Kabbalah Imamat 19:23: Zohar & Sha'arei Orah

Said the boy: ‘From the smell of your garments I can see that Ammon and Moab have been attacking you; how did you escape them? You had no weapons, and yet you went in confidence without fear.’ R. Eleazar and R. Abba and the Companions were in amazement. Said R. Abba: ‘Blessed is this journey and happy is our lot that we have been privileged to see this. ‘ They went on preparing the table,

See now how great the power of the Jewish people is in fulfilling the commandments of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He.³⁷⁸See Midrash Bereishit Rabba 21:7 ibid. He commanded Adam, the first man, to wait for a mere hour by abstaining from eating Orlah-ערלה, but Adam could not restrain himself. On the other hand, He commanded the Jewish people to wait for three years, and they wait, as written,³⁷⁹Leviticus 19:23 “For three years they shall be forbidden-Areilim-ערלים to you.”

I will hint about this matter further with the following verses: “The tree was good for eating-L’Ma’achal-למאכל,”³⁸⁰Genesis 3:6 and,³⁸¹Leviticus 19:23 “When you shall plant any food tree-Etz Ma’achal-עץ מאכל,” and,³⁸²Leviticus 19:23 “You shall treat its fruit as forbidden-Araltem Orlato-ערלתם ערלתו,” “and she took of its fruit,”³⁸³Genesis 3:6 and,³⁸⁴Leviticus 19:23 “For three years they shall be forbidden-Areilim-ערלים to you,” referring to the three impure husks of Orlah-ערלה, and,³⁸⁵Leviticus 19:24 “In the fourth year, all its fruit shall be consecrated for praises to HaShem-יהו״ה,” referring to the fourth refined and thin husk, and,³⁸⁶Leviticus 19:25 “In the fifth year you may eat its fruit.” Thus, if only Adam, the first man, had waited to eat the fruit when it reached the state called “The fifth,” he would not have brought darkness into the world. The matter has thus been fully explained.