science

Shemen Afarsimon

Shemen Afarsimon is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Shemen Afarsimon rather than just read about it. In short: Shemen afarsimon (Hebrew: שֶׁמֶן אֲפַרְסְמוֹן šemen ʾăp̄arsəmōn) was a prized oil used in antiquity. The ancient Jewish community of Ein Gedi was known for its cultivation of the afarsimon.

Key takeaways

Shemen Afarsimon belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Shemen Afarsimon to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Shemen Afarsimon from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Shemen afarsimon (Hebrew: שֶׁמֶן אֲפַרְסְמוֹן šemen ʾăp̄arsəmōn) was a prized oil used in antiquity. The ancient Jewish community of Ein Gedi was known for its cultivation of the afarsimon.

Balsam and afarsimon in Judaism The Hebrew Bible does not mention persimmons, but in the Talmud and Midrash the Hebrew term may also stand for balsam, which occurs once in the Hebrew Bible as Hebrew besami (בְּשָׂמִי) "my spice" (pronounced [bə.ɬaːˈmiː]) in Song of Songs 5:1, which is indirect evidence of the form basam (בָּשָׂם; pronounced [baːˈɬaːm]). In modern Hebrew, the word afarsimon is translated as persimmon. However, some doubt that persimmons would have been known to the peoples of the Bible, although being a traditional Jewish New Year's food in the Diaspora. According to Adin Steinsaltz, the afarsimon of the Talmud was considered very valuable, and worth its weight in gold.

Identification

It is not known exactly what plant was used to produce the biblical oil. According to one theory, it is the plant Commiphora opobalsamum - a small shrub, 10 to 12 feet high, with wandlike, spreading branches. The oil extracted from the seeds or branches of this plant has been used as a medicine, but more commonly as incense or perfumed oil.

Qumran jug In April 1988, archeologists working with the former Baptist minister Vendyl Jones discovered a small jug of oil in the Qumran region that Jones announced was the oil used in the Temple. The find was announced by The New York Times on February 15, 1989, and a feature article was published in National Geographic Magazine in October of that year. After testing by the Pharmaceutical Department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (the results of which were never detailed or revealed), the substance inside the juglet was claimed by Jones to be the shemen afarsimon hinted at in Psalm 133. According to Jones, it was the first artifact discovered from the First Temple Period, and one of the treasures listed in the Copper Scroll. However, this identification remains controversial.

See also Balm of Gilead Balsam of Mecca Commiphora gileadensis Holy anointing oil Perfume

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shemen Afarsimon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shemen Afarsimon claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Shemen Afarsimon before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Shemen Afarsimon ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Shemen Afarsimon

In research: Shemen Afarsimon appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Shemen Afarsimon in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Shemen Afarsimon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biblical archaeology, Essential oils, Oils, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Shemen Afarsimon outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Shemen Afarsimon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Shemen Afarsimon means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Shemen Afarsimon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shemen Afarsimon in simple terms?

Why does Shemen Afarsimon matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Shemen Afarsimon?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Shemen Afarsimon.