. Make sure the makeup is polished and the clothes immaculate for the sentencing in court to solicit the admiration and sympathy of the papparazzi and the invisible international audience.
Cinderella is a country bumpkin. She asks for a twig off the a tree rather than anything valuable. Obviously, her father is a successful merchant. She has the right to ask for more, but his values are upside-down. He wishes to ingratiate himself with those who hold the social limelight--not those who do the dirty work. The story divides society into the glitterati and street-sweepers. The stepsisters ursurp her position, deriding her, " Is this stupid creature to sit in the same room with us?... those who eat food must earn it." In doing so, they deprive her of self-esteem and social worth. Nazis employed similar arguments to subjugate Jews by the notorious Nurenburg Laws, elevating the Aryan Race.
Deprived of rightful social position and personal possessions, Cinderella asks for a twig. Why a hazelnut tree? The figure of a tree recalls the verses from Psalm 1:
1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night,
3. And he shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (KJV)
After seven years a hazel can bear fruit if the catkins and branches are uncut. The hazel is not prized for its fruit like the walnut, nor is it a stately tree that is valued for its wood. Hazels are nearly invisible beneath the discarded leaves, frequently embedded in prickly burs nearly impossible to extricate. As a result, hazels are often ignored, left for birds and squirrels, rather than gathered for human consumption. A strong wind blows against the walnut and the nuts fall heavily to the gound, raked up in a few moments. Their hulls pop off easily, leaving the brown nuts conspicuous. Hazels though, remain inside burs that must be gathered and then tediously extracted before the tedium of cracking and picking the kernels from the shells. The hazel has nearly 50% more food value weight per weight as a hen's egg in protein, fat and carbohydrates. The trees are supple and withstand stronger storms than the large walnut.
Perhaps the characteristics reveal something about Cinderella, who not beautiful or lofty, gets passed by and ignored. Supple like the hazel, she endures the hardship she faces and only after years of harsh weather, she bears the fruit of her labor. And like the hazel, her true value is hidden in beneath an outershell that is not beautiful. The hazel is thrice hidden because first it is the bur hidden among the fallen leaves and trodden underfoot; the nut within the prickly bur and finally the kernel within the shell. The true value of Cinderella is unseen by the passerby. Yet like the hazel, she develops and bears fruit, allowing those who desire it to stoop to find it among the discarded leaves of society.
Moreover, the fruit she bears is not immediately apparent, like the apple or pear; nor pleasing to the eye. The apple hangs handsomely with its ruddy cheeks against the green leaves and the pear in its golden beauty attracts the admiration of the bees; but both perish quickly once they have fallen on the ground. It takes some skill to store them for the winter, but the hazel dries easily and has important nutritional value. The psalm continues:
4. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away...
and concludes:
6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Through the bitterness of her tears, the tree grows, becoming the home to the white bird. And yes, we think it is all a fairytale because we read the morning headlines screaming that a dissatisfied worker returned to his workplace with a gun and shot his co-workers dead; or a student, gun in hand, shot his teacher point blank in retribution of some imaginary wrong. A man, sitting on the backstairs, tired of listening to his girlfriend's voice, shot her through the head. We feel justified to clamor against anything we perceive as infringing on our petty self-indulgent turf. Few want to accept responsibility and culpability for personal decisions and actions. So much better to sue MacDonalds or Phillip Morris for millions than accept responsibility, although plainly marked for years on cigarette packages and years of doctor's warnings. Why accept the consequences when you can blame someone else? Grossly overweight teens can sue the local fast food chains for their own gluttony; but Cinderella is the model of integrity. Enduring grave injustice, she matures to gain her reward.
Psalm 1
The Blue Letter Bible
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Psa/Psa001.html#3
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/popup/1039356858-3476.html
The Blue Letter Bible
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1039355255-1310.html
carries a Septaguint, Vulgate, KVJ and nive other translations with lexicons, concordances and commentaries available.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1039355255-1310.html
tree
Psalm 92
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Psa/Psa092.html#12
which is used to welcome Shabbat on Friday night
Proverbs 3: 11-18
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Pro/Pro003.html#18
wisdom is compared to the fruit of a tree
Proverbs 11:30-31
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Pro/Pro011.html#30
fruit of the righteous is the tree of life
Jeremiah 7: 17-18
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Jer/Jer017.html#8
righteous man shall be like a tree planted by a river
Dove
Song of Songs 2: 10-14
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Sgs/Sgs002.html#14
Matthew 3:16
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Mat/Mat003.html#16
dove = holy spirit
Mark 1 :10
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Mar/Mar001.html#10
holy spirit as dove
Luke 3:22
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Luk/Luk003.html#22
baptism of Jesus
John 1:32
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Jhn/Jhn001.html#32
baptism of Jesus, dove as holy spirit
fruit-Ephesians 5:9
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Eph/Eph005.html#9
fruit- Hebrews 12:11
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Hbr/Hbr012.html#11
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