Temporary Denial
Asceticism has its place in Jewish thought and life. However, denial of the physical is at best a preparation for the time when we will “have our cake and eat it too” in the most holy fashion. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
Kosher Produce?
When we speak about the Jewish dietary laws known as Kashrut, one rarely thinks of produce. In truth, the Torah has given us laws that apply not only to meat products but also to agricultural products as well. For example, in this week’s parsha, the Torah commands us with the precept not to partake of the first three years of a tree’s fruit. This prohibition is called Orlah.
And while the most fundamental reason for this Mitzvah (besides the fact that it is G-d’s commandment that needs no rational basis) is the one given for all of the dietary laws and encapsulated in the name of this week’s parsha “Kedoshim”-holiness.
The way we introduce a G-dly dimension into our lives, and specifically into the eating experience, is by adhering to the Divine prescriptions that regulate ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM what, when and how we should eat.
Giving up Our Most Cherished Accomplishments
But, this commandment of Orlah more particularly imparts a special message concerning the way we become a holy people.
We are naturally fond and protective of the things we produce and create. Of all our creations, we care most for our children. However, this affinity can be extended to one’s handiwork as well. Thus, it is natural for one to feel extremely possessive of the fruit of the trees that they toiled to plant and cultivate. Children, in particular, are extremely possessive and loathe surrendering anything they perceive as their own.
When we raise our children, one of the first things we do, is to condition them to share their own goodies with others. At first, the child resists, but with gradual coaxing and reinforcement of positive behavior, the child matures to the point where he or she is happy to share with others. Initially, the child might have to be “bribed” into realizing that there is a payoff for sharing, but eventually the child does it for the right reason.
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When we become adults, we do not lose that immature possessiveness. On the contrary, what might look cute or immature in a child becomes ruthless and exploitative for the adult. To counter that attitude and to cultivate the talent for sharing our resources with others, the Torah gave us the commandment to not eat or benefit from the first three years that a tree yields fruit.
By taking away a cherished possession from us, the Torah endeavors to instill within us—or reinforce our innate G-dly tendency—to share our blessings with others.
The Fourth Year Addendum
At this point one could have thought that the prohibition to benefit from the tree’s first three years would have sufficed as a powerful lesson. It would have helped to wean us away from our selfish interests.
However, the Torah is not content with this approach. It continues to command us to take the fourth year’s yield of fruit and bring it to Jerusalem and consume it there.
One could raise the obvious question: If three years
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM of desisting from the use of one’s first fruits do not suffice to inculcate the lesson of denying one’s own possessions as a way to diminish our selfishness, why not have the prohibition continue for one more year? If three years do suffice what is the reason for the fourth year’s need to bring the produce to Jerusalem?
The End Goal
Upon deeper reflection, we can see the beauty in the unique perspective provided by the Torah.
To deny one from his or her own possessions, might be a necessary tool to mold a responsible and mature individual who cares for others and is not obsessed with his or her own needs. But denial is not an end.
One does not attain holiness—the name of this week’s parsha—simply by desisting from enjoying one’s fruit. Holiness is a positive concept that comes not by disengaging and denying oneself the pleasures of the world, but by engaging the world and enjoying its benefits in a manner that is suffused with the aura and spirit of Jerusalem.
In simple language, to be holy is to follow up one’s
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM regimen of discipline with a regimen of worldly involvement that is directed towards a noble and G- dly end.
3 and 4
In Kabbalisitc terms the difference between three and four is the difference between a dynamic force that has been launched and transmitted but not yet received and the same force that has already been internalized by the recipient.
When we transmit knowledge or give charity, there are three stages in that transmission.
The first thing is for us to develop the concept in our mind. If it is an intellectual concept one begins with the seminal idea. If it a charitable act one must move away from their own preoccupations and consider the plight of the other.
The second stage is for us to flesh out the idea or the charity and determine the way it can be delivered to another on a different level.
The third stage is when we actually transmit the idea or give the charity to the recipient.
However, the most crucial aspect of this process is stage number four. All of the three stages will prove ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM futile if the recipient doesn’t receive the knowledge or the charity.
This is the difference between the three years of Orlah when we divest ourselves from that which we cherish the most. But the real test if that divestment is meaningful in the long run is when it is implemented within and has an impact on the real world.
The End Days
Speaking of “the end,” the Jewish belief in the “End of days” is different from the belief of other philosophies that see an end to the physical world. Nachmanides, the great 13th century sage, writes that the ultimate vision for the ultimate future involves a physical world with all that is physically good.
What distinguishes that future world from the present one is that in today’s world there is a dichotomy that exists between the physical and spiritual that necessitates a period of denial to prepare us for the ultimate period of holiness. This is represented by the denial of fruit of the tree for the first three years as a stepping stone to reach the higher level that allows us to eat the fruit in the ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM holy environment of Jerusalem. In the future Messianic world, we will always be in a “Jerusalem” state of mind, where no dichotomy will prevent us from enjoying an ennobled physical existence.
One may suggest that of the four exiles we have been through, only the fourth and final one will yield the Messianic Age of eternal peace, prosperity, goodness and holiness. The three preceding exiles managed to refine us and cleanse us through the suffering.
Only after this fourth exile will be able to enjoy the fruit of all our labors in exile, with the imminent coming of Moshiach and the true, complete Redemption.
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From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
