Trees and Fruit

Talya has a double summary for today!

Rashi says that the trees were supposed to taste like the fruit they bore. This is the case in an Etrog tree. But it isn’t like this in the world. The earth did Eitz Oseh Pri and not Eitz Pri Oseh Pri.

The earth didn’t really disobey Hashem. It has no free will to obey. However, sometimes Hashem makes it look like it rebelled to show us a lesson.

Chizkuni says that if the tree tasted like fruit, people would eat the trees and there wouldn’t be any more trees. Shouldn’t we only have fruit taste good so we can enjoy fruit for years?

To the earth: If Hashem tells you to do something, just do it! Why are you meddling in His business? Yishaya also said this to Chizkiyah when he didn’t get married.

Hashem hid Himself from the world to give us Bechira. The name Sha-kai has Dai- enough. Hashem hid just enough to make Bechira possible.

A world where Hashem is hidden is not spiritually perfect. Therefore, it is also physically imperfect. Perfect world has trees tasting like fruit and we don’t have it because we’re imperfect.

What about non-fruit trees?
When the earth was cursed after Adam sinned, many trees were stripped of their fruit. Originally all trees had fruit.

It also shows us all types kept to their own type and didn’t reproduce with others.

This wasn’t permanent, yet it says Vayehi Cain. Why?

1. The Etrog tree still had it.
2. They still didn’t mix with different kinds.
3. Earth was still filled with vegetation.