Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Midrashim are ideas or stories that explain the Torah. They often come from listening very carefully to what the Torah says and how it says it. Here, we will look for what clues this midrash sees in the Torah's words, and try to understand its messages.
The mitzvah of עָרְלָה (orlah) involves not eating from a fruit tree in its first three years.
וְכִי־תָבֹאוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם כׇּל־עֵץ מַאֲכָל וַעֲרַלְתֶּם עׇרְלָתוֹ אֶת־פִּרְיוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עֲרֵלִים לֹא יֵאָכֵל׃
When you enter the land and you plant any fruit tree, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. It shall be forbidden to you for three years—orlah fruits should not be eaten.
The word וּנְטַעְתֶּם (untatem) can be translated in two ways:
1. And you plant
2. And you should plant
The first meaning is the more obvious one for our pasuk, and that’s what we used in the translation above. But here’s a midrash that considers the second translation, exploring the idea that the pasuk could actually be commanding us to plant fruit trees.
אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁתִּמְצְאוּ אוֹתָהּ מְלֵאָה כָּל טוּב, לֹא תֹּאמְרוּ נֵשֵׁב וְלֹא נִטַּע.
אֶלָּא הֱווּ זְהִירִין בִּנְטִיעוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "וּנְטַעְתֶּם כָּל עֵץ מַאֲכָל."
כְּשֵׁם שֶׁנִּכְנַסְתֶּם וּמְצָאתֶם נְטִיעוֹת שֶׁנָּטְעוּ אֲחֵרִים, אַף אַתֶּם הֱיוּ נוֹטְעִים לִבְנֵיכֶם. שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר אָדָם, אֲנִי זָקֵן, כַּמָּה שָׁנִים אֲנִי חַי, מָה אֲנִי עוֹמֵד מִתְיַגֵּעַ לַאֲחֵרִים, לְמָחָר אֲנִי מֵת.
The Holy One said to Israel: Even though you will find the Land of Israel full of goodness, don’t say, “let’s relax and not plant.”
Instead, be sure to plant! That’s why the Torah says, “and you should plant every fruit tree.”
You came into the Land and found trees that others had planted, and so you should also plant for your children. Never say, “since I am old and won’t be living much longer, why should I work hard for others?!”
- Why is it important to plant new things if the land is already full of goodness?
- Why should you plant things for others to enjoy even if you won’t enjoy it yourself? How does it feel to do kind things for others? What qualities must a person have in order to act this way?
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