(jewish) 1st fruit - why?
In Vayikra, in parshas Kadoshim it says, "When you plant a food tree you shall treat it’s fruit as orlah*," literally "cut off". What is orlah? For the first three years of a fruit tree's life you do not take of its produce, and even in the fourth year you may not eat it any where you would like; you must take it all the way to Yerushaliam and eat it. Only in the fifth year you may eat it with out worry. You may think, "Why am I doing this? It is surely folly! The amount of profit I could gain is untold!" yet immediately it reassures you that in the end you will come out with more than you would have otherwise. The world we live in is very physical. A study was done, a few years ago. Turns out, the average American is faced with three-thousand ads a day. Think of that number. Three-thousand! The modern world wants you to say, "I need that." This world is all about the "I"s and the "Need"s. To combat this we may use this mitzvah of orlah. Before beginning any undertaking we must sanctify it. We must take the "I"s and the "Need"s out of our goals. Instead it should be of a more refined or exact purpose. Nevertheless, once this specific need is sanctified it can be used for personal pleasure. Instead of hiskafia, asceti
What is Hashem's objective in creation? We must come to appreciate it. G-d creates an entire universe, vast and great, and than hides Himself from it. Yet, He would like to dwell with us on this lowly plane of mock-existence. To help (if that word can be used) G-d achieve this we must look for Him, in daily activities to a world crisis. We must see Him in every aspect of our lives. By doing this we can take something "G-d forsaken", and when we declare Hashem's participation in all things, even this "forsaken" thing, we are, in a way, expanding Hashem's "borders" on creation. The Baal Shem Tov would still not leave. Instead he retorted- "Why do you deny G-d His sustenance?" Upon seeing the face of the other man he continued. "A Jew is sustained by Hashem, who gives him his livelihood. But how is Hashem sustained? In Tehillim it says ‘Yet You are the Holy One, enthroned upon the praises of Israel!’ When a Jew recognizes what Hashem gives him on a daily basis, and praises Him for it, he gives Hashem a livelihood!" By not eating the acetic has "given up" his chance to "sustain G-d." If you found G-d in your dovening or in your learning, that's all nice and fine, but the question is: did you find G-d in your life? “How is your health,” the Baal Shem Tov cheerfully asked the man, "are all your needs provided?" Despite the tzaddik's joyo
Some topics in this essay:
Shem Tov,
,
Israel’ Jew,
Shem Tov's,
Baal Shem,
baal shem,
baal shem tov,
shem tov,
Beis Hamedrish,
Hashem Torah,
Likkuti Sichos,
tov acetic,
sustain hashem,
hashem livelihood,
learning baal,
Parshas Kadoshim-5725,
learning baal shem,
shem tov acetic,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 922
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
CUSTOMER SERVICES
| |
|
Example Essays Home
