“When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten” (Lev. 19:23).
After the Israelites made it to the Promised Land, they needed to build it up from the ground to make it their own. This mitzvah is specifically concerned with the trees in Israel and that they grow to be fruitful. Modern organizations like the Jewish National Fund still follow this mitzvah full-heartedly (they claim to have plated 240 million trees in Israel!).
Today, Israel is the only country in the world with an increasing amount of trees. Israel has also taken this commandment to a new level with outstanding agricultural innovation such as the drip irrigation system which has been shared with the whole world to conserve water. Israel is also a leading country in solar energy. Living out this mitzvah in the modern world includes being cognizant of your footprint on the Earth and how you leave this land for the next generation.
Today, Israel is the only country in the world with an increasing amount of trees. Israel has also taken this commandment to a new level with outstanding agricultural innovation such as the drip irrigation system which has been shared with the whole world to conserve water. Israel is also a leading country in solar energy. Living out this mitzvah in the modern world includes being cognizant of your footprint on the Earth and how you leave this land for the next generation.
Pictured: Me
This picture is of me pretending to pick from an olive tree. The mitzvah prohibits this because it would be talking from a tree in the Land of Israel.
I personally feel a greater need to protect the land in Israel, but it is the ancient land that connects us to our ancestors.
I personally feel a greater need to protect the land in Israel, but it is the ancient land that connects us to our ancestors.
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