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Ramban on Leviticus 19:23/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ט:כ״ג

אוַעֲרַלְתֶּם עָרְלָתוֹ אֶת פִּרְיוֹ וַאֲטַמְתֶּם אֲטִימָתוֹ, יְהֵא אָטוּם וְנִסְתָּר מִלֵּהָנוֹת בּוֹ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"ט:כ"ג). וְיָפֶה פֵּרֵשׁ. וְאִם כֵּן יִהְיֶה "עֲרַל לֵב" (יחזקאל מד ט) - סְגוּר לֵב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְאֶקְרַע סְגוֹר לִבָּם" (הושע יג ח). וְכֵן "עֲרֵלָה אָזְנָם" (ירמיהו ו י) - שֶׁהִיא סְגוּרָה וַאֲטוּמָה, אֵין הַקּוֹל נִכְנָס בָּהּ. וַ"עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם" (שמות ו יב) - סְגוּר שְׂפָתַיִם, כִּי הָעִלְּגוּת אֹטֶם וּסְגִירוּת בְּגִידֵי הַלָּשׁוֹן, וּפְעָמִים בְּגִידֵי הַשְּׂפָתַיִם שֶׁלֹּא יִפָּתְחוּ כָּרָאוּי; וְהַדִּבּוּר יִקָּרֵא פְּתִיחָה, "פְּתַח פִּיךָ לְאִלֵּם" (משלי לא ח), "פָּתַח אִיּוֹב אֶת פִּיהוּ" (איוב ג א), "וּמִפְתַּח שְׂפָתַי מֵישָׁרִים" (משלי ח ו), "מִשֹּׁכֶבֶת חֵיקֶךָ שְׁמֹר פִּתְחֵי פִיךָ" (מיכה ז ה). וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב אֲטִימוּת בַּפְּרִי הַבָּא בְּתוֹךְ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, לְאָסְרוֹ בַּהֲנָאָה. וְלֹא יֹאמַר כֵּן בִּשְׁאָר אִסּוּרֵי הֲנָאָה, כִּי בִּיאַת הַפְּרִי בִּתְחִלָּתוֹ יִקָּרֵא פְּתִיחָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר "פִּתַּח הַסְּמָדַר" (שיר השירים ז יג). וּלְכָךְ אָמַר "שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עֲרֵלִים", כְּאִלּוּ הַפֵּרוֹת סְגוּרִים בָּאִילָנוֹת, לֹא הוֹצִיאוּ פֶּרַח וְלֹא פִּתְּחוּ סְמָדַר. וְטַעַם הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת, לְכַבֵּד אֶת ה' מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל תְּבוּאָתֵנוּ מִפְּרִי הָעֵץ וּתְבוּאַת הַכֶּרֶם, וְלֹא נֹאכַל מֵהֶם עַד שֶׁנָּבִיא כָּל פְּרִי שָׁנָה אַחַת הִלּוּלִים לַה'. וְהִנֵּה אֵין הַפְּרִי בְּתוֹךְ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים רָאוּי לְהַקְרִיבוֹ לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא מוּעָט, וְאֵין הָאִילָן נוֹתֵן בְּפִרְיוֹ טַעַם אוֹ רֵיחַ טוֹב בְּתוֹךְ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, וְרֻבָּן לֹא יוֹצִיאוּ פֵּרוֹת כְּלָל עַד הַשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית. וּלְכָךְ נַמְתִּין לְכֻלָּן וְלֹא נִטְעֹם מֵהֶם עַד שֶׁנָּבִיא מִן הַנֶּטַע שֶׁנָּטַעְנוּ כָּל פִּרְיוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן הַטּוֹב קֹדֶשׁ לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם, וְשָׁם יֹאכְלוּהוּ וִיהַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם ה'. וְהַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת דּוֹמָה לְמִצְוַת הַבִּכּוּרִים. וֶאֱמֶת הַדָּבָר עוֹד כִּי הַפְּרִי בִּתְחִלַּת נְטִיעַת הָאִילָנוֹת רַב הַלַּחוּת, דָּבֵק מְאֹד, מַזִּיק לַגּוּף וְאֵינֶנּוּ טוֹב לְאָכְלָה, כְּדָג שֶׁאֵין לוֹ קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת (ויקרא י"א:ט'), וְהַמַּאֲכָלִים הַנֶּאֱסָרִים בַּתּוֹרָה הֵם רָעִים גַּם לַגּוּף. וְהָרַב נָתַן גַּם בָּזֶה טַעַם בְּמוֹרֶה הַנְּבֻכִים (ג לז) כְּטַעְמוֹ בְּרוֹב הַמִּצְוֹת, כִּי הָיוּ לַחַרְטֻמִּים וְלַמְּכַשְּׁפִים בַּזְּמַן הַהוּא מִינֵי כִּשּׁוּף יַעֲשׂוּ אוֹתָם בְּעֵת נְטִיעַת הָאִילָנוֹת, וְיַחְשְׁבוּ כִּי בָּהֶם יְמַהֵר הָאִילָן לְהוֹצִיא פִּרְיוֹ קֹדֶם זְמַנּוֹ הַיָּדוּעַ בְּמִנְהָגוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, וּבְבוֹאוֹ יַקְרִיבוּ אֶת הַפְּרִי לִפְנֵי הָעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שֶׁעָשׂוּ בִּשְׁמָהּ הַכִּשּׁוּף הַהוּא. וּלְכָךְ צִוְּתָה הַתּוֹרָה בְּאִסּוּר הַפְּרִי הַבָּא קֹדֶם שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹאוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָרָעִים הָהֵם, כִּי רֻבֵּי הָאִילָנוֹת יָבִיאוּ פֵּרוֹת בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית; וְשֶׁנֹּאכְלֵהוּ לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם, הֵפֶךְ אָכְלָם אוֹתוֹ לִפְנֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה:

