Kedoshim - Patience

(23) When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden*forbidden Heb. root ‘-r-l, commonly “to be uncircumcised.” for you, not to be eaten. (24) In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before יהוה; (25) and only in the fifth year may you use its fruit—that its yield to you may be increased: I יהוה am your God. (26) You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice divination or soothsaying.

The reason for this commandment is to honor the Eternal with the first of all our produce of the fruits of the tree and the increase of the vineyard, and that we are not to eat of them until we bring all the fruit of one year [i.e., the fourth year after the planting] for giving praise unto the Eternal.165Verse 24. Now the fruit of the first three years is not fit to be brought before the Glorious Name166Deuteronomy 28:58. because it is small; neither does the tree in its first three years impart good taste or flavor into its fruit. Besides, most trees do not bring forth fruit at all until the fourth year. Therefore we are to wait with all of them [an equal period of time], and are not to taste of their fruit until we have brought of the planting which we have done, all its first good fruit to be holy before G-d, and there [in Jerusalem] we are to eat it and praise the Name of the Eternal. Thus this commandment is like that of the first-fruits.167Ibid., 26:1-11. It is furthermore true that the fruit which comes forth from the tree when it is first planted, contains an abundance of moisture which attaches to and is harmful to the body and it is not good to eat it, just like a fish which has no scales and all food, forbidden by the Torah, which are harmful also.
The Rambam in the Moreh Nevuchim offers the same type of reason for this commandment as he gave for most of these commandments, namely, that the magicians and sorcerers of those days used to practice certain deeds of witchcraft at the time of the planting of the trees, thinking that by so doing they would accelerate the coming out of the fruits before their natural time, and when the fruits appeared, they would offer them to the idol in the name of which that witchcraft was performed. Therefore the Torah commanded that the fruits which come out before three years [after the planting of the tree] should be forbidden [to derive any benefit from], in order that people should not come to practice these evil deeds, for most trees bring forth fruits in the fourth year, and that we are then to eat them before G-d [in Jerusalem], contrary to their eating of them before the idols.

