Ep. 59 Man Is Like A Tree Of The Field Tu Bishvat 2022

When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

He will favor you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the issue of your womb and the produce of your soil, your new grain and wine and oil, the calving of your herd and the lambing of your flock, in the land that He swore to your fathers to assign to you.

(10) (Hail the just man, for he shall fare well;
He shall eat the fruit of his works.

(27) And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

(7) the LORD God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Shaul says: For what reason did the Torah say to bring a heifer whose neck is broken to a stream? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Let something that did not produce fruit, i.e., a heifer that has not given birth, come and have its neck be broken at a stream that flows forcefully, which is a place that does not produce fruit, and atone for the murder of one who was not given an opportunity to produce fruit. The Gemara asks: What is this fruit that he was not given an opportunity to produce? If we say it refers to being fruitful and multiplying, i.e., that the killer prevented him from having more children, but if that is so, in the case of an elderly person or a eunuch, so too will you say that we do not break the heifer’s neck because they could not have had any more children even had they lived? Rather, the fruit are mitzvot, as the killer deprived the victim of the opportunity to perform additional mitzvot.

אלה תולדת נח נח איש צדיק THESE ARE THE PROGENY OF NOAH: NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN — Since the text mentions him it sings his praise, in accordance with what is said, (Proverbs 10:7) “The mention of the righteous shall be for a blessing.” Another explanation is: since after stating “These are the progeny of Noah”, it does not at once mention the names of his children but declares that he “was a righteous man”, Scripture thereby teaches you that the real progeny of righteous people are their good deeds (Genesis Rabbah 30:6).

THE FIRST STATEMENT: I AM THE LORD. Note that all of the commandments fall into one of the following two categories. One category consists of rational laws which God implanted into the minds of all intelligent human beings. There are many such commandments. The only one of the Ten Statements which does not fall into this category is the command to observe the Sabbath. Hence every intelligent human being of every nation and of every tongue assents to them, for they are implanted in the human mind by reason. There is nothing to add to them or to subtract from them. Abraham observed them along with additional precepts. God gave the Torah only to rational human beings. He who is without reason has no Torah. The second category that the precepts fall into is that of “hidden commandments,” that is, commandments for which that the Torah does not reveal any reason. Far be it, far be it for one to even think that any of these commandments contradict reason. We must in all instances observe everything that God has commanded us, whether their secret has or has not been revealed to us. If we find that one of the commandments contradicts reason, then we should not take it at face value but must search for its meaning in the books of our wise men, of blessed memory, to find out whether it is a parable. If we do not find this recorded, then we must investigate and try to understand it with all of our strength. Perhaps we can explain it. If we cannot, then we must leave it as it is and admit that we do not know its meaning. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart (Deut. 10:16) is an example of the aforementioned. Now did God command us to sadistically murder people? We know of a certainty that each one of the commandments that are not placed upon us by reason has a secret meaning to it, though it be hidden from us. The fact that in some instances Scripture gives the reason why they were commanded is proof of this. Thus Scripture tells us that the Sabbath is in memory of God’s creation of the world; and the festival of unleavened bread, that thou mayest remember the day when thou earnest forth out of the land of Egypt (Deut. 16:3). Scripture states, Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt (Deut. 10:19). Sowing with two kinds of seeds is prohibited, lest the fullness of the seed…be forfeited (Deut. 22:9). Scripture states, Only he shall not multiply horses so that he does not cause the people to return to Egypt (Deut. 17:16). It similarly gives the reason why Neither shall he multiply wives to himself (Deut. 17:17), namely, that his heart turn not away (Ibid.). The latter is not an independent commandment as Rabbi Simeon ben Kayyara states. Scripture similarly tells us the reason for and he shall read therein (Deut. 17:19), namely, that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren (Deut. 17:20). We similarly find in the chapter dealing with the assembly, and that they may learn (Deut. 31:12). This is the case with many commandments. Hence every intelligent human being whose eyes have been opened by God can learn from the Torah the secret of all the commandments. There are three types of commandments, namely, commandments observed with one’s heart, commandments observed by speech, and commandments observed by acts. The commandments observed with the heart are of two sorts, namely, positive and negative commandments. The positive commandments include: Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God (Deut. 11:1); and to cleave unto him (Deut. 11:22); that thou mayest fear this glorious and awful Name (Deut. 28:58); but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Lev. 19:18). The negative commandments include: Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart (Lev. 19:17.); Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge (Lev. 19:18). The commandments observed by speech also consist of positive and negative commandments. Among the positive commandments are: reading the shema, saying grace after meals, uttering the priestly benedictions, and making a confession [declaration] when one brings tithes. There are many such commandments. Among the negative precepts we find: Thou shalt not bear false witness (v. 13); Thou shalt not revile God (Ex. 22:27), and Thou shalt not curse the deaf (Lev. 19:14). The positive commandments and negative commandments observed through actions are legion. There is no reason to mention them. The commandments incumbent on the heart are the most important and the most prominent of the commandments. Many people think that with the exception of idol worship there are no sins connected to thought. The truth of the matter is that idol worship is worse than all the other mental sins put together. Can they not see that Scripture writes, There are six things which the Lord hateth (Prov. 6:16), and then goes on to say, A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts (Prov. 6:18). Scripture furthermore states: thou didst well that was in thy heart (II Chron. 6:8); Do good, O Lord, unto the good, And to them that are upright in their hearts (Ps. 125:4); Let your heart therefore be whole with the Lord our God (I Kings 8:61): I the Lord search the heart (Jer. 17:10); but the Lord looketh on the heart (I Sam. 16:7). Now the first statement is the basis of the nine that follow it. Its place is among the precepts of the heart. The first statement teaches that one should believe with an unwavering faith that this glorious God, whose name is written but not pronounced, is one’s only God.