Texts in Conversation
In Luke, Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son says he longs to eat carob pods, an image of how far he has fallen. Rabbinic tradition in Leviticus Rabbah uses the same image of carob pods to describe what leads a person to repentance.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Luke 15:16
New Testament
14 Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Leviticus Rabbah 13:4
Aggadah
Rabbinic
The Rabbis say: “These are the living beings [ḥayya] that you may eat” – one that remains alive [ḥayya] after its mauling you may eat, one that would not remain alive after its mauling, you may not eat. Reish Lakish said: If you merit, you will consume, but if not, you will be consumed by the kingdoms. Rav Aḥa said: It is written: “If you are willing and heed, you will eat the goodness of the land, but if you refuse and are defiant, you will be devoured by sword [ḥerev te’ukelu]” (Isaiah 1:19–20); you will eat carobs [tochelu ḥaruvin], as Rabbi Aḥa said: When a Jew needs [to eat] carobs, he repents. Poverty is becoming for the Jews, like a red strap over the heart of a white horse. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: [The word “these”] teaches that Moses was grasping the living beings, showing Israel, and saying to them: ‘This is permitted [for consumption] and this is forbidden.’
Date: 500 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... A proverb from the rabbinic commentary Leviticus Rabbah (13.4) notes, “When Israelites are reduced to eating carob pods, they repent.” The son’s comments fall in line with this idea. Junior speaks of his sin and his desire for restoration to the household, albeit on lesser terms as a day laborer rather than a beloved son. His rehearsed lines sound contrite. Thus, for many readers who, influenced by Luke, see the parable as about repenting and forgiving, Junior is understood to have repented ..."
Levine, Amy-Jill
Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi
(p. 64) HarperOne, 2014
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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