Do not eat fruit of a tree during its first three years

Messiah Says

Messiah implicitly affirmed this commandment when He spoke about the Law:

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

Pictures of Messiah

This commandment teaches us that, although it takes time for a tree to mature and even begin to bear fruit, that we have to wait until the fullness of time (by G-d's measure) before we can begin to enjoy that fruit.

In a similar fashion, it was not until the fullness of G-d's time that He sent forth the Messiah (Galatians 4:4-5) that we would enjoy the blessing of His life and His work.

Israel had to wait until the time of His coming and we must all again wait until the time of His return.

How Messiah Fulfilled

We know that Messiah did not sin (Hebrews 4:15) and so we know Messiah fulfilled this commandment by not eating fruit of a tree during its first three years.

Traditional Observance

The traditional observance of this commandment is found in its literal meaning: not eating fruit of a tree during its first three years of producing fruit.

Other Notes

We are able to fulfill this commandment today and should not eat fruit of a tree during the first three years it produces fruit.

Some question whether or not this commandment is applicable outside the Land of Israel given the first portion of the verse, "when you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food...".

<><