Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
–Psalm 51:7

Hyssop is an aromatic plant, a strong smelling mint, commonly grown and used in Israel.

Throughout Hebrew law, hyssop was required in many of the purification ceremonies, including cleansing from leprosy and purifying oneself after exposure to a dead body. A sp…