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Orchard of Delights
Not only are human beings compared to trees, so is the Torah: “It
[the Torah] is a tree of life to those who grasp it” (Proverbs 3:18). This
tree of life (the Torah) according to many commentaries is further
compared to the primordial Tree of Life growing in the Garden of
Eden. Furthermore, the Sages compared the way figs are harvested
over a long period, and not all at once like some fruits, with the
manner in which Torah is learned. Since the wisdom in the Torah is
infinite it can only be learned a little at a time (Bamidbar Rabbah).
The ten sefirot are tellingly compared to both a man and a tree. In the
Zohar the various sefirot are oftentimes referred to as corresponding
to parts of the human body. In fact, lined up vertically, from head
to foot, the sefirot resemble an erect human being. For example, the
sefirah of Chesed, located on the right-hand column of the sefirot is
called the right arm, while the sefirah of Gevurah, located on the
left-hand column is called the left arm. Not only do the sefirot bear
a resemblance to an erect human being, they also resemble a tree
with a trunk in the middle and two branches extending out of either
side. Thus, in Kabbalistic terminology, the sefirot are also frequently
referred to as the “Tree of Life.”
The fact that man, the Torah, and the Divine sefirot are all
compared to a tree reminds us of a statement in the Zohar (3:73a)
– “three bonds are bonded together: Israel to Torah and Torah to
God” – that teaches us that Israel, the Torah, and God are one and
essentially bound together. An explanation for why the tree serves to
symbolize man, the Torah, and the sefirot may be found in an allusion,
a remez, based on the numerical value of the Hebrew word for “tree”
(eitz) being the same as that of the Hebrew word for “image” (tzelem).
Both are 160. The Torah recounts that man was created in the “image
of God” (Genesis 1:27). This verse inexorably connects man to God
through the wisdom encoded in the Torah, which acts according to
Jewish tradition as the blueprint of creation. The sefirot also operate
as an “image” of God, reflecting the infinite Divine forces channeled
into the finite created worlds. Thus, man, the Torah, the sefirot, and
God Himself all share on various levels the same “image.”
An interesting and very enlightening comparison can be made
between how a tree grows and how the sefirot and the human soul
580
Ki Tavo
and saw our affliction, our travail, and our oppression.
God took us out of Egypt with a strong hand and with
an outstretched arm, with great awesomeness, and with
signs and with wonders. He brought us to this place, and
He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
And now, behold! I brought the first fruit of the ground
that You have given me, O God!” And you shall lay it
before God, your God, and you shall prostrate yourself
before God your God.” (Deuteronomy 26:3-10)
God created the world with a plan and a purpose in mind. Humanity,
in general, and the nation of Israel, in particular, were to be creation’s
crowning glory. Humanity was given free choice and the purpose of
creation was to be achieved when humanity acknowledged the Creator
and gave joyful thanks and praise to Him. We can now understand
why the Midrash states that God created the world for the sake of
the commandment of the first fruits, for this mitzvah represents
humanity fulfilling the very purpose it was created for.
Rashi’s comment on the word mereishit (from the first of every fruit)
provides another perspective on this idea: “A man goes down into his
field and sees a fig that has begun to ripen, he ties a string around it as
a sign and declares – this is the first fruits” (Rashi on Deuteronomy
26:2). On a mystical sod level, the words “a man goes down into his
field” allude to man’s soul descending to enter a physical body in
the world so that he can fulfill his purpose, declaring, “this is the
first fruits.” The notion that the soul or any individual must descend
in order to ascend is a fundamental Chassidic concept expressing
mankind’s fundamental existential predicament. Throughout life
human beings find themselves repeating this dynamic in a myriad
of ways, as Proverbs (24:16) states, “Seven times a tzaddik falls, but
rises.”
Taking the first fruits up to the Temple represents, at one and the
same time, the quintessential elevation of the physical world and
the realization of humanity’s ultimate purpose in the world. The
Ba’al Shem Tov compares gathering and preparing the first fruits
with redeeming sparks of holiness scattered throughout reality as
a result of the breaking of the vessels. Furthermore, he explains
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