Kedoshim - Planting Our Lives in Israel

this week's paral podcast was sponsored anonymously may be a great Merit for the sponsor and their family you're listening to the weekly paral podcast with Ari goldwag recorded with hm's NeverEnding assistance in R Bish Israel 2024 this week's par par K I'd like to draw your attention to a and a med in our para it's in peric it says like this when you will come to the land and you will plant any kind of tree which produces fruit so there's an obligation to so to speak take off the excess Ora Ora usually means forkin but in this particular context it's talking about the fruits what does it mean the first three years of that tree were enjoined were instructed not to eat of the fruits of that tree and the first three years to respect to show respect as the different explanations explain to show respect that this fruit that I that I the tree that I grew here is from Hashem it belongs to God the land belongs to God and I respect that by by not grabbing the fruit in the first three years now what happens in the fourth year are you allowed to eat it right away the answer is sort of you're allowed to eat it in the fourth year however you need to bring it to Jerusalem it's considered holy to God you need to either bring it to Jerusalem or as Rashi explains you need to redeem it and then you can eat it where you are very interesting once the fifth year comes of this tree you're allowed to eat it as much as you want you can add it to your regular crop that you eat from and now you can eat it regularly you don't have to bring it to Jerusalem Etc now the reason or one of the reasons that I want to discuss this pule besides for there's there being a very interesting medes about it few interesting MIM is that I have this very Miss so right now I've been living in this home in r in Israel for 17 years and our backyard which we do have sometimes it's in better State and sometimes it's been in worse States but recently we planted more grass and we trimmed back some of the trees and in so doing we also planted a plumaria tree and I'm not going to get into the exact details of how it came about but we have a grape vine that we need to wait 3 years in order to enjoy the fruits from that grape vine now so this is very no G to me we got to wait the T says to wait the Torah says count three years what is behind this what's the inion what's the idea we said it's to respect respect Hashem and show that we appreciate that he is the one who gave us the land and gave us the fruits but what is the idea behind this I'd like to share with you a few points some of them will apply only if you're in Israel but I'll share with you also some very important ideas that apply wherever you are but of course if you want to do it right you got to live here right okay let's see it says like this two two points in the medish at the end this is in in section 25 in the subsection at the end of bay at the end of the second section [Music] said the following who will uncover the Earth from your eyes the marish adish he was supposed to live forever but instead he died he was he was buried so he's covered in Earth who will take off that Earth from your eyes what does it mean you were not able to stand up to the instruction of Hem Of God to hold off from eating something for even a short amount of time he was instructed not to eat from theas he could eat from every other tree in ganeden in the Garden of Eden and yet this particular tree he was told he shouldn't he can't and wasn't able to hold up that request of God for even a short time but look your great great grandchildren the Jewish people who for all intents and purposes reflect or Express the purpose of mankind in the world we are the we are the that group of people who rectifies ad marish we are able to wait God instructs us to wait three years before we start to eat the fruits of a tree in the land of Israel and we do that so in a certain sense it's very interesting the language that he chose the Jewish people we remove the the dust or the Earth from on top of his eyes meaning there's a certain Tik that occurs he died and he was buried we remove the Earth we bring him back to life in a certain sense through our words I'm sorry through our fulfilling the word of Hashem by waiting CU he couldn't wait Runa when he heard thisat of bar kapara so he said this was a great vort that my my brother said the I'm sorry the the son of my sister my nephew said here it says different as to what what who said this but he said my nephew said this in called that's what it means in the verse one it says that when you come to the land you're supposed to plant and you're supposed to wait three years now clearly there is a spiritual component to planting as are going to see living in the land of Israel planting grass as I was to do it's a Mitzvah it's developing the land it's developing our habitation of the land it's developing our ability to live in the land we have fruit trees I have a grape vine in my backyard one that I will be able to eat from already this year because we already waited the number of years we have a second one which we need to wait we have a lemon tree we have an olive tree in our yard it's not a huge yard but it's a very beautiful little yard so uh this is part of the mitz of of of living in the land of Israel of making ourselves self-sufficient within the land the ability to support