Part I. Plant to Replenish
In this week’s sedrah we are introduced to the laws of orlah as follows: לָכֲ‡ַֽמ ı≈ﬠ לָּכ ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו ı∆רָ‡ָה ל∆‡ּו‡ֹבָ ̇ יֽƒכ¿ו – When you come to Eretz Yisroel and you shall plant all forms of fruit trees (Vayikra 19:23). And then it goes on and tells us certain dinim of orlah; ֹיו¿רƒּפ ̇∆‡ ֹו ָ̇ל¿רָﬠ ם∆ּ ̇¿לַרֲﬠַו, how you must refrain for the first three years from eating the fruits of those newly planted trees.
But our Chachomim tell us that in these first four words, ı≈ﬠ לָּכ ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו לָכֲ‡ַֽמ, before we go any further and learn any halachos of orlah, these words have already stated an important principle. “And you will plant all types of fruit trees,” the Chachomim say, is not only a description of when these rules of orlah are going to apply but also a separate stand-alone commandment: “When you come to the land, ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו, there’s a mitzvah to plant all kinds of trees.”
A Ready-Made Garden
Now that’s surprising because when the Bnei Yisroel first came into the land they found it very much cultivated already; Eretz Canaan was never as fertile, as beautiful and well-planted, as those days. The Canaanim had trained themselves by generations of practice to become the very best agriculturists and horticulturalists. Hakadosh Baruch Hu had allowed them to remain on the land for many years for the purpose of completing the task of making the land beautiful, k’gan Hashem.
And so when the Bnei Yisroel crossed the Yarden they found a land that was filled with beautiful orchards – fig trees, date palms, pomegranate trees, grape vines. If there was one land that didn’t need planting, it was Eretz Yisroel.
But along comes the Torah – it means Hakadosh Baruch Hu – and it says that when you come to Eretz Canaan and everywhere you see fruit trees, don't think that you're absolved from the duty of planting. After all, you're going to use up the trees – trees don't live forever – and therefore, get busy replacing them.
Be a Planter
That’s what the Medrash (Tanchuma 8:1) says on this possuk: ם∆הָל רַמָ‡ בּטו לָּכ הָ‡≈ל¿מּהָ ֹ̇ו‡ּו‡¿ˆ¿מƒּ ̇∆ׁ ̆ יƒּפ לַﬠ ףַ‡ ,ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒי¿ל ‡ּהו¿ךּרוָּב ׁ ֹ̆ו„ָּ ַ̃ה – Hashem tells the Am Yisroel, “Even though you’ll find the land full of all good things, רו¿מ‡ֹּ ̇ ‡ֹל – you shouldn’t say, עַּטƒנ ‡ֹל¿ו ב≈ׁ ̆≈נ – ‘We’ll dwell in the land and it’s not necessary for us to do any planting.’ ם∆כָל יםƒר≈חֲ‡ּעו¿טָּנ∆ׁ ̆ם≈ׁ ̆¿ּכ ‡ָּל∆‡ – Instead, just like others, the Canaanim, planted for you, ם∆יכ≈נ¿בƒל יםƒע¿טֹנוּיו¡ה¿ךָּכ – so you should plant for your children too.”
The Medrash there brings a story to illustrate this idea. The Roman Emperor Hadrian once saw an old man planting a tree and he was laboring, sweating – it was very heavy work for him. So the Emperor said, “Old man, why are you laboring so hard to plant a fruit tree? Anyhow it won’t bear fruit in time for you to eat it. You surely won't live to enjoy the fruits of this tree.” He was an old man already.
So the old man replied, “My master, the king. When I came into this world, I found fruit trees that were prepared for me. And just like I found trees in the world I came into, I want to plant for my descendants.”
That's what the Medrash brings as an example of this commandment לָכֲ‡ַֽמ ı≈ﬠ לָּכ ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו, of being a planter in this world. You came into a world that was prepared for you and you made good use of what you found here.
And so when you leave this world you should see to it that it should be no less than it was when you came in – the land should remain beautiful with all the gardens and orchards; leave it as good as you found it.
The American Garden
I’ll give you an example – it’s not our subject, but it’s a good example. Let's say Jews came to America and they found a garden here, a beautiful garden of freedom and opportunity and equality. You young people don’t realize it, but America was really a rarity among countries. When our forefathers came from Eastern Europe and from Russia, it made them intoxicated with happiness.
I remember once I was in Slabodka and the head of the kollel, an elderly man, was telling of his visit to America. We were sitting at a table, and he was telling us his story. He had come to New York and he was lost in the subway; he didn't know what to do – imagine an old man who doesn’t know any English, lost in a New York subway.
