Soul Fruit - what do we know?

Question

Bereshit 2:9:

ויצמח יהוה אלהים מן־האדמה כל־עץ נחמד למראה וטוב למאכל ועץ החיים בתוך הגן ועץ הדעת טוב ורע

And from the ground Hashem, God, caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.

Hashem made a lot of trees, and the עץ החיים and עץ הדעת are singled out by name by the pasuk.

Ibid 17:

ויצו יהוה אלהים על־האדם לאמר מכל עץ־הגן אכל תאכל

And Hashem, God, commanded the Human, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat"

Some of (all?) the other trees were in some way edible, just like the עץ הדעת, and Hashem entreated us to eat.

Ibid 3:22:

יאמר  יהוה אלהים הן האדם היה כאחד ממנו לדעת טוב ורע ועתה  פן־ישלח ידו ולקח גם מעץ החיים ואכל וחי לעלם

And Hashem, God, said, "Now that humankind has become like any of us, knowing good and bad, what if one should stretch out a hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever!"

The two "named" trees both confer abilities, one seemingly a soul ability, the second is less clear but could be a soul ability or body ability or both. The עץ הדעת gives some form of דעת (according to Kabbalah, it implanted in our souls the faculty of דעת itself). The second confers eternal life.

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My question is very simple. Did all the other trees also confer soul (or other) abilities? Do we have any information on this in our tradition at all? Did Adam/Chava partake of any of them or did they go straight for the עץ הדעת?

Answer 1

Great question!

I found a Yalkut Shimoni 20:15. Here is the link: https://www.sefaria.org/Yalkut_Shimoni_on_Torah.20.15?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=he

It needs to be read in context, but I found something that might answer the question:

ומושכין ממנה ד' נהרות אחד של חלב ואחד של יין ואחד של אפרסמון ואחד של דבש וכל חופה וחופה למעלה ממנה גפן של זהב ול' מרגליות קבועות בו וכל אחד מבהיק זיוו כזיו הנוגה

The Yalkut Shimoni is describing what Gan Eden looks like and says that there are four rivers there, one of milk, one of wine, one of אפרסמון (which I dont know exactly how to translate), and one of honey, and every single חופה (I think a canopy) is on top of it and has a גפן (vineyard) of gold with pearls/expensive rocks that are placed on it, and each one radiates like כזיו הנוגה.

I think the זיו הנוגה is similar to what we say on Shabbat in Shacharit, " מְלֵאִים זִיו ומְפִיקִים נוגה , "They are full of radiance and emanate brightness."

I don't know if Adam and Chava ate from the trees or things mentioned in this Yalkut Shimoni, but this one sounds like if one drank these liquids mabye they would get a sort of radiance of light.