Orlah: Making the Physical Serve the Torah
From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Vayikra 19:23
וְכִי־תָבֹאוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם כׇּל־עֵץ מַאֲכָל וַעֲרַלְתֶּם עׇרְלָתוֹ אֶת־פִּרְיוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עֲרֵלִים לֹא יֵאָכֵל
And when you come into the land and plant any tree for food, you shall treat its fruit as orlah, forbidden; for three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten.
1“And when you come into the land and plant any tree for food …”1 The Midrash on this verse says: “This is what is written: ‘It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it.’ Words of Torah should not be in your eyes like a grown daughter whose father wants to marry her off to anyone at all … It is like a king who said to his son, ‘Go out and trade.’ The son said, ‘Father, I am afraid of the robbers on the road.’ What did his father do? He took a staff, hollowed it out, placed his seal inside it and gave it to his son. He said to him, ‘Let this staff be in your hand, and you need not fear anyone.’”2 This verse teaches the laws of orlah: the fruit of a tree in its first three years may not be eaten. What do these laws have to do with the greatness of the Torah, which the Midrash speaks of here? We must also ask what Chazal meant by saying that one might think the Torah is like a grown daughter, Heaven forbid. And why did they compare the Torah to a staff bearing the king's seal?
וְכִי תָבוֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם כָּל עֵץ מַאֲכָל (יט, כג). בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (ויקרא רבה כה, א) עַל פָּסוּק זֶה אִיתָא, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (משלי ג, יח) ״עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ״, שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה בְּעֵינֶיךָ כְּאָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בַּת בּוֹגֶרֶת וְהוּא רוֹצֶה לְהַשִּׂיאָהּ לְאֶחָד וְכוּ׳, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁאָמַר לִבְנוֹ צֵא לִפְרַקְמַטְיָא, אָמַר לוֹ אַבָּא מִתְיָירֵא אֲנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ מֵהַלִּסְטִים, מֶה עָשָׂה אָבִיו, נָטַל מַקֵּל וַחֲקָקוֹ וְנָתַן בּוֹ קְמֵיעוֹ נְתָנָהּ לִבְנוֹ, וְאָמַר לוֹ יִהְיֶה מַקֵּל הַזֶּה בְּיָדְךָ וְאִי אַתָּה מִתְיָירֵא מִשּׁוּם בְּרִיָּה, ע״כ. וְצָרִיךְ לְהָבִין מַה שַּׁיָּיכוּת יֵשׁ בֵּין דִּינֵי עָרְלָה הָאֲמוּרִים בַּכָּתוּב זֶה, לְעִנְיַן מַעֲלַת הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהֵבִיאוּ כָּאן בַּמִּדְרָשׁ. עוֹד צָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר, מַה כַּוָּונַת חז״ל בַּמֶּה שֶׁאָמְרוּ שֶׁהָיָה אֶפְשָׁר לַחְשׁוֹב שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה הִיא כְּבַת בּוֹגֶרֶת ח״ו, וְכֵן מַהוּ הַדִּמְיוֹן שֶׁדִּימּוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה לְמַקֵּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ חוֹתַם הַמֶּלֶךְ.
- Vayikra 19:23. ↩
- Vayikra Rabbah 25:1; Mishlei 3:18. Such a father is eager to be rid of his daughter and marries her to the first man he finds; a person should not treat the Torah that way. ↩
In shortWhat do the laws of orlah have to do with the Torah's greatness, the grown daughter and the staff bearing the king's seal?
