"Purge me with hyssop," the Torah records, "and I will be clean." Hyssop has been used for millennia as a holy herb, consecrated for cleaning holy places. Its name comes from the Hebrew word adobe or ezob, which literally means "holy herb". Native to southern Europe, it is grown in gardens in cooler climates around the world. Hyssop has a mint-like taste (which is understandable as it is part of the mint family) that makes it a tasty addition to salads, provided it is used in small quantities.
The Torah mentions hyssop several times. In Vayikrà, G.d commanded His people to use hyssop in the ceremonial cleansing of people and houses. In one example, G.d tells the priests to use hyssop together with cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and the blood of a clean bird to sprinkle a person recently healed from a skin disease . This act would ceremonially cleanse the formerly diseased person and allow him to reenter the camp (Vayikrà 14:1–7). The same method was used to purify a house that had previously contained mold (Vayikrà 14:33–53).
Hyssop is also used symbolically in the Torah. When the Israelites marked their doorposts with lamb’s blood in order for the angel of death to pass over them, G.d instructed them to use a bunch of hyssop as a “paintbrush” (Shemot 12:22). This was probably because hyssop was sturdy and could withstand the brushing, but it also likely signified that G.d was marking His people as “pure” and not targets of the judgment G.d was about to deal out to the Egyptians.
David also mentions hyssop in Tehillim 51:7: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” David does not refer to physical cleansing,rather, he is asking G.d to cleanse him spiritually as he confesses his sin.