Suddenly a policeman approached him and began speaking to him. But he didn’t understand a word. And he became frightened because in Europe, a policeman meant something different than in America. The policeman motioned to him that he should stand still and he came back a few minutes later with a Jew who could speak Yiddish. And the Jew asked him in Yiddish, “What's the matter?” and he told him, and this Jew translated into English for the policeman. And the policeman gave directions on how to get to the destination and the Jew translated it into Yiddish for him. And so when this Slabodka talmid chochom came back to Europe, he was telling us about the glories of America. “A country where the policeman wants to help you even if you’re a Jew! A policeman wanted to help me!”
The Ruined America
And so when you come to this country and you find equality and many have even become affluent, so what should be your reaction? According to the principle of ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו we should know that among all the things we must do is not to ruin America! We should leave it at least like we found it! Instead of becoming Jewish degenerates who are bashmutzing America with their wickedness; instead of becoming feminists and radicals and atheists and ruining everything, at least leave it alone!
Look what they're doing to America! They're taking this beautiful land that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave them, the happiness that they had here, and instead of planting, they’re uprooting it. They're trampling on America and ruining this garden. And they’ll be held guilty for that. Besides for all of their other sins, they’ll be punished for this too, for transgressing this mitzvah of ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו. If you’re not going to improve the country, at least let it remain what it was when you came here.
Don’t Spoil It
There’s a big principle involved here and in short the idea is as follows: Make sure the world is not worse because you came here! And that’s why it was the first thing Hakadosh Baruch Hu told Adam HaRishon as soon as He created him.
The Medrash Koheles (ch. 7) states as follows: ‡ּהו¿ךּרוָּב ׁ ֹ̆ו„ָּ ַ̃ה ‡ָרָּב∆ׁ ̆ הָﬠָׁ ̆¿ּב ןֹוׁ ̆‡ƒרָה םָ„ָ‡ ̇∆‡ – When Hakadosh Baruch Hu created Adam HaRishon, ֹלוָט¿נ ן∆„≈ﬠ ןַּ‚ י≈נָילƒ‡ לָּכ לַﬠ ֹירוƒז¡ח∆ה¿ו – He took him around to look at all the trees of Gan Eden. And these are the first words Hashem spoke to him: יַׂ ֲ̆ﬠַמ ה≈‡¿ר – “Look at My works, ן≈ה יןƒחָּבֻׁ ̆¿מּו יםƒ‡ָנ הָּמַּכ - how beautiful they are. Pay attention to these beautiful trees I planted for you, ל≈ ̃¿לַ ̃¿ ̇ ‡ֹל∆ׁ ָ̆ך¿ּ ̇¿עַּ„ ן≈ּ ̇ – and make it your goal that you shouldn’t spoil things; יƒמָלֹעו ̇∆‡ יבƒרֲחַ ̇¿ו – you shouldn’t ruin My world.”
That’s included in the mitzvah of replenishing, of planting new trees. Your first function is don’t spoil the world. It’s not enough, but it’s the minimum. The world shouldn’t be worse because you were here.
Any Place You Go
Any place you go; let's say you walked into a beis hamedrash and you sit down to learn. You take a sefer off the shelf, another sefer, another sefer. Before you leave, the first thing you have to do is put it all back. Don’t leave the place in a less orderly fashion than it was when you found it. The beis hamedrash should be just as clean when you leave it as it was when you came in.
Same is in the kitchen. A boy comes home from the yeshiva and he sits down to eat and then he leaves the dirty dishes on the table. It’s a wicked thing! The minimum is to leave the kitchen the way you found it, to clean up after yourself.
Don’t Litter: A Torah Rule
The street too; you walk in the street, it was once a clean street. You can't litter in the street by dropping things there; even a little piece of paper. If you have some paper to throw, don't throw it on the floor. Throw it in the wastebasket on the corner. There’s no wastebasket? Put it in your pocket or your bag. It was clean when you came, it should be clean when you leave.
Better yet, you pass by and see a bum throw an empty beer can on the sidewalk, you can walk over and pick it up and put it in the wastebasket. I saw that once; a Jew with a beard and a black hat was walking down Kings Highway and walking in front of him was a certain someone eating a banana, throwing the peels on the sidewalk. What does he care for the world? Let people slide to the hospital.
What did this Jew do? I saw, he shoved it off the sidewalk into the sewer drain with his foot.
Upkeep the World
And so that’s rule number one under the principle of ı∆רָ‡ָה ל∆‡ּו‡ֹבָ ̇ יֽƒכ¿ו לָכֲ‡ַֽמ ı≈ﬠ לָּכ ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו: When you come anyplace, make sure that you’re doing whatever has to be done in order to upkeep it. You found a clean shul, leave a clean shul. You found a clean street, leave a clean street.
