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‘And when you come to the Land (of Israel) and plant any fruit bearing tree, you shall not use its fruit; for three years the fruit should be forbidden to you and not eaten.’ (Vayikra 19:23) This verse describes the Mitzva (commandment) of Orla. Orla requires that we neither eat nor benefit from the fruit of a tree in the first three years of that tree’s life (how to calculate this is a topic for another time). The word Orla is also interesting as its derivations are also used to describe a state of not being circumcised and also to describe an attitudinal ‘covering’ of the heart. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, one of the leading 20th century Rabbis, notes that this Mitzva seems to run against Bal Tashchit, the Mitzva not to destroy items - see Devarim 20:19 for its primary source and discussion in Talmud Kidushin 32a. Interestingly, it appears that an application of Bal Tashchit is located four verses after the Mitzva of Orla is taught, perhaps strengthening Rabbi Feinstein’s question. Furthermore, Rabbi Feinstein comments that the Torah forbids cutting branches off trees as the Torah seems to encourage the proliferation of trees (see Devarim 20:19). The continuation of the presentation of Orla tells us (Vayikra 19:25) that the fruit should be eaten in the fifth year. Rashi, the premier Torah commentator, explains in his comments on our verse that the combination of Orla and eating in the fifth year equal an additional abundance of crops. Rabbi Feinstein comments, perhaps in a similar vein to Shemita (the Sabbatical year), that Orla is a test of our belief in G-d’s assurances and our understanding that we perform Mitzvot (plural of Mitzva) even if we cannot find a ‘reason’ for doing so.
Ultimately, every religious action it is based on the fact that it comes from the Torah which represents a standard above the non-altruistic manipulations which the human mind could conceive. Our performance of the Mitzvot shows our acceptance of G-d’s rule over the world, our understanding that the Torah provides the path for a focused moral and spiritual compass in our lives, whether we can reason the Mitzvot or not. This approach is also applied in a similar vein to other areas of creation, such as the weather which we accept even though we cannot fully understand it. |
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