DVAR TORAH
"When you come to the land, and you plant any food tree, you will leave the fruit as forbidden (orlah)" [Vayikra 19:23].
During the first three years after planting trees, any fruit that grows on those trees is forbidden to eat. In the fourth year, the fruit is considered holy (neta revai'i) but can be redeemed and eaten. The first time that the fruit may be eaten without any reservations is in the fifth year, as the Torah explains: "And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; so that it will increase its crop for you; I am the L-rd" [ibid. 19:25].
Rashi explains that this concluding phrase ("so that it will increase its crop for you") as a blessing -- that even though three years' of crops will go to waste, in the long run, G-d assures us that He will make it up to us.
But why is this promise necessary? Why is "orlah" singled out for such a promise?
Rabbi Mordechai Rogow, a former Rosh Yeshiva of HTC, explained that orlah is a unique situation. Of all the commandments that demand that we give of our produce to G-d, only orlah demands that we give ALL of our crop, that we must forgo ALL benefit from hours and hours of effort and work.
A portion of a harvest -- that's just a gift of money. But an entire harvest -- that's an absolute surrender of irreplaceable time. That is why orlah needs this special guarantee. G-d needs to promise that our effort will not be a total loss. Rather, that our dedication of time will ultimately bear "fruit".
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HALACHA OF THE WEEK: HALLEL ON YOM HAATZMAUT
From Peninei Halacha: by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Rosh HaYeshiva Har Bracha
https://ph.yhb.org.il/en/05-04-06/
It is a mitzvah to say Hallel on special occasions in order to thank and praise Hashem for the miracles He performs on our behalf. First and foremost are the holidays that the Torah commands us to observe Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, on which we remember the miracles and acts of kindness that God did for us when He took us out of Egypt, gave us the Torah, and brought us through the desert to Eretz Yisrael.
Our Sages also instituted the recitation of Hallel on all eight days of Chanukah, as the beraita states (Megillat Ta'anit, chap. 9): "Why did they see fit to [require us to recite the] complete Hallel on these days? To teach us that for every salvation HaKadosh Baruch Hu performs for Israel, they [the Jews] come before Him in song and praise. Accordingly, it says in the Book of Ezra (3:11), 'They sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, for He is good….'"
Similarly, the Talmud (Pesachim 117a) states that after the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea, "the prophets among them instituted that the Jews should recite Hallel for each and every season [i.e., festival] and each and every trouble that should 'not' come upon them; [meaning], when they are redeemed, they should say it upon their redemption." Rashi explains that the Sages of the Second Temple era relied on this to institute the recitation of Hallel on Chanukah.
Thus, it is incumbent upon us to say Hallel over the miracle that Hashem did for us on Yom HaAtmaut. On that day, we were saved from the greatest trouble of all, that of exile and subjugation to foreigners, which caused all of the terrible decrees and massacres that we suffered for nearly two thousand years.
We must be very careful not to deny God's benevolence to us. The Sages say, "Whoever acknowledges his miracle will be privileged to have another miracle done for him."* On the other hand, if we fail to thank Hashem, we will delay the redemption, God forbid, as the Talmud relates regarding King Chizkiyahu. He was a very righteous man who spread a great deal of Torah throughout Israel, but difficult times eventually beset him. Sancheriv, King of Assyria, descended upon Jerusalem with a mighty army, intending to destroy it, and Chizkiyahu fell deathly ill. Nevertheless, he did not lose faith; instead, he cried out to God, Who performed a great miracle on his behalf, curing his illness and destroying Sancheriv's entire army in one night.
At that moment, God wanted to declare Chizkiyahu as the Mashiach and make the war against Sancheriv into the final war of Gog and Magog, bringing redemption to the world. But Chizkiyahu did not say shirah, a song – i.e., Hallel – over his redemption. The Attribute of Justice said to God, "Master of the Universe, if You did not make David, King of Israel, the Mashiach, even though he uttered so many songs and praises before You, will You make Chizkiyahu the Mashiach, seeing that he failed to say shirah after You performed all of these miracles for him?" Therefore, the Talmud continues, the matter was sealed, and there was great sorrow in all the worlds. The earth wanted to say shirah in his stead, and the celestial ministers of the world wanted to defend him, but their pleas were rejected, and the opportunity was lost. The prophet said, "Woe to me! Woe to me! Until when?" (Sanhedrin 94a)
The same is true of us. For many generations, we prayed, "Raise a banner to gather our exiles," and "Swiftly, lead us upright to our Land." Now that our prayers have been answered, shall we not thank Hashem?! Similarly, it says, Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may thank Your holy name, and glory in Your praise(Tehillim 106:47). Now that He has gathered us, shall we not thank His Holy Name and glorify His praise?!
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