Would you care for a fig?

Have you ever planted tomatoes?  They say they are the most expensive tomatoes you’ll ever eat. But they taste much better than what you buy in the supermarket and they are the product of your own work. 

You dug a hole in the ground, delicately placed the plant, added soil and fertilizer, and then watered it and protected it. You waited for a while to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Finally you see a ripe tomato. The moment you’ve been waiting for. You take the delicious fruit and savor every morsel. 

Imagine if it was a grape vine or a fig tree. You had to wait even longer for the tree to develop and the fruit to grow, and for the first three years the fruit is forbidden. The experience of tasting that first grape or fig would be much sweeter than the tomato. 

Well, in the Land of Israel, you would need to control that urge and take the first fruits to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and give them to the Kohanim (priests) as a gift to Hashem. How would you feel about that?  I imagine that all farmers complied, but how happy were they to do it?

Well actually Rambam describes the bringing of the first fruits to Jerusalem as a major joyous event. It was a Mitzvah for the owner of the fruit himself to bring the fruit, rather than send it with someone else. People from several towns or villages would gather together and make their way slowly in a large procession to Jerusalem. 

Ahead of the procession there would be an ox with gold tipped horns for an offering. The baskets in which the first fruits were brought were adorned beautifully with grains and fruits with flying doves attached. 

Along the way they played musical instruments and sang joyous songs. When they came close to Jerusalem each owner would personally lift the basket onto his shoulder rather than leaving it in a wagon or having an assistant carry it. The people of Jerusalem would come out to the streets to greet the procession and welcome them. 

How could someone giving away their hard earned first fruits be so happy about it and celebrate in such a remarkable way?  The whole point of this Mitzvah is to remember and realize that it’s not our hard work that created the fruit. Of course our work planting and tending is an important part without which nothing would grow. At the same time we need to realize that Hashem created the soil and the seeds and the power the soil has to grow things. Hashem blessed us with the strength to do the work, the rain that waters the plants and every aspect of what it takes to make everything bloom. 

In addition, as the owners would say in the statement to Hashem when they brought the gift, the very fact that we enjoy the bounty of the Land of Israel is a miracle. “The Aramean (Laban) tried to destroy my forefather, then he went down to Egypt, very few in number but developed into a large nation. The Egyptians were bad to us and afflicted us… and now I have brought the first fruits of the earth that You have given me Hashem.”

When we go through life thinking that everything we have is our own accomplishment, it’s hard to give things away, especially the first of our produce. With an attitude of gratitude, however, recognizing that none of it would happen without Hashem’s blessing and that in fact that blessing is the most important component of whatever we have, we celebrate what we have and thank Hashem for it all. 

This attitude can transform our lives, and in fact Judaism has these reminders every day. The first moment we realize we are awake, we say the “modeh ani” prayer, thanking and acknowledging Hashem for our very life. The first activity of the day is to pray and study some Torah. When we receive our income, ideally the first act should be to separate 10% or 20% to give to Tzedakah. 

The first day of our year is not celebrated with empty partying and drinking. We spend time praying, reciting Psalms, hearing the stirring sounds of the Shofar, and reconnecting with Hashem from the core of our being. 

When we start the day and the year this way, our whole life is uplifted, and this is a great reason to celebrate. 

May the blessings that Hashem gives us on Rosh Hashanah extend throughout the world and throughout the year, and may the coming year bring us all peace, tranquility, bountiful livelihood, and the ultimate blessing of the final redemption.