ourselves here now I'd like to read to you another piece in the next in the next section simm say another interesting idea IDE besides for the fact that through waiting the 3 years we rectify the mistake of adish there's also within that planting itself before we even wait within planting itself there's an aspect of emulating God we find that there's you're supposed to go after the ways of God you're supposed to go in God's ways refers to God as being someone who goes everywhere he goes in the in the Seas he goes in the water and many Waters he he's able to Traverse any terrain so what about us are we able to do that are we able to follow in God's ways truly God is infinite God is eternal God is much greater than us he created this you know huge Universe 13.8 billion light years across we can't even get to one Lighty year away let alone 13.8 billion Lighty years right some I'm saying what's what's exactly the understanding of that the Torah instructs us to go in God's ways says we're supposed to go in God's way to attach ourselves to God what does that mean me says is it possible to go up to the heavens and attach ourselves to God's divine presence ver tells us that God is like a is like a consuming fire right he's surrounded by a lake of [Music] fire the the river of fire comes out from in front of him what does it mean that we're supposed to attach ourselves to [Music] God listen to this when God first created the world what's the first thing that God did he planted trees it says in the verse it's if the P didn't say it we wouldn't be able to say it but it says it God planted a garden in Eden you also have the ability to emulate hasem when you come into the the land of Israel first thing that you should do is start planting start planting that's why the P says when you come to the land you're supposed to plant now it's interesting I'm not going to read it inside but in the next section of the Mish the Mish points out that um when the Jewish people got to Israel the houses were already built for them because they just took over the land they killed the S they had obligation to kill all of the evil inhabitants of Israel they killed them all they took over their land they took over their their Vineyards they took over their Orchards Etc so Hashem prepared everything for them the Jewish people didn't really have to do that much but nevertheless it wasn't enough that the Jewish people just walk in and take over we had to continue to develop the land we had to continue planting more we had to we had to take part in it it had to be something that yes it's a gift from God but we're supposed to develop the land ourselves so there's an obligation here to develop the land what's what's this what's this idea what if I plant grass in my backyard it's a Mitzvah it's an obligation it's a a fulfillment it's a spiritual act yes that's what the mes says let's see them for here they explain because we're trying to be like God that's like a funny thing okay normally we think say it means emulating the characteristics of God just like God is compassionate we are to be compassionate just like God is is uh does kindness we are to do kindness but here we hear a new a new idea never heard this before I never saw this mes before as far as I recall be like God God plants God plants Gardens plant the garden plant a garden in the land of Israel so what's the idea so I'd like to read to you from two different here one is the marip and one is the it's the it doesn't say who it is I think it's the let's see the mar says perhaps we could understand there's an obligation to inhabit the land of Israel and not just inhabited the land of Israel but to to live there you don't need to go anywhere else I don't need to leave Israel in order to get livelihood I don't need to leave Israel everything I have is here that's part of Yar it's it brings the mountain Kuno okay let's see so there's a mitah so the the says like this isas he has an even deeper idea and this is something perhaps you could only understand if you live here because from the outside it doesn't look like this but the land of Israel even today is representative or Parallels the Garden of Eden because it has incredible kadus incredible Holiness right the obligation the Holiness of the fruit tumus and Maus the the the ties that we take off if you don't take off the tides you can't eat the fruit it has kadha it has Holiness the the first three years you can't can't eat the fruit there's a kadus there's a Holiness which is inherent in the land and anything the land produces and so the fruits have Holiness and I would add we have more Holiness when we are in the land of Israel because we become by eating the fruits of Israel we and and by living in the land of Israel we become the fruits of the land and we have more we have more Holiness he says adding to what marif said marif said when you plant a tree in the land of Israel when you plant so so you're helping the land to be able to live and even if let's say it's a tree that's not a fruit tree you need the wood you can build a house right but it's it it parallels God's planting in the garden of Eden it's it's hard to understand this exactly because it seems to just be something physical it's not a spiritual thing so I can live so I can eat so I can have a [Music] house what can we do it says in the PK that this is what God was involved in when he was getting