Introduction: Eshkol HaKofer and the Passing of the Tzaddik
We are examining the verse through which our Sages explained how the death of the righteous atones for the generation, and upon which the author of the Zera Shimshon builds an entire framework: Why is the tzaddik taken from the world, who demands his departure, and what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do even beforehand? Let us read the verse:
אֶשְׁכֹּל הַכֹּפֶר דּוֹדִי לִי בְּכַרְמֵי עֵין גֶּדִי׃ (א