Even a wife! Don’t ruin your wife. You know, I had a man here who married a baalas teshuvah; a good girl, enthusiastic about keeping the Torah. But what did this husband do? He didn’t know how to behave and he ruined her. He acted wickedly, he didn’t treat her well, and finally, she got so disgusted that she gave up the whole thing. Not only did she run away from him, but she ran away from yiddishkeit too. He was given a good world, a loyal frum wife - and she was a pretty girl too – and he ruined it. Even the minimum obligation he didn’t fulfill!
And so that’s the first thing we’re learning now: You found a good world, a good place, a good country, a good home, a good street, a good marriage – whatever it is, make sure to leave it at least as good as you found it. That’s what it means ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו, to replenish, to upkeep the world.
Part II. Plant to Develop
More Than Replenishing
Now, the truth is that when it comes to the basic upkeep of the world Hashem doesn’t need you too much. He’s on the job and He’s doing quite a fine job of it! You know, today everybody talks about recycling, but long before we thought about that, that was the original plan of Hashem anyhow. Everything is recycled according to the plan Hakadosh Baruch Hu made from the beginning.
This rainwater that's on the window pane here, was already used by hundreds of generations before us. It was urinated by people a hundred times already. It ran down to the sea by the sewer, and in the sea it was purified with salt and chemicals. Then when the sun was shining on it, it was distilled and only pure water evaporated into the clouds and the rain comes down and waters the fields; the grass is regrowing on its own every year. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu is recycling all the time, planting and keeping the world going.
But the principle of ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו is telling us more than the principle of replacing. It’s teaching us that not only shouldn’t you ruin what was given to you, but you should be sure to plant and make things better. Your job is to add something to the world; to plant things so that when you pass out of this generation and go to the Next World, you should leave over a land that’s even more beautiful than it was when you came in. That’s included in the command in this week’s sedrah, the responsibility that a person has in this world. ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו! Keep planting as much as you can! It’s a fundamental demand of the Torah.
Adding Sweetness
Now, once we understand that this is a requirement of Hakadosh Baruch Hu not only in the land, in the planting of fruit trees, it also has to be a principle in our lives, that we have to be busy making this world a better place. And so, we have to put some thought into this obligation. What kind of planting can I do in this world to make it a better place? How can I uplift this world?
Of course, one of the big achievements in this world is to make other people's lives sweet. That’s included in this obligation – we have to make people's lives happy in this world; it’s one of the ways you can make this world a better place because of your being here.
Now, that’s an art that you have to study. You must master how to treat people so that you plant happiness wherever you go. Instead of being a weed, a thorn, you have to be a flower in this world. You smile at others, encourage them, compliment them, and that way you become a beautiful flower; with color and fragrance.
Don’t Just Munch
And so if your wife serves you at the table and you’re eating with gusto and enjoying the meal that she prepared for you, how about a smile and some kind words? “Chana, it tastes very good.” Why shouldn’t you say that? She’s waiting for it, but nothing is coming. Instead, you’re just munching, destroying the food. At least “Thank you,” you can say. You want to say, “You’re an excellent cook” even better. “An excellent wife,” you want to say? Ten times better! But something you must say.
And when you do it, you can be sure that you’re filling the world with what’s necessary. Smiles and sweet words are lacking in the world! You’re making the world better, happier. And that’s a valuable contribution, it’s tremendous! You’re making the world a better place!
Now, a person who recognizes this obligation of tikun olam, of improving the world, lives a different type of life because his eyes are wide open for these opportunities to plant good things in this world. He won’t scorn even the smallest opportunity to encourage, to smile, to compliment, because that’s his function while he’s alive – ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו, as much as possible to keep planting and leave this world a better place.
Sponsor Toras Avigdor
Now, although we don’t disdain even the small opportunities, we shouldn't forget about one of the most valuable methods of planting in this world, and that is the great subject of zechus harabim. Zechus harabim! Conferring merit on the public! What could be better than planting Torah and mitzvos, planting Awareness of Hashem, emunah and bitachon, among the Am Yisroel?
Now there are very many ways of doing it. I won’t go into details now – there are all forms of zechus harabim – but when a person has in mind the attitude that this is one of his functions of life, that person should know that he is fulfilling this obligation of לָכֲ‡ַמ ı≈ﬠ לָּכ ם∆ּ ̇¿עַט¿נּו to its fullest.
Making Torah Available
Of course, the great men in our history did it on a tremendous scale. When they left the world, they left it a much better place than when they found it. Let’s say, when Rav Ashi completed the Shas – the Shas is a masterpiece! That’s our Torah. ּינו≈ּיַח ם≈ה יƒּכ means Shas. And that was made by Rav Ashi. He is credited for organizing it, perfecting it. A tremendous achievement! The zechus harabim of Rav Ashi has no equal as far as we can see.