2aFirst, the prohibition of orlah itself needs a reason: why did the Torah forbid eating the fruit of the first three years? [So we find the Rishonim, the early authorities, giving reasons for the mitzvos.] We may say that its reason is like that of the blessings Chazal instituted over food and other enjoyments. Chazal said that a person may not eat until he pauses a moment and first says a blessing, and they were very strict about this. They said that one who eats before the blessing is like one who steals from Heaven,3 and that one who does not say the blessing is “a companion to a destroyer,” to Yeravam ben Nevat, who led Israel astray from its Father in Heaven.4 The reason is that the soul came down to this world to turn matter into form, making physical things into something spiritual. A person's purpose is to rise higher and do everything for the honor of Heaven, not for his own pleasure. Yet the soul by its nature cannot exist here without the body, and the body needs physical things. Still, the goal is only the spiritual. That is the point of the blessing. Through it a person reflects that everything comes from Hashem, and he remembers not to make the physical the main thing but to eat for the honor of Heaven.
וְהִנֵּה בְּעִיקַּר עִנְיַן אִיסּוּר עָרְלָה, צָרִיךְ לִיתֵּן טַעַם לַדָּבָר מַדּוּעַ אָסְרָה הַתּוֹרָה לֶאֱכוֹל פֵּירוֹת שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת [וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בָּרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁנָּתְנוּ טְעָמִים לַמִּצְוֹת]. וְאֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא עַל דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁתִּיקְּנוּ חז״ל בִּרְכוֹת הַנֶּהֱנִין, וְאָמְרוּ שֶׁאָסוּר לְאָדָם לֶאֱכוֹל עַד שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּהֶה מְעַט וִיבָרֵךְ קוֹדֶם, וְהֶחְמִירוּ בָּזֶה מְאֹד עַד שֶׁאָמְרוּ (ברכות לה, א) שֶׁהָאוֹכֵל קוֹדֶם הַבְּרָכָה הוּא כְּגוֹזֵל מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ (שם לה, ב) עַל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְבָרֵךְ שֶׁהוּא נַעֲשֶׂה חָבֵר לְאִישׁ מַשְׁחִית, לְיָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט שֶׁהִשְׁחִית אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲבִיהֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם. וְהַטַּעַם לָזֶה הוּא, כִּי הַנְּשָׁמָה יָרְדָה לָעוֹלָם עַל מְנָת לַעֲשׂוֹת מִן הַחוֹמֶר צוּרָה, דְּהַתַּכְלִית שֶׁל הָאָדָם הוּא לְהִתְעַלּוֹת, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת הַכֹּל לְמַעַן כְּבוֹד שָׁמַיִם וְלֹא לְכַוֵּין לַהֲנָאַת עַצְמוֹ. אֶלָּא שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמָה מִטִּבְעָהּ אֵינֶנָּה יְכוֹלָה לְהִתְקַיֵּים בְּלִי הַגּוּף, וְהַגּוּף צָרִיךְ לְעִנְיָנִים גַּשְׁמִיִּים, אֲבָל הַתַּכְלִית הַנִּרְצֶה הוּא רַק הָרוּחָנִיּוּת. וְזֶהוּ עִנְיַן הַבְּרָכָה, שֶׁעַל יָדָהּ יִתְבּוֹנֵן הָאָדָם שֶׁהַכֹּל מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, וְיִזְכּוֹר לֹא לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵהַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת עִיקָּר אֶלָּא לֶאֱכוֹל עֲבוּר כְּבוֹד שָׁמַיִם.
2bChazal said that the Torah complained before the Holy One, blessed be He: “When Israel enters the Land, one will run to his vineyard and another to his field, and what will become of me?”5 In other words, the world being what it is, when Bnei Yisrael dwell “each man under his vine and under his fig tree,”6 they will forget the purpose for which they came into the world, to learn Torah. They will busy themselves with the physical instead, making the main thing secondary and the secondary main. That is why the Torah forbade the fruit of orlah, so that a person holds back from eating a tree's fruit for three years. This is in the spirit of “a threefold cord is not quickly broken”:7 [what is kept for three years holds firm]. So these three years remind a person that he came to this world only to keep the Torah and the mitzvos, and to make the Torah the main thing and the physical secondary.
