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Orchard of Delights
Thus, as Rashi explains, Israel’s receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai
becomes the very reason for creation.
The Zohar also contains a parable that will assist us in further
understanding the connection between the first fruits and creation
(Introduction to the Zohar, 23). When God decided to create the
world, all the letters came to Him asking for the merit of being
the first letter in the Torah. Each letter, beginning from the end of
the alphabet, came before God and argued that it should be first
since a certain word with positive connotations started with it. God
countered these arguments one by one by explaining that certain
words with negative connotations also started with these letters.
God disqualified all the letters until the letter beit successfully argued
that the people of the world would praise their Creator with the word
baruch (blessed). God agreed with this argument, and thus the letter
beit was chosen to begin the Torah.
The mitzvah of bringing the first fruits in Hebrew is called bikkurim,
a word which also begins with a beit, and the bringing of the first fruits
was one of the most unforgettable ceremonies dedicated to blessing
and thanking God. These two elements connect bikkurim with the
beit/baruch at the beginning of the creation of the world.
When the first fruits were brought up to Jerusalem the joyous
procession would end in the Holy Temple where the fruits were given
to the cohanim (priests):
You shall come to whomever will be the cohen in those
days, and you shall say to him, “I declare today to God,
your God, that I have come to the Land that God swore
to our forefathers to give us.” The cohen shall take the
basket from your hand, and lay it before the altar of God,
your God. Then you shall call out and say before God,
your God, “An Aramean tried to destroy my forefather.
He descended to Egypt and sojourned there, few in
number, and there he became a nation – great, strong,
and numerous. The Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted
us, and placed hard work upon us. Then we cried out to
God, the God of our forefathers, and God heard our voice
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Shoftim
function in this world. In this world a tree’s roots grow below the
surface of the earth hidden from the naked eye, while a tree’s trunk,
branches, leaves, and fruits are supported by the roots and grow
above ground. The tree, as it were, yearns to touch the sky. The soul
and the sefirot mirror the tree, but grow in the opposite direction,
for they are rooted above and yearn to manifest themselves below.
Thus, both the roots of the soul and the sefirot are rooted in the upper
worlds, hidden from obvious detection, and both direct their energies
to the lower world where they are manifest. The vast majority of the
soul remains rooted above, while only a small part of it is manifest in
this world. Likewise, the sefirot are rooted in the infinite light of God
and only through countless contractions and progressive descents do
they manifest themselves in the physical world.
Since the vegetable kingdom was created before humanity (in
fact, before all other living things) there is something exceedingly
primordial about trees. Trees represent life force, growth, the cycles
of time, and the birth of new generations. They provide the earth
with oxygen, which allows life to exist on this planet; furthermore,
they help draw life-giving rain to the earth. They provide shade, food,
ingredients for medicines, and wood for construction. Additionally,
we should not underestimate the importance of their aesthetic appeal,
for the sense of majesty and tranquility they add to any environment
is immeasurable. For all these reasons human beings, the Torah, and
the sefirot are all compared to trees. Indeed, Torah is called a tree of
life and the Torah implores humanity to choose life.
It is for these reasons as well that the system of learning employed
throughout this book is called PaRDeS, literally, an orchard, for this
model alludes to and reveals the multidimensional and life-giving
aspects of Torah. Moreover, this system provides special access,
through the level of sod, to the secrets of Divine creation channeled
through the sefirot. This wisdom is instrumental in allowing us
to rectify the effects of the consumption of fruit from the Tree of
Knowledge. As we struggle every day to return to the Garden of
Eden, we pray that we will one day enter the Garden, the utopian
Orchard of Delights, and finally partake of the fruit of the Tree of
Life.
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