the world ready for adish it says that he planted a garden in Aiden so what is the idea here he doesn't fully explain it but he doesn't want to get deeply involved in this but it's a very fine concept it's a very fine concept that God the first thing he does is involve himself in preparing the world for ad marish to have the fruits to have the ability to live to be able to serve God to be able to have the basic necessities in order to be a servant of Hashem that's what it seems to be but if we look at the other part of the M which I didn't share with you yet we're going to see that what does it look like what does it mean exactly on a deeper level on a on a spiritual level right we're just talking about on the physical level by keeping by by planting in the Israel and by waiting those three years so number one we UL Hashem and we are preparing our land and we are inhabiting the land and we're making it possible for us to live here to have a parosa in the land of Israel we have fruit trees we have things that can give us sustenance and by waiting we rectify the mistake of adish who he didn't wait he had everything but he didn't wait so we wait and third point we also add on to that which Hashem gives us the the the gift of the land of Israel that's it's already prepared for us it was a country that was full of inhabitants that were evil and we took over we killed them all and we took over their houses but we still needed to be involved ourselves in the development of the land of Israel but here we get to another aspect says this is at the beginning of section and this is something that will apply to everybody but I want to to qualify that by saying Israel is the main place where this applies when you live outside of the land of Israel it's not the same level just like the Holiness you don't have that Holiness the the land is not producing fruits that are holy and the human beings that are produced here have a different level of Holiness as well the T as well as we'll see is different in the land of Israel the PK says you're to plant a tree what kind of tree are we talking about on a deeper level it's the tree of the says it is a tree of life to those who hold on to it it we see it doesn't just mean those who hold on to it it also means those who support it the should not be for you like you you think this is how thefor explained this line it's a little bit hard to understand but the the m is saying you could think look hashm was like desperate like a parent a parent has a has a a child who's already she's already I don't know 23 and she's not yet married girls start going out when they're 19 in the to to look for their perspective mate in our community girl is 23 she's not yet married what's going to be the father is desperately trying to take care of it and get rid of her don't think that when give the it was out of desperation to get rid of the to anyone who would take it it's not true the says in M my son if you take my words and my Commandments and you and you make them into something that's hidden within you it's something that's going to be a merit for you the M says it's something for you it's not for God God doesn't need us to take the Tyra hasm wants us to because he wants us to marit he wants us to change he wants us to be better I will add wants us to live in Israel not CU he must have us here but because we're we're going to be better for it so says a really nice M it says like this he says there was a guy father was sending off his son to go earn a living and he says look father I'm afraid there's going to be robbers on the path you're sending me off to to find to find a parasa livelihood but I'm afraid they'll be robbers to be Pirates if I go on the in the in the sea so what did his father do he took a stick he put a special amulet in the stick or on the stick said hold on to this stick and you'll you don't have to be afraid of anybody cuz the amulet has magical powers it will protect you it will help you no one will be able to hurt you may will have aem's name on it God says the same thing to Moses Israel God says to the people of Israel you're going to be going out there to to you're going to go out into the world and everywhere you go you're going to have people who want to destroy you hurt you Etc if you are involved in learning Tor you don't have to be afraid of anybody and the medish I'm not going to read the whole thing because it's very long and and it's uh very involved and it's very interesting I highly suggest seeing it inside yourselves the me says that I'll read just one part of it the verse says hold on to the stick hold on to the hold on to the the the living tree which is the T now if they would have said be completely involve yourselves in learning so so then we would have had a problem because it's not something that everyone can do to to study the Torah and to put in their whole life into the Torah to be completely involved in the Torah some people have that Merit some people have that ability and they spend their lives in Torah or teaching Torah but not everyone has that ability so what about the people who can't do it so many people can't learn Torah all day of course we all have to be to set times for learning each day but not everyone can do it and dedicate their entire life to it so the has right says those who hold on to it and it also could mean those who support it m goes on to say this if you