(1) (1) When either a man or woman shall clearly utter a vow (Bamidbar) 6:2. This is what it written: The foundation stones are of precious stones, resembling the cedars of Lebanon. (Song of Songs 5:15) His thighs, this refers to the world that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to create, as it is written (Song of Songs 7:11): 'And his desire is for me.' And from where do we derive that He said this? As it is said (Genesis 2:1): 'Thus the heavens and the earth were finished,' (and finished which can be understood as) a language of desire, as it is said (Psalms 123:1): 'My soul longs, indeed it even pines (same root letters),' etc. The pillars of marble that upheld all the works of Creation for six days, as it is said (Exodus 20:11): 'For in six days the Lord made,' etc. Behold, three of them (mothers) were created from these (marble pillars), and from them everything was created. Established upon the foundation stones of precious stones, their foundation was based on three praiseworthy things that have no equal in the world, as it is written (Proverbs 3:19-20): 'The Lord founded the earth in wisdom, established the heavens with understanding, by His knowledge the depths broke open,' this refers to the sea. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, as it is said (Job 28:28): 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.' Knowledge is the one who recognizes his Creator, as it is said (Hosea 4:1): 'And there is no knowledge of God in the land,' and it is said (Jeremiah 9:23): 'Let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me.' His appearance is like the cedars of Lebanon, this refers to the reward of repentance, which is called turning away from evil, as it is said (Hosea 14:5): 'I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely,' and 'His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.' 'Young like the cedars,' this refers to the one who fears and recognizes his Creator, who is called a righteous person, and it is said (Psalms 92:13): 'The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon,' and it is said (1 Samuel 2:28): 'And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel,' etc. And it is said (Psalms 65:5): 'Blessed is the one You choose and bring near.' (Song of Songs 5:16): 'His mouth is most sweet,' this refers to the Holy One, blessed be He. See what is said (Amos 5:4): 'For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, Seek Me and live,' and you have a mouth sweeter than this, as it is said (Ezekiel 33:11): 'As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,' etc., and you have a mouth sweeter than this, as it is said (Ezekiel 33:19): 'And if the wicked turn from his wickedness,' etc. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: This only applies when he repents completely from evil; how do we know this? Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: There was a man who was completely wicked all his days, and at the end, he became completely righteous. Concerning him, it is said (Ezekiel 33:12): 'And the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression.' Rabbi Yochanan said: Moreover, for every sin that one has committed, the Holy One, blessed be He, counts them as merits. How do we know this? As it is said (Psalms 45:10): 'Myrrh and aloes, cassia; all your garments are scented,' all sinful acts thou hast committed, shall (after repentance) be like myrrh, at the time when they are cassia i.e cut-off (ceases from doing evil). And it is said (Ezekiel 33:15): 'He shall surely live.' Another explanation: 'His palate is sweet,' Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said, in three places, the nations of the world heard that the Holy One, blessed be He, reproves Israel, and they rejoice. But in the end, they will depart in shame. And these are the verses: "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord (Isaiah 1:18). They said, "Now He is eliminating those who hate Israel (meaning Israel) from the world. Is it possible for these [nations] to argue with their Creator?" Since He said to them, "If your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18), they said, "This is the rebuke we did not want; rather, it only applies to the delightful among them." Another is: "Hear, O mountains, the controversy of the Lord" (Micah 6:2). They said, "Now He is eliminating their hatred of Israel from the world. Is it possible for these [nations] to argue with their Creator?" And since He said to them, "My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Answer Me!" (Micah 6:3), they said, "This is the rebuke we did not want; rather, rather, it only applies to the delightful among them." Another is: "And contend with the Lord against Judah, and to punish Jacob according to his ways" (Hosea 12:3). They said, "Now He is eliminating their hatred of Israel from the world. Is it possible for these [nations] to argue with their Creator?" And since He said to them, "In the womb he took his brother by the heel" (Hosea 12:4), they said, "This is the rebuke we did not want; rather, rather, it only applies to the delightful among them." Rabbi Yudan bar Rabbi Shimon said to a widow who [argued] with her son, she saw the judge ruled with a clear torch, zeal, and fairness. She said, "If you judge him righteously like this he will kill you as well." When he finished adjudicating, he said to her, "What did he do to you?" She said to him, "When he was in my womb, he used to kick me." He said to her, "This is an offense? Jacob, while still in the womb, took his brother by the heel (causing pain to the mother.)"; Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Simai, the God of Jacob honored him. 