# Monoculture | A World Transformed | Moshiach Life

> In ancient times, it was common for farmers to plant many different crops on their land, wheat in one corner, barley in another, with fruit trees or…

URL: https://moshiach.life/a-world-transformed/monoculture/  
Language: en  
Site guide for agents: https://moshiach.life/llms.txt

---

[A World Transformed](https://moshiach.life/a-world-transformed/)

# Monoculture

![A golden field of grain stretching to a farmhouse and trees on the horizon](https://moshiach.life/assets/archive/a-world-transformed--monoculture.webp)

In modern agricultural terms, monoculture is the emphasis on growing a single crop on the majority or whole of the land. This method of farming benefits farmers as it allows reduced costs, but when a single variety of species is grown it can also put the farm at risk of widespread crop failure.

In ancient times, it was common for farmers to plant many different crops on their land, wheat in one corner, barley in another, with fruit trees or vegetables interspersed between them. Nowadays most farming takes place on vast commercial farms, and it’s considered more economical to cultivate only one type of crop across thousands of acres.

The drawback is that when only one crop is grown on the land, the soil quickly becomes depleted of nutrients, which need to be artificially replenished. Also, a blight or disease that strikes a single species can cause widespread crop failure..An example of the devastation monocultural farming can cause is the corn blight of 1970 which ruined more than 15 percent of corn crops in North America. Growing a variety of plants on the same land allows for a richer soil as well as a larger range of insects, which ensures that one pest doesn’t damage too many crops.

On Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, we acknowledge the benefits of multiculture with the ritual of the four species. We bind together a palm frond, a myrtle and willow branch, and shake them together with a citron fruit. These four types are highly symbolic and represent four types of Jews. The palm, which produces fruit but has no fragrance, represents Jews who do good deeds but don’t study Torah. The myrtle branch, which is fragrant but has no fruit, represents those who study Torah but don’t do good deeds. The willow branch, which has neither taste nor smell, represents Jews who do neither. And the esrog, which has a delicious flavor and fragrance, represents Jews who do both.

G-d didn’t create the world with one type of person, just as he didn’t create the world with only one type of animal or vegetable. He created the world with many different types, and our goal is to unify them all into one harmonious coexistence.

During Sukkot we eat all our meals inside the sukkah, a temporary structure that evokes the clouds of glory that protected us in the desert. While the sukkah has a minimum size, there is no outer limit on how large a sukkah can be. Our sages say, “All of Israel can sit together in one sukkah.” Thus, the sukkah itself has become a symbol of Jewish unity.

During Grace After Meals on Sukkot, we add this prayer: “May G-d rebuild the fallen sukkah of Zion.” This refers to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed due to senseless hatred. Through our unity and selfless love, we will undo the conditions that led to exile and usher in the final Redemption.