Almond tree

The almond tree is a small tree with smooth grey bark and slender branches. It flowers in January or February — white or pale-pink blossoms that cover the bare branches before a single leaf has appeared, the first announcement that winter is ending. In villages across Israel, the almond's flowering was watched for each year as a sign of returning life. The nut itself ripens in a green outer husk that gradually dries and splits open to reveal the familiar shell inside. The almond was prized as a delicacy and a gift — Jacob sent almonds to Egypt as a present (Genesis 43:11).

The almond carries a deep Hebrew wordplay that God himself used. The word for almond — *shaqed* — sounds almost identical to the word for watching or staying awake — *shoqed*. When God showed young Jeremiah an almond branch at his calling and asked what he saw, Jeremiah said 'a branch of an almond tree.' God replied: 'You have seen well, for I am watching [shoqed] over my word to perform it' (Jeremiah 1:11–12). The first thing blooming in the dead of winter is a picture of God already awake, already working. Aaron's rod confirmed divine selection by being left overnight in the Tabernacle and producing buds, blossoms, and ripe almonds by morning (Numbers 17:8). The Tabernacle lampstand (menorah) was designed in the shape of an almond tree in full flower (Exodus 25:33–34).