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Has anyone ever counted the seeds of a pomegranate? Is it true that each pomegranate has 613 seeds?

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@msh210 - Way to finally recognize another use for the number tag! – Isaac Moses Nov 8 '10 at 18:01

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up vote 6 down vote accepted

When I was young, my older brother and I counted a bunch of pomegranates. Some totaled 607, 624, and other numbers in that area. Although none totaled exactly 613, in our series of counting the average came out to 613!

Thanks to msh, at the bottom of R. Zivotofsky's article I found that someone has an ongoing experiment regarding just this question and so far the average seeds in a pomegranate is ... you guessed it! 613!

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The international experiment is almost as anecdotal as yours. The results indicate clearly that different regions' pomegranates have different average numbers of seeds. To get an international average, you'd have to weight the contribution of each region by that regions contribution to the world pomegranate population. – Isaac Moses Nov 7 '10 at 4:44
The Parshblog entry cited by Dave essentially makes this argument in more detail. – Isaac Moses Nov 7 '10 at 4:46
I agree that the "experiment" as well as my experience is hardly a scientific conclusion. What if someone really had a lot of extra time on his hands and did a real sampling ... – Yahu Nov 8 '10 at 21:38
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It'd be hard to come up with a sampling plan that doesn't end up relying on some non-trivial assumptions, so I don't think you could really come up with One True Average. We should probably content ourselves with the idea that most pomegranates that we tend to see will have about 613 seeds. – Isaac Moses Nov 9 '10 at 16:30
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On average there are "about" 613 mitzvot :) It all depends on if you combine the list of Mitzvot according to the Ramban or the Rambam as well as other lists :) – avi Nov 27 '11 at 11:29
up vote 4 down vote

See Ari Zivotofsky, "What’s the Truth about... Pomegranate Seeds?" for a general discussion about the claim that the fruits have 613 seeds each; his final footnote discusses the מציאות (facts on the ground).

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up vote 3 down vote

Parshablog cites a [somewhat dubious] study which claims that the average number of seeds in pomegranates worldwide is 613. He also states that Malbim is the source for the 613 claim.

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up vote 3 down vote

Yes I have. No it's not literally true.

In light of Alexander Haubold's study, I now eat my words.

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or your pomengranate – Gershon Gold Nov 7 '10 at 18:48
That study is debunked in the Parshablog post I linked to. – Dave Nov 10 '10 at 19:44
up vote 2 down vote

I heard that "filled with mitzvot as a pomegranate" is not a reference to a certain number, or even an abundance, but the "fullness".

The phrase אפילו ריקים שבכם מלאים מצוות כרימון is explained as being full like a pomegranate. When a pomegranate grows, its seeds fill it up leaving no space, as opposed to other fruit we know that have some extra space or inedible parts. The pomegranate fills all available space - so we wish to fill every ounce of ourselves with mitzvot, and even the "empty" among us are as full as that.

(Will edit upon finding the source. blndr)

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up vote 2 down vote

Just to contribute a tiny bit of data (while agreeing with the other answers that the count varies):

Tonight I was dismantling a pomegranate while waiting for dinner to cook, and one thing led to another, and I found that this single data point had exactly 613 seeds. I only eat about one or two pomegranates a year, so I am unlikely to collect a statistically-meaningful sample in my lifetime. But there existed at least one, anyway. :-)

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up vote 1 down vote

It isn't true. In terms of the Malbim about 613 seeds in a pomegranate, see it inside, as well as a nice discussion by me and others, here: http://parsha.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-many-seeds-in-pomegranate.html

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Your work precedes you :) mi.yodeya.com/questions/3848/pomegranate-613-seeds/3854#3854 – Isaac Moses Nov 10 '10 at 14:51
:) -- oops. i posted the wrong link. i put something up yesterday, but i linked to my old post. the new post is this one, and has the Malbim in it: parsha.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-many-seeds-in-pomegranate.html – josh waxman Nov 10 '10 at 16:48
I'm fixing your answer accordingly. – Isaac Moses Nov 10 '10 at 17:11
thanks. much appreciated. – josh waxman Nov 10 '10 at 18:40
up vote 0 down vote

613 is the number of commandments to us. We are to live by this as being fact. Originally, there were (at least) 613 seeds in the pomegranate. Due to:'go forth & multiply, we are @ 7 billion+. This is where the propagation of our present statics bring us. We still understand the 613 commandments and the symbol of pomegranate. Real simple, to me.(at least). Love, POMEGRANATES & what they symbolize and they are so cool, and delicious!!!

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Bonni Wetzler, Welcome to Judaism.SE, and thanks very much for this answer! It's not very clear to me exactly what you mean; could you possibly clarify a bit and add any relevant sources? Also, I encourage you to register your account, to give you access to more of the site's features. – Isaac Moses Nov 27 '11 at 3:07

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