לע"נ ר' שמואל פנחס בן ר' יעקב צבי
The pasuk says [Vayikra 19-23]:
וְכִי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם֙ כׇּל־עֵ֣ץ מַאֲכָ֔ל וַעֲרַלְתֶּ֥ם עׇרְלָת֖וֹ אֶת־פִּרְי֑וֹ שָׁלֹ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֗ים יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם עֲרֵלִ֖ים לֹ֥א יֵאָכֵֽל׃
“When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years shall they be forbidden to you. It shall not be eaten."
The pasuk seems easy and straightforward. But wait....
Rashi says:
וערלתם ערלתו – ואטמתם אטימתו, יהא אטום ונסתם מליהנות ממנו.
meant lit., you shall close its closing (regard it as enclosed): the meaning being that it shall be, as it were, closed up and barred so that no benefit may be derived from it.
Targum Unkelos renders - ותרחקון רחקא ית אבה - You should surely [double usage of the word ריחוק] distance it.
We have to understand both Rashi and Unkelos. Why the double language of אטימה [closing] according to Rashi and the double distancing according to Unkelos?
We also have to understand the end of the pasuk:
שלש שנים יהיה לכם ערלים לא יאכל
Three years they shall be forbidden to you, they shall not be eaten.
We already said in the first part of the pasuk that it is ערלה?! Just tell me "three years" and the ערלה part I already know from a second ago?! [See Pesachim 21b where various drashos are made on this. We would like to know the simple meaning of the pasuk].
Also, the pasuk begins by referring to the ערלה with לשון יחיד, as it says וערלתם ערלתו which is a לשון יחיד. Then the pasuk shifts to לשון רבים as it says יהיה לכם ערלים. [See the Malbim on the pasuk who explains that the Medrash had this question].
[עפ"י דברי מו"ר הגאון הגדול רבי ד"י מן זצ"ל]
[עפ"י דברי מו"ר הגאון הגדול רבי ד"י מן זצ"ל]