But Rav Yosef Gaon, about eighty years afterwards, did something that made it even more valuable. He was the one who gave permission to write down the Shas. Rav Ashi organized and memorized the Shas – a tremendous job – but Rav Yosef Gaon came along about eighty years after Rav Ashi and he made a revolution when he encouraged the writing down of the Shas. It was forbidden to write Torah she’baal peh, but when Rav Yosef Gaon saw that the world couldn’t get along anymore, he committed it to writing. And now the Shas was for everyone! What a new world it was! Our Torah was made available to everybody.
Rashi and Rambam
Then Rashi Hakadosh came along – I’m skipping a lot – and Rashi made a tikkun that filled the world with light. The peirush Rashi is genius – brief and clear. Every word is well thought out, every line cunningly explained. And Rashi guesses beforehand what problems you’ll think about, the kashes you’ll have, and he answers them b’mesek leshono. Rashi is a masterpiece. There’s nothing in the world since that time as enormous as the contribution of Rashi. When he left the world, he left over a yerusha that to this day we’re all enjoying. What Rashi did is almost unequaled; there is almost no equal to his achievement in making the world a better place.
The list of mezakei harabim is almost endless. I wish I could stay here all night and speak to you about it; what the Rambam planted for the world. For the first time in our history the Torah was codified and arranged in chapters and numbered halachos; all in the place where they belong. To this day, we are all enjoying the Rambam’s accomplishment. When he left the world, he left it much wealthier than when he found it.
Changing the World
Then the Shulchan Aruch came along and planted other trees. The Shaarei Teshuva, the Chovos Halevavos, the Mesillas Yesharim, the Vilna Gaon, the Baal Shem Tov, Sarah Schenirer; they all influenced many thousands of people over the generations.
Of course most of us, we’re not competent to make such achievements; you can’t be like Rashi. What the Chofetz Chaim did, we won’t be able to do. An adam gadol once told me, he said, “From now until Moshiach, if anybody is careful with loshon hora, it’s due to the Chofetz Chaim.” Many people today are nizhar, are very careful in shmiras haloshon only because of him. He changed the world.
We won’t be able to achieve that, but these people give an example of our goal in this world: to plant as much as possible and make the world a better place when we leave it than when we found it.
You Can Do It
Don’t think you can’t do such things. Don’t say, “What can I do already? I’m a simple Jew in Flatbush; I don’t have influence, I don’t have money.” It’s not true; many good people, simple people, have taken the words of the Chovos Halevavos to heart and become mezakei harabim. The Chovos Halevavos writes (Avodas Elokim 6): “No matter how perfect you are in all the forms of shleimus, in every kind of perfection, it is as nothing compared to the perfection that comes from causing the multitude to become virtuous”.
We had a man in our kehilla who went and bought from 770 Eastern Parkway a stack of old copies of Talks and Tales — it’s a Lubavitcher children’s magazine — and he sent it out to Jewish homes, homes where the families have no connection to authentic Judaism. So every month a frum magazine was coming into people’s homes because of him. For a family that knows nothing about Judaism, a little Jewish magazine is a boon! It comes into their mailbox a newspaper that’s speaking about Torah ideals, about the Am Yisroel. It opens up their eyes.
Now, he was a plain man; not wealthy at all – sometimes when he didn’t have enough money he would collect money from people here in the shul – but he made an impact. He was a simple man who worked for the city and yet he was one of the mezakei harabim in Flatbush.
Bribe the Janitor
Look at all these big apartment houses; they’re filled with ignorant Jews, Jews who know nothing. Why don’t you adopt an apartment house? Adopt a big apartment house on Ocean Parkway and say “This house is mine – this is my project.” Make it your project and send Torah literature to them. If you can’t afford it all at once, do it little by little. There’s a lot of work to be done. Find out who lives there and get to work.
How do you find out? You can walk through the building writing down the names until the janitor throws you out. Give him $10 and he’ll let you stay for another hour. Or you can go into the real estate places and they have directories; house by house, apartment by apartment. I once did it to one apartment house; I had the names of everybody in the apartment house and I was able to accomplish a little bit of planting for Hashem.
Don’t think it’s nothing. That’s what we’re here for, to improve the world. And there are so many opportunities for being mezakeh the rabim, if someone is really interested in planting beautiful and fruitful trees in this world.
Part III. Plant to Create
A Great Man
Now, the truth is that there’s a planting that comes even before zechus harabim and it’s just as important, maybe even more so. Because you remember the story of Chizkiyah HaMelech?