'His palate is sweet,' Rabbi Azariah and Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: When Israel heard (the words) 'I am the Lord your God,' at Sinai, their souls departed from them. The word of God returned to the Holy One, blessed be He, and said before Him, 'Master of the Universe, You are alive, and Your Torah is alive, and You have sent me to those who are dead, and they are all dead.' At that moment, the Holy One, blessed be He, returned and sweetened the word to them, as it is said (Psalms 29:4): 'The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.' Rabbi Chama bar Rabbi Chanina said, "To the youth, the voice of God is in strength, to the aged, the voice of God is in splendor." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught, "The Torah restored their souls, as it is said, 'The law of the Lord restores the soul.'" All of it is desirable. Rabbi Chiya bar Abba: the custom of the world, when working for the owner of the house, because he humbles himself in clay, he received his reward. But the Holy One, blessed be He, warns Israel and says to them, "Do not defile yourselves with any creeping thing, and I will give you your reward." This is what is written, "You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, for I am the Lord..." What does "I am the Lord" mean? It means that I am faithful to reward you for this. Heed this: All of it is desirable. Rabbi Tanchum ben Rabbi Chiya, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, taught, "It is written, 'Sanctify My Sabbaths,' how do you sanctify it? Through eating, drinking, and wearing clean clothes." What is written about it? "And they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." "I am the Lord" means that I am faithful to reward you. All of it is desirable. This is my beloved, as it is stated: "And I have separated you from the peoples to be Mine" (Leviticus 20:26). Rabbi Levi said, "All the actions of the Israelites are distinguished from the nations of the world: in their plowing, in their sowing, in their reaping, in their sheaves, in their threshing, in their winepresses, and in their storage places." "In their plowing" (Deuteronomy 22:10): "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together." "In their sowing" (Leviticus 19:19): "You shall not sow your field with mixed seeds." "In their reaping" (Leviticus 19:9): "You shall not complete the corner of your field in your reaping." "In their sheaves" (Deuteronomy 24:19): "And you shall forget a sheaf in the field." "In their threshing" (Deuteronomy 25:4): "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing." "In their winepresses and in their storage places" (Exodus 22:28): "You shall not delay the fullness of your grain and your wine." "In their storage places" (Leviticus 19:27): "And you shall not round off the side-growth of your heads." "In their counting" (Exodus 30:12): Israel counts by the moon, and the nations of the world count by the sun. "When you lift up" (Exodus 30:12): When you lift up your heads. (Numbers 1:2): "Lift up the heads." (Leviticus 20:26): "To be Mine." Therefore, you are Mine, be beloved. [CHECK] This is my beloved, as it is stated: "This is my beloved" (Song of Songs 5:16). Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi Hanina, and Rabbi Berechiah said in the name of Rabbi Abahu: He [God] has many beloved ones, as it is written: "And I have separated you from the peoples to be Mine" (Leviticus 20:26). This is one who selects the beautiful from the ugly, selecting and selecting again, for anyone who selects the ugly from the beautiful does not return and select again. So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, waits for the nations of the world to repent and draw near under His wings. Another explanation: "His legs are pillars of marble" (Song of Songs 5:15). "His legs" refers to the Torah, as it is said: "And it shall be health to your navel." "Pillars of marble" - why is the Torah compared to pillars? Because they are the pillars of the world, as it is said: "If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have set up the laws of heaven and earth" (Jeremiah 33:25). Rabbi Huna said in the name of Bar Kappara: What are these pillars like? They have loops above and bases below. Similarly, the portions of the Torah are expounded before them and after them, expounded before them, such as: "When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree" (Leviticus 19:23), and what is written before them: "When a man lies carnally with a woman" (Leviticus 19:20), and what connection does one have to the other? Rather, just as a man separates himself from uncircumcised fruits, so too, the disqualified ones separate from the kosher ones on the Day of Judgment. For Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Levi: These are the ones who permitted illicit relations in this world and are destined to be hung by their foreheads in the future, as it is stated: "Only God will strike the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of one who walks in his guilt" (Psalms 68:22). And he says, "I am not guilty; I am innocent" (Psalms 69:5): He walks with his guilt, and this man goes with his debts.

Or it is saying that even the tree of knowledge was included [in the permission to eat] and even though we find that he was commanded about [not eating] it, they, of blessed memory, have already stated (Bereishit Rabbah 21:7) that if [Adam] had waited until the eve of Shabbat, he would have sanctified with wine [of that fruit] - so far [their words]; and from their words, you learn that [this] prohibition was not [to be] forbidden forever.

Rabbi Yehuda ben Pedaya expounded: Who will remove the dust from your eyes, Adam the first man,19This is what people will say of Adam in future generations, after he was dead and buried. and reveal that you were unable to observe the command for even one hour? Your descendants wait for orla20It is prohibited to eat fruit that grows on a tree during the first three years after it is planted. That fruit is called orla. three years, as it is stated: “Three years it shall be sealed off for you; it shall not be eaten” (Leviticus 19:23).21You were unable to be even “like one of us” of the later generations. Rav Huna said: When bar Kappara heard this, he said: You have expounded well, my sister’s son.