1VA’ARALTEM ORLATHO’ THE FRUIT THEREOF. “[This means literally]: ‘ye shall close its closing,’ meaning that it shall be closed up and hidden so as not to have any benefit from it.” This is Rashi’s language, and he has explained it well. And if so, ‘erel’ of heart¹⁵⁴ means “closed of heart,”¹⁵⁵. just as it is said, and I will rend the enclosure of their heart.¹⁵⁶ Similarly, ‘areila’ is their ear¹⁵⁷ means “their ear is closed and dulled so that no sound enters therein.” And ‘aral’ of the lips¹⁵⁸ means “closed of lips,” for defective speech is a result of an impediment and obstruction in the veins of the tongue, or sometimes in those of the lips, which have not been properly opened. Speech is referred to in Scripture by the term “opening,” thus: Open thy mouth for the dumb¹⁵⁹ [which means, “speak up in the cause of the dumb”]; Job opened his mouth;¹⁶⁰ and the opening of my lips shall be right things;¹⁶¹ keep the doors [literally: “openings”] of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.¹⁶² Now Scripture uses the expression “closing up” with reference to the fruit of the first three years, so as to prohibit the deriving of any benefit from it, although it does not express it in this way with reference to other things from which we are also forbidden to derive any benefit [e.g., diverse kinds in a vineyard].¹⁶³ This is because the appearance of the fruit in its earliest stage is called “opening,” just as it is said, the vine-blossom has opened.¹⁶⁴ Therefore He said, three years shall it be ‘areilim’ unto you, as if the fruits are closed up in the trees, and have not put forth buds nor opened blossoms.The reason for this commandment is to honor the Eternal with the first of all our produce of the fruits of the tree and the increase of the vineyard, and that we are not to eat of them until we bring all the fruit of one year [i.e., the fourth year after the planting] for giving praise unto the Eternal.¹⁶⁵ Now the fruit of the first three years is not fit to be brought before the Glorious Name¹⁶⁶ because it is small; neither does the tree in its first three years impart good taste or flavor into its fruit. Besides, most trees do not bring forth fruit at all until the fourth year. Therefore we are to wait with all of them [an equal period of time], and are not to taste of their fruit until we have brought of the planting which we have done, all its first good fruit to be holy before G-d, and there [in Jerusalem] we are to eat it and praise the Name of the Eternal. Thus this commandment is like that of the first-fruits.¹⁶⁷, 26:1-11. It is furthermore true that the fruit which comes forth from the tree when it is first planted, contains an abundance of moisture which attaches to and is harmful to the body and it is not good to eat it, just like a fish which has no scales and all food, forbidden by the Torah, which are harmful also¹⁶⁸ to the body.The Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] also gave in the Moreh Nebuchim the same type of reason for this commandment as he gave for most of these commandments, namely, that the magicians and sorcerers of those days used to practice certain deeds of witchcraft at the time of the planting of the trees, thinking that by so doing they would accelerate the coming out of the fruits before their natural time, and when the fruits appeared, they would offer them to the idol in the name of which that witchcraft was performed. Therefore the Torah commanded that the fruits which come out before three years [after the planting of the tree] should be forbidden [to derive any benefit from], in order that people should not come to practice these evil deeds, for most trees bring forth fruits in the fourth year, and that we are then to eat them before G-d [in Jerusalem], contrary to their eating of them before the idols.