Agricultural Laws and Mixing Species

 

The Torah commands us that when we plant a fruit tree, we may not enjoy the fruits as soon as they form.  For the first three years the fruits are called "orla" and are forbidden.  In the fourth year they are sanctified and we have to eat them in Jerusalem, or redeem them and spend the redemption money there.  Only from the fifth year onward are the fruits completely permissible (Vayikra 19:23-25.)

 

Unlike most agricultural commandments, orla applies outside of the Land of Israel as well as within the Holy Land, but its laws are much more lenient abroad (SA YD 294:7-10.)

 

Recalling the many commandments which recall the events of the dawn of creation, we will not be surprised that the Midrash and the teachings of Chasidut connect this mitzva, relating to fruit trees, to the sin of Adam and Chava in eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

 

The Midrash Rabba teaches:

 

"Who will remove the earth from your eyes, Adam?  You were unable to uphold your commandment even for a single hour, and yet your sons wait three years for orla!"

 

The expression "Who will remove the earth from your eyes" means "If only you could be here to see."  It implies that the person addressed, while he may have erred, can be proud that his descendants or students have surpassed him.  (See the mishna at the beginning of chapter 5 of Sota.)  The Midrash is suggesting that our forbearance in waiting for the years of orla to pass is an act of rectification and atonement for the haste of our original forebears in succumbing to temptation.

 

Why is the waiting period precisely three years, followed by one year of sanctification?  Rav Nachman of Breslav connects this too to the time of creation.  When the serpent succeeds in drawing Chava's attention to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, the Torah tells us that she noticed three different temptations:

 

"And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat; and that it was desirable to the eyes; and the tree was coveted for wisdom.  And she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave to her man and he ate" (Bereishit 3:6.)

 

Rav Nachman taught that these three temptations correspond to the three main temptations we face in everyday life: for excess in food, in intimate relations, and in money.  "The tree was good to eat" has a clear connection to the desire for food.  "Desirable to the eyes" recalls the urge for intimate relations both because of the word "desire" (ta'ava) which relates especially to the sexual impulse, and because of the connection to the eyes, which are forever vigilante for immodest desires (Midrash Rabba on Bamidbar 15:39.)  "Coveted for wisdom" suggests the desire for wealth, because the word for coveted, "nechmad," is the same root used in the commandment "Though shalt not covet"  - "tachmod" - which relates primarily to property.

 

The message is that when we have an opportunity to enjoy God's bounty in the form of some bodily enjoyment, we shouldn't be hasty.  We should step back and wait until we are sure they our intentions are not tainted by our common base desires.

 

However, it is not enough to overcome the three kinds of temptation, ridding ourselves of base urges.  It is necessary afterwards to actively elevate our enjoyments to help us in the service of God.  This is symbolized by the "neta revai," the fruits of the fourth year which are sanctified and must be brought up to the holy city of Jerusalem (Based on Likutei Halakhot, Orla 4:2.)

 

 

CHAPTER 174 – MIXING SPECIES OF TREE

 

The prohibition to interbreed animals (subject of the next chapter), the prohibition to interbreed trees, and the prohibition to mix wool and linen in garments are all learned from the same verse:

 

"You shall keep my statutes; don't breed your animal in a mixture, don't sow your field in a mixture, and a garment of a mixture [of linen and wool] shall not be upon you" (Vayikra 19:19.)

 

The same idea appears in Devarim, adding the special prohibition of a mixed vineyard:

 

"Don't sow your vineyard with a mixture, lest the grown crop which you sowed be sanctified with the growth of the vineyard.  Don't plow with an ox and an ass together.  Don't wear mixture, wool and linen together" (Devarim 22:9-11.)

 

The basic message of all the forbidden forms of interbreeding is that God created the world with certain basic elements or building blocks.  When God commanded that the world should bring forth plants and animals with the power of reproduction, He specified that their creation and reproduction should be "of their own kind" (Bereishit 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25.)  Likewise Noach was commanded to take into the ark two of each species "of their own kind" (Bereishit 6:20.)

 

While we are bidden to improve and REPAIR the world, and this is indeed one of the main aspects of our Divine service, we do not seek to REPLACE the world.  The subtle border between praiseworthy evolution and prohibited revolution is demarcated by the prohibition on interbreeding.

 

In addition to this general message, each prohibition has unique aspects which carry their own specific messages.

 

The specific prohibition of mixing types of plants possesses the unique aspect that it is not limited according to location.  Mixing trees, which the verse compares to mixing animals, is likewise forbidden by Torah law all over the world.  Sowing in a vineyard is forbidden by Torah law only in Israel, but is forbidden by Rabbinical injunction everywhere else too.  And sowing a mixture of plants is forbidden only in the land of Israel.