וְהִנֵּה אָמְרוּ חז״ל (טור סימן רצ בשם המדרש) שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה קָבְלָה לִפְנֵי הקב״ה, שֶׁכְּשֶׁיִּכָּנְסוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאָרֶץ זֶה רָץ לְכַרְמוֹ וְזֶה רָץ לְשָׂדֵהוּ וַאֲנִי מַה תְּהֵא עָלַי, וְהַיְינוּ כִּי בְּטֶבַע הָעוֹלָם הוּא שֶׁבִּזְמַן שֶׁבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיוּ יוֹשְׁבִים אִישׁ תַּחַת גַּפְנוֹ וְתַחַת תְּאֵנָתוֹ, יִשְׁכְּחוּ מֵהַתַּכְלִית שֶׁלִּשְׁמָהּ בָּאוּ לְעוֹלָם בִּשְׁבִיל לִלְמוֹד תּוֹרָה, אֶלָּא יִתְעַסְּקוּ בַּגַּשְׁמִיּוּת וְיַעֲשׂוּ מֵהָעִיקָּר טָפֵל וּמֵהַטָּפֵל עִיקָּר. וּמִטַּעַם זֶה אָסְרָה הַתּוֹרָה פֵּירוֹת עָרְלָה, לְהִמָּנַע מִלֶּאֱכוֹל פֵּירוֹת שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, שֶׁהוּא עַל דֶּרֶךְ (קהלת ד, יב) הַחוּט הַמְשׁוּלָּשׁ לֹא בִמְהֵרָה יִנָּתֵק, שֶׁזֶּה יַזְכִּיר לְהָאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא בָּא לָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל קִיּוּם הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹות, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת מֵהַתּוֹרָה עִיקָּר וּמֵהַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת טָפֵל.
In shortLike the blessing before eating, orlah's three years of holding back remind us that the Torah is the main thing and the physical secondary.
3This lets us properly explain why the Midrash expounds the greatness of devotion to the Torah on the verses of orlah. Chazal said that the Torah is not like a grown daughter whom her father wants to be rid of. That is, a person must not make the Torah secondary to the physical, as if the physical were the main thing, Heaven forbid. This is exactly what orlah comes to remind us of and teach us: that the main thing in this world is not the physical but the Torah. Of this the Midrash says that the Torah is “a tree of life to those who hold fast to it,” and tells the parable of a son afraid to travel because of robbers. The soul is like the son of the King, the King of kings, and it is afraid to go down into this world because the world is full of physicality. The King advises it to take a staff bearing the King's seal. That staff is the Torah, the Torah of truth, for “the seal of the Holy One, blessed be He, is truth.”8 By the power of the Torah a person will be saved from all the harms of this world.
וְעַל פִּי זֶה יְבוֹאַר עַל נָכוֹן דִּבְרֵי הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ אֶת מַעֲלַת עֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה עַל הַכְּתוּבִים שֶׁל עָרְלָה, וְאָמְרוּ שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה אֵינֶנָּה כְּבַת בּוֹגֶרֶת שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לְהִפָּטֵר מִמֶּנָּה, הַיְינוּ שֶׁאֵין לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַתּוֹרָה כְּטָפֵל אֶל הָעִיקָּר אֶל הַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת ח״ו, וְהוּא מַמָּשׁ כְּעִנְיַן הָעָרְלָה שֶׁבָּאָה לְהַזְכִּיר לָנוּ וּלְלַמֵּד אוֹתָנוּ שֶׁהָעִיקָּר בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הוּא לֹא הַגַּשְׁמִיּוּת אֶלָּא הַתּוֹרָה, כָּאָמוּר. וְעַל זֶה אָמְרוּ בַּמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה הִיא עֵץ חַיִּים לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ, וְנָתְנוּ לָזֶה מָשָׁל לְבֵן שֶׁמִּתְיָירֵא לֵילֵךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ מִפְּנֵי הַלִּסְטִים, הַיְינוּ שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמָה שֶׁהִיא בִּבְחִינַת בֶּן הַמֶּלֶךְ, מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, מְפַחֶדֶת לֵירֵד לָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מָלֵא בַּגַּשְׁמִיּוּת, וְנוֹתֵן לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ עֵצָה לָזֶה שֶׁיִּקַּח מַקֵּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ עָלָיו חוֹתַם הַמֶּלֶךְ, זוֹ הִיא הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת, וְחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל הקב״ה אֱמֶת (שבת נה, א), וּבְכֹחַ הַתּוֹרָה יִנָּצֵל מִכָּל פִּגְעֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה.
