Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses a certain kind of plant known as Chatzuva, which was used by Yehoshua to mark property boundaries in Israel. This plant has a root structure that extends straight downward, making it a natural, long-lasting and reliable boundary marker. 

This unique herbage makes an appearance in Gemara Beitzah (25b), where it sets a different kind of boundary:

Rami bar Abba also said: The sea squill, a plant from the lily family whose roots project deep into the ground, will cut off the feet of the wicked in the future on the Day of Judgment. It was customary to plant sea squill on the edges of fields as boundary markers because their roots grow straight down without spreading out. Those who overstepped boundaries and infringed upon their neighbor’s property should have heeded the markers and desisted. 

Similarly, young trees will cut off the feet of butchers and those who have relations with menstruating women. After a tree is planted, one must wait three years before eating its fruit. This serves as a lesson for those butchers who hasten to eat of the animal’s meat before removing its hide, and for those who have relations with their menstruating wives and do not wait for them to achieve ritual purification. 

The lupine [turmus], an extremely bitter legume that is edible only after an extensive process, will cut off the feet of the enemies of the Jewish people, a euphemism for the Jewish people themselves. As it is stated: “And the children of Israel continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, and served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon and the gods of the Philistines, and they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him” (Judges 10:6). 

By inference from that which is stated: “And they forsook the Lord,” do I not know that they did not serve Him? Rather, for what purpose does the verse state the seemingly unnecessary words “and did not serve Him”? Rabbi Elazar said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: My children did not treat Me even like this lupine, which, because it is inedible as it is, must be cooked in water seven times in order to temper its bitter taste and is eventually made so sweet that one eats it as a dessert after a meal. They worshipped all seven types of idolatry listed in the verse, and even after I punished them for each and every one of them, they still refused to repent from their evil ways. Instead, they remained rebellious and did not serve Me.

The Maharal (Nesivos Olam, Nesiv Hatzedek 3) explains this aggadah:

The wicked might try to excuse themselves by claiming self-interest and treachery are natural responses. However, their claim is invalidated because even in nature we see a capacity to discern straight from crooked. 

Likewise, the fruit of the fourth year and on is of superior quality, therefore this ought to serve as a lesson that some things are well worth the wait.

The Turmos bean, which goes through many iterations of cooking until it becomes edible also serves as a rebuke for the Jews who chose to serve lesser Gods and spirits instead of God himself. Even if they were to argue that God is remote and it is reasonable to direct the majority of our prayers to the local spirits, at the end of the day a small concentrated portion of prayer ought to be directed toward God. This is just like after all the processing, a small but tasty portion is left from the Turmos bean, which is a delicacy.

Of course the Chatzuva does not really possess morality any more than the frogs of Midrashic fame, who made a decision to martyr themselves. Gemara Pesachim (53b) says that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah inferred a Kal V’chomer from the plague of frogs in Egypt: Frogs, which are not commanded concerning the sanctification of the name of God, entered the burning ovens of the Egyptians to fulfill God’s directive. All the more so, we, who are commanded concerning the sanctification of the name of God, should deliver ourselves to be killed in the fiery furnace for that purpose instead of bowing to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah drew strength from the idea that a frog can follow instinct and its purpose, so too must they. Similarly, the chatzuva shows that even within nature, there is an ability to remain steadfast in the boundaries of right and wrong.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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