 

One way of understanding this distinction is as follows.  The Torah is not directing our attention to the RESULT of the mixture but rather to the creature that CAUSES the mixture.  It is the nature of an ass to give birth to an ass; when she bears a mule, she is being forced to go against her nature.  This reminds us of the opinion which forbids making a bird hatch the eggs of another species as a form of cruelty to animals (Knesset HaGedola YD 297:6, citing Rema Peano 102.)

 

In the case of an animal, it is the mother animal which brings forth the new birth; in the case of a fruit it is the tree.  So these mixtures are forbidden everywhere.  (These mixtures are also forbidden even for non-Jews – see Rambam Melakhim 10:6.)

 

However, regarding vegetation what is forbidden is not cross-breeding but rather the mingling of species in the field.  It is the earth, rather than any particular plant, which brings forth this mixture.  Prohibitions which apply particularly to the earth are usually obligatory only in the Holy Land, the Land of Israel.  The Holy Land is the main channel of Divine providence to the rest of the world; here we need to be particularly careful about keeping these channels from becoming "entangled."

 

The prohibition of a mixed field lies between these two restrictions.  Fundamentally, here also the problem is the mingling, rather than the cross-breeding, of types; therefore according to Torah law the prohibition applies only in Israel.  However, the prohibition here not only applies to the act of sowing but also to the result – the produce of the vineyard is itself forbidden, or "sanctified," as the verse says (Kiddushin 39a.)  Since part of the prohibition relates to the plant itself and not only to the earth, this stricture has a relevance outside of the Holy Land, and so Rabbinical law forbids it everywhere.

 

 

CHAPTER 175 – MIXING SPECIES OF ANIMALS

 

The prohibition of mixing species of animals, in addition to the basic message which we explained in the previous chapter, has a unique addition: it is forbidden not only to interbreed species, but also to work two types of animals together, for instance by having them pull a load.  This is learned from the verse "Don't plow with an ox and an ass together" (Devarim 22:10.)

 

In the last chapter we explained the prohibition on mixing species as forbidding causing a form of anguish to animals, forcing them against their nature. The Sefer Ha-Chinukh relates the prohibition on working the animals together to the same principal.  Different species are bound to find it difficult to work together (Sefer Ha-Chinukh 550.)

 

TEAMWORK

 

The Sefer Ha-Chinukh adds that we can learn a moral lesson from this law.  People find it very difficult to work with others who are of a very different character.  When we are seeking people to work together on a project, particularly when we are in a position of authority, we should be thoughtful and try and match people who have agreeable temperaments and will be able to get along.

 

 

CHAPTER 176 – MIXED FABRIC IN A GARMENT

 

It is forbidden to wear a garment made of a mixture of wool and linen.  This prohibition is mentioned twice in the Torah:

 

"You shall keep my statutes; don't breed your animal in a mixture, don't sow your field in a mixture, and a garment of a mixture [of wool and linen] shall not be upon you"  (Vayikra 19:19.)

"Don't wear a mixture, wool and linen together" (Devarim 22:11.)

 

Rav Kook suggests that this mitzva, like the mitzva from last chapter, also bears a message of consideration for animals.  Wool comes from an animal, linen from a plant.  While we are permitted to use animals for our benefit, they are still not the same as inanimate vegetation, and we need to treat them with a measure of consideration.  By not mixing wool with linen in a garment, we are reminded of the distinction between them and the special status of animals, who are liable to suffering (Afikim Ba-Negev, elaborated in Igrot Rayah 90 and cited in Selected Letters by Tzvi Feldman.)

 

The Midrash connects this prohibition to the conflict of Cain and Hevel (Abel).  Cain's offering was from "the fruit of the ground"; the Midrash, cited by Rashi, identifies this with flax seed.  Hevel's offering was from his flock, which is of course connected to wool (Tanchuma on Bereishit 4:3.)  This can be related to the idea of Rav Kook; the Midrash could be telling us that Cain started by being insensitive to the special level of animals over plants, and ended up by ignoring the special level of human beings and killing his brother.

 

PERMISSIBLE MIXTURES

 

Although it is normally forbidden to wear garments of mixed wool and linen, our Sages inferred that it is permissible to put woolen tzitzit on a flaxen garment, if the fringes include the blue tekhelet threads.  Furthermore, the garments of the High Priest contain wool and linen woven together (Shemot 28:6.)

 

We explained in chapter 9 that the fringes on the corners of the garment remind us that our sanctity extends; it radiates out from us into the outside world.  Likewise, the Temple service represents the elevation of all aspects of the world to God's worship.  Since these garments represent the elevation of the lower aspects of the world, they permit us to mix animal and vegetable strands together.

 

While Cain's failure to distinguish between animal and vegetable meant a lowering of the special status of the former, in the case of tzitzit or the priestly garments this combination instead symbolizes the elevation of the latter.