Mandrake

The mandrake is related to the potato and the tomato. It was regarded as a fruit that could arouse sexual desire. It therefore plays an important part in a story about Rachel and Leah.

The mandrake grows in rocky soil. Various parts of this plant contain poisonous substances. The sweet fruit has an intoxicating and relaxing effect. It also has a delicious smell, as we read in Song of Songs 7:13.

In antiquity it was assumed that mandrakes aroused sexual desires. That idea probably came from the plant’s intoxicating effect and from the fact that the roots can have human-like shapes.

The best-known story in the Bible in which mandrakes are mentioned is found in Genesis 30:14-17. At harvest time, Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, finds mandrakes out in the field and gives them to his mother. Rachel also wants some, but Leah will only give her them if Jacob is allowed to spend the night with her. Rachel agrees, and that night Leah becomes pregnant with her fifth son.