can't learn yourself but you can support T you can donate to a Yeshiva you can give money to Torah causes you can help others who indeed are able to learn all day to be able to continue to learn all day you can value that you can you can show other and teach others about how important that is so this is an incredible thing that each one of us can do as far as planting the Torah as far as holding on to the Torah how do we hold on to that stick we hold on to it by being involved in learning which we all have to do but we also hold on to it and we gain protection from it like this stick that has on it an amulet how by supporting the Tyra by giving to those is has strengthened the T and I want to share with you one more thing in here the med is unbelievable me says like this when this I have to read inside because it's just so awesome he says that in the future time in in the Garden of Eden when we return to that place the world to come come so God is going to make these canopies he's going to make places where where those who have been involved in Mitzvah will be able to sit near and next to those who are involved in learning Torah meaning when somebody when somebody supports the person who's learning Torah the result is that they get the same exact they get the full reward for for that Torah that was learned when they get to when they get to the Garden of Eden they'll sit in the same so to speak in the same table as a Torah scholar who is on a very exalted level and is has a really good seat so to speak in the Garden of Eden the one who supported him and enabled him to learn the Torah is also given a huge reward he sits at the same table as him in in the Garden of Eden now says the medish further on in talking about andar was the one the tribe who was completely involved in learning Tor and Zan would go out and earn a livelihood and support not only themselves but also the people [Music] of tells us an amazing thing let's say someone goes out to war and you're not watching what you're doing you're not you don't have the right strategies you're not you're not making sure that you do all efforts in order to win the war you'll fall at War but listen to this but the tribe of when they would go out to war whether they had strategized properly or whether they didn't strategize at all they would win the wars whether they were focused on the war properly or not they would win why a the PK says explicitly in 12:34 they were go out to war they wouldn't even pay attention to the war but they would win they would be victorious in war why the mag is an unbelievable thing because they supported Torah because they didn't just earn money for themselves but they earned money for Yak so Yak could could sit and learn the result was that they would win at War without even intending to win without even the right strategy they would just win so this this is an unbelievable thing what it's telling us is you want to know how you succeed and we need Wars right we need Wars in order to be able to protect ourselves in the land of Israel we need Wars in order to destroy the Nations of the world who are here who are preventing us from fulfilling our spiritual Mission which is why the Torah says we're obligated to destroy them we need to to to have this war but we need to win the war how do we win the war if we support Torah if if we are making sure that the tah is learned then we have the spiritual Foundation that's needed because why do we have a right to be here in the land of Israel it's because we are keeping the T it's about yes what what is yes art it's with to live in Israel why because this is where we fulfill our obligations of the Torah this is where we fulfill our purpose of existing which is to keep the tah to be the ultimate Servants of God to be that nation which fully manifests godliness in the world that's what we're here for so we automatically have success at War because we don't even have to think about you don't even have to strategize because we're here for the right reasons our foundation is Tyra we're supporting Tyra we believe in the Tyra and that's the same idea really as planting in the land of Israel planting these trees so that we can continue to live here not just for the sake of living here but for the sake of properly serving Hashem so if we do indeed want to serve Hashem if we do indeed want to become the people we're meant to be this is the way by learning by holding on to the tree by planting those trees of Tyra by supporting those who are planting their own trees and then we get to be under the beautiful canopy alongside them and then we win these wars without even trying I want to bless you and I ask you to bless me Hashem should help us that we should be able indeed to understand the power and the beauty and the specialness of living in the land of Israel hm should help us Merit to live in the land of Israel to build to plant to rectify the sin of adish where he couldn't wait should help us to be able to support Torah help us to learn Tyra and in so doing create a different kind of Isel a beautiful spiritual place where all of us me you and the entire Jewish people are manifest the will of hasem in the world the shame thank you so much for listening have a wonderful shabas this podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you for more podcasts like this please visit www.wag.com or search on iTunes Ari goldwag [Music]