Tafsiran Imamat 19:23: Mei HaShiloach, Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi & Kli Yakar

When you come to the land, and you plant any fruit tree, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden; forbidden shall its fruit be... (Vayikra 19:23). And it is brought in the midrash (Vayikra Rabba 25:2) - Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi said, Who will remove dust from your eyes, Adam the first man, as you were unable to uphold your command even one hour, and your descendants wait three years for orla?! And our master, teacher, and rav, the holy genius, the memory of the righteous be a blessing for the world to come, explained: this midrash comes to teach and to educate us with the knowledge that all the forbidden foods are merely like unripe grapes. That is, a person is unable to digest them since the person is in this "clothing". But at their root, there is holiness in these too which were created by Hashem Yitbarach. And as it's brought (Niddah 61b): the mitzvot in the future to come will be nullified. And that which is forbidden now is because it is before its time. And if Adam the first man had waited, it would have been permitted to him to eat! And this is like that which we said, the principal of the matter of the prohibition is since it stupefies the heart of a person and binds up their mind and their thoughts, rendering them unable to return to Hashem Yitbarach as they could before they ate. But if they had waited, Hashem Yitbarach would have given them a wider mind which was able to digest this thing, and it would not lead to forgetting from the Creator, thank God

“Three years it shall be forbidden to you” [19:23]. When you plant a tree, you should not eat its fruit for three years and on the fourth year you should sanctify the fruit to the Holy One in the Temple. It is just that one should first give honor to the Holy One by bringing the first fruits to the Holy One. The majority of trees do not grow in three years. So too it is with people. Our sages said: a girl who is not three years and one day old, when someone removes her virginity, it can restore itself. However, after, three years, she is called a woman, like the tree that grows properly after three years. Also, the fruit that grows the first three years are not ready to be eaten by the person, because the sun has not properly heated up the tree. Therefore, the fruit is coarse and lacks moistness from the earth. The Midrash says: “Three years it shall be forbidden to you.” This teaches us about a child that cannot speak in three years and in the fourth year it is sanctified, it begins to speak. Mother and father give their blessings and praise to God. In the fifth year, he begins to learn.¹⁵Bahya, Leviticus, 19:23.

Toldot Yizhak writes. The Torah portion of Kedoshim teaches us all sorts of holiness that the person should observe. Purity with eating and drinking; not to eat and drink excessively. There are some people who must eat and drink little, because when they eat too much they become sick. There are old people who eat little and young people who eat much. There are also some young people who eat little and old people who eat much and are healthy. The Torah could not write about each person separately, how much they should eat or drink, since people are not similar in their body and digestive system. Who can write about what each person should eat? Who knows the nature of each person? Therefore, the Torah wrote, “you shall be holy” [19:2]. You should keep yourself holy with eating and drinking. If you want to know who can tell each person how much he should eat, therefore it is written nearby, “you each shall revere his mother and his father” [19:3]. That is to say, the mother and father can tell each child how much they should eat. The mother can see what it needs, a measure of beer or a measure of wine, and if it is healthy for them. The Torah wrote nearby in the portion, “keep my Sabbaths” [19:3]. That is to say, even on the Sabbath, one should not become accustomed to eat excessively, but in any event to honor and rejoice in the Sabbath, one may eat more than during the week. It is written here, “do not turn to idols” [19:4]. This teaches us that even though the astrologers and sorcerers say that one should not eat meat on the Sabbath and drink no wine, the constellation of Saturn [Shabbtai] comes and gives him good fortune and success. Therefore, the Torah commands that one should eat meat, drink wine, and wear beautiful clothes on the Sabbath. Do not turn to the idols and sorcerers, but keep the Sabbath the way I commanded you and you will have success. Therefore, also in the Ten Statements it is first written, to keep the Sabbath and nearby, “honor your father and your mother” [Exodus, 20:12]. That is to say, it is just to honor your father, how he inspires you regarding food, drink and Torah study, but in any event honor the Sabbath. Even if your father and mother inspired you to eat and drink little, but on the Sabbath you should eat and drink a little more than your father inspired you, expecting to honor and keep the Sabbath. That is to say, just as you were commanded to honor your father and mother, but honor the Sabbath more than your father. Your father and your mother are obligated to honor the Sabbath. Therefore, it is written nearby, “honor your father and your mother” [Exodus, 20:12], “that you may long endure” [Exodus, 20:12]. That is, when you will keep the commandment and honor your father and your mother and keep them provided with food and drink, you will live long. Many diseases come from excessive eating. He must die from that, and therefore the Torah commanded after honor, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery” [Exodus, 20:13]. That is to say, when you will honor your father the way he taught you will not come to murder, like Absalom, who caused many Israelites to die and engaged in illicit sex with his father’s wives. This happened because his father agreed to everything that he desired. He also wanted to kill his father. “You shall not steal” [Exodus, 20:13]. Since he was used to eating and drinking like a glutton, he must steal when he cannot get something to eat. Therefore, the Torah wrote here, his mother, to fear his mother more than his father. The mother is the primary one. She can influence the child for good more than the father, as the mother of King Solomon did. She tied her son to a pillar and hit him and punished him. The Torah wrote, “when you sacrifice an offering” [19:5]. When you will bring sacrifices. Near it is written that we should leave grain at the edge of the field. That is to say, this teaches us that charity is compared to sacrifices. Therefore, it is written here, “the wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning” [19:13]. You should pay the one who works for you his wage before the next morning comes. When one does not do it, it is as if he stole it. Since it is customary among some people that when one asks them for money owed, they curse. Therefore, the Torah wrote here, “do not curse” [19:14]. Do not curse any person. It can happen that if the worker is not paid, that the worker might attack the householder. Therefore, it is written, “do not place a stumbling block before the blind” [19:14]. You should not cause that the worker would attack you. Therefore, pay him on time. You should do proper justice. Concerning this, it is written that you should not be a gossipmonger. That is, when the judge rules on something, the other judge says about the judge that he ruled badly concerning that householder. Gossip caused that the person is attacked because of gossip. Therefore, it is written, “do not profit by the blood” [19:16]. Do not cause blood to be shed. ¹⁶Toldot Yizhak, Leviticus, 19:1–18.

וערלתם ערלתו את פריו meant lit., ye shall close its closing (regard it as enclosed): the meaning being that it shall be, as it were, closed up and barred so that no benefit may be derived from it.