- Shabbos 55a. ↩
In shortThe Torah must never become secondary, as orlah teaches; it is the King's seal of truth that protects the soul in a physical world.
4This is the point of what my holy ancestor R' Nosson Dovid of Shidlovtza, zt"l, said on the verse “The heavens are the heavens of Hashem, but the earth He gave to the children of man.”9 The heavens surely belong to Hashem, since people cannot spoil what is in the heavens. But even the earth He gave to people, so that they would make it into a kind of heaven. His holy words mean what we have been saying. A person can limit his involvement in physical things and engage in Torah; and even when he does deal with physical things, he can act for the sake of Heaven and say the blessings properly. In this way he is able to turn matter into form, doing everything for the honor of Heaven and not for his own pleasure.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר זְקֵינִי הרה״ק רַבִּי נָתָן דָּוִד משידלובצא זצללה״ה, עַל הַכָּתוּב (תהלים קטו, טז) ״הַשָּׁמַיִם שָׁמַיִם לַה׳ וְהָאָרֶץ נָתַן לִבְנֵי אָדָם״, שֶׁהַשָּׁמַיִם הֵם בְּוַדַּאי לַה׳, שֶׁהֲרֵי מַה שֶּׁנִּמְצָא בַּשָּׁמַיִם אִי אֶפְשָׁר לִבְנֵי אָדָם לְקַלְקֵל, אֶלָּא אֲפִילּוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ נָתַן לִבְנֵי אָדָם, לַעֲשׂוֹת מִזֶּה בְּחִינַת שָׁמַיִם. וְכַוָּונַת דְּבָרָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים הוּא כַּנִּזְכָּר, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָאָדָם מְמַעֵט לַעֲסוֹק בַּגַּשְׁמִיּוּת וְעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה, וְגַם בְּעֵת שֶׁעוֹסֵק בַּגַּשְׁמִיּוּת הוּא עוֹשֶׂה זֹאת לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, וְאוֹמֵר הַבְּרָכוֹת כָּרָאוּי, עַל יְדֵי זֶה הוּא יָכוֹל לַהֲפוֹךְ אֶת הַחוֹמֶר לְצוּרָה, לַעֲשׂוֹת הַכֹּל לְמַעַן כְּבוֹד שָׁמַיִם וְלֹא לַהֲנָאַת עַצְמוֹ.
- Tehillim 115:16. ↩
In shortThe earth was given us to make into a kind of heaven, R' Nosson Dovid taught: through Torah, blessings, and physical life lived for Heaven.
5May the Holy One, blessed be He, help us be privileged to serve Hashem and to know how to fulfill the mission for which we came down to this world, and so bring the redemption near. Amen, may it be His will.
הקב״ה יַעֲזוֹר שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לַעֲבוֹד אֶת ה׳, וְלָדַעַת לְמַלְּאוֹת הַשְּׁלִיחוּת שֶׁבִּשְׁבִילָהּ יָרַדְנוּ לָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וּנְקָרֵב בָּזֶה הַגְּאוּלָּה, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
In shortThe Rebbe prays that we fulfill the mission for which we came down to this world, and so bring the redemption near.
Takeaway
Our souls were sent into a world full of physical things, and the danger is that field and vineyard quietly become the main thing while the Torah becomes secondary. The years of orlah, like the blessing we say before we eat, remind us which comes first. When we eat and work for the sake of Heaven and hold fast to the Torah, the King's seal in our hand, we turn matter into form and make the earth into a kind of heaven.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.