וְכִי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם֙ כָּל־עֵ֣ץ מַאֲכָ֔ל וַעֲרַלְתֶּ֥ם עָרְלָת֖וֹ אֶת־פִּרְי֑וֹ שָׁלֹ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֗ים יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם עֲרֵלִ֖ים לֹ֥א יֵאָכֵֽל׃

The following law is also built on a foundation of behavioral restraint and moderation: When you come into the land and plant any food tree, then you shall seal [ araltem ] its fruit. The first fruit must be treated as orla . The term orla appears elsewhere in reference to the foreskin which is removed in circumcision, as well as in the expressions: sealed lips, sealed ears, and sealed heart. In all these cases, orla refers to a seal or covering that is unusable and must be removed. For the first three years it, the food tree, shall be sealed for you; it, its fruit, shall not be eaten.

וּבַשָּׁנָה֙ הָרְבִיעִ֔ת יִהְיֶ֖ה כָּל־פִּרְי֑וֹ קֹ֥דֶשׁ הִלּוּלִ֖ים לַיהוָֽה׃

And in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be sacred for praise to the Lord. Fourth-year produce maintains a level of sanctity. According to tradition, it is not completely sacred, not completely set aside from the needs of people. Rather, its sanctity is expressed in the obligation to eat it in the environment of the Temple in an atmosphere of holiness and praise.

וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַחֲמִישִׁ֗ת תֹּֽאכְלוּ֙ אֶת־פִּרְי֔וֹ לְהוֹסִ֥יף לָכֶ֖ם תְּבוּאָת֑וֹ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

And in the fifth year, you may eat of its fruit, as the tree is now considered ordinary. Not only may you eat of its fruit, but I will also cause the tree to increase its yield for you, as reward for observing My commandments: I am the Lord your God. This declaration is repeated here due to the difficulty in observing these commandments. It is difficult for one who has invested in a tree to refrain from eating its fruit day after day, year after year. In order for one to successfully do so, he must remember who commanded him to act in this manner.

לֹ֥א תֹאכְל֖וּ עַל־הַדָּ֑ם לֹ֥א תְנַחֲשׁ֖וּ וְלֹ֥א תְעוֹנֵֽנוּ׃

You shall not eat over, alongside, the blood. It seems that this prohibition relates to the gentile custom of pouring the blood of animals and eating nearby, either as some form of an offering or based on a popular belief that the blood is offered to the dead, or to demons and the like. You shall not practice divination. It is prohibited to perform an action that involves divination through the use of appurtenances or various rituals. And you shall not practice soothsaying in order to discern the future by looking at the shapes of clouds or by attributing certain qualities to seasons or times. For example, it is prohibited for one to say: Today is a propitious day for going away on a journey; tomorrow is propitious for purchasing successfully. Such actions are prohibited because they involve an aspect of idolatry, if not actual idol worship.

לֹ֣א תַקִּ֔פוּ פְּאַ֖ת רֹאשְׁכֶ֑ם וְלֹ֣א תַשְׁחִ֔ית אֵ֖ת פְּאַ֥ת זְקָנֶֽךָ׃

You shall not round the edge of your head, the hairs that grow on the sides of your head. It is prohibited for one to shear all the hair around his head in an equal manner; rather, the hairs between one’s ears and eyes must be left to grow. And you shall not mar the edge of your beard. It is prohibited to completely shave off the hairs of one’s beard.

וְשֶׂ֣רֶט לָנֶ֗פֶשׁ לֹ֤א תִתְּנוּ֙ בִּבְשַׂרְכֶ֔ם וּכְתֹ֣בֶת קַֽעֲקַ֔ע לֹ֥א תִתְּנ֖וּ בָּכֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃

You shall not make a laceration for the dead in your flesh. In ancient times, it was customary for mourners to lacerate their flesh as a sign of mourning. This prohibition constitutes one of the limitations imposed by the Torah on customs of mourning. And the imprint of a tattoo you shall not place upon you. Once again, the verse reiterates: I am the Lord, the ultimate authority, and I do not want you to practice such customs.

אַל־תְּחַלֵּ֥ל אֶֽת־בִּתְּךָ֖ לְהַזְנוֹתָ֑הּ וְלֹא־תִזְנֶ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ וּמָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ זִמָּֽה׃

Do not profane your daughter to pander her as a harlot. That is, do not hand over your daughter to prostitution. To a certain degree, the requirement to guard a daughter’s modesty is connected to her father’s honor. Nevertheless, even if a father forgoes his honor and permits his daughter, or even encourages her, to engage in harlotry, the practice is entirely prohibited. And on a broader scale, the land shall not become licentious, and the land will be filled with lewdness. Casual sexual relationships between unmarried individuals are also forbidden. Although this is not explicitly formulated in the verse as a distinct prohibition, the verse stresses that sexual relations must be clearly defined, organized, and sanctified. When these relations are treated with abandon, the land is filled with licentiousness and even becomes impure.

אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֣י תִּשְׁמֹ֔רוּ וּמִקְדָּשִׁ֖י תִּירָ֑אוּ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃

You shall observe My Sabbaths and you shall revere My Sanctuary: I am the Lord.

אַל־תִּפְנ֤וּ אֶל־הָאֹבֹת֙ וְאֶל־הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֔ים אַל־תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ לְטָמְאָ֣ה בָהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

Do not turn to mediums, who communicate with the dead, or to necromancers, magicians or witches who claim to communicate with the dead and acquire important information from them. Do not seek to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

מִפְּנֵ֤י שֵׂיבָה֙ תָּק֔וּם וְהָדַרְתָּ֖ פְּנֵ֣י זָקֵ֑ן וְיָרֵ֥אתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ (פ)

You shall rise out of respect before the graybeard, an old person, and show deference before the elderly, a distinguished individual. Since an encounter with such distinguished individuals might occur outside the public eye, or even in a manner such that the distinguished individual is unaware of the encounter, one could avoid the elder or simply neglect to accord him due respect. Therefore, the verse warns: You shall fear your God; the reverence of these individuals is closely related to the reverence of God. I am the Lord.