Smilax: Desire Twined in Thorns and Shade

Smilax winds like desire twined in thorns and shade, threading through forests and forgotten paths, stirring the hidden longing at the heart of Talei Or.

When God created the winding path…

They say that when God created a path

that doesn’t go straight,

He didn’t draw a trail —

He let a vine grow.

It doesn’t climb upward,

it seeks — tree, stone, curve,

sky — through turns.

So appeared Smilax aspera —

a plant that doesn’t win by force,

but weaves itself through everything around it.

The path that holds by thorns

Smilax clings.

It doesn’t ask permission.

It simply stays, holds, grows.

Its leaves gleam like blades.

Its thorns whisper “careful.”

But beneath them — is life.

Not showy. Hidden. But deep.

In Jewish view: a twist as the righteous path

It is said in Scripture:

"The path of the righteous is not straight, but faithful."

That’s how smilax grows:

around.

around again.

but forward.

It’s like a person who doesn’t break,

but wraps around pain and makes it strength.

Kabbalah: smilax as Da’at, the connector

Smilax doesn’t stand apart.

It lives in relation.

It connects.

It binds.

Like Da’at — knowledge not in words,

but in joining the pieces.

It whispers:

“You don’t have to be the center.

It’s enough to be the one who connects.”

Philosophy of the vine

It is no garden king.

No flower.

It is presence.

It is path.

And in every turn — a new anchor.

In every thorn — a question:

“Are you sure you want to pass here?”

“If yes — are you ready to leave a trace?”

And if one day you feel lost along the way…

don’t look for a straight road.

Remember smilax.

It moves — not by map,

but by inner knowing:

where to cling to not fall.

And then you’ll understand:

The true path is not straight.

It is alive.

It clings.

It embraces.

It leads.

And that — is holy.

🕊️ This plant is part of the Talei Or path.

It appears in Course 1 of our online journey — a step toward scent, soul, and land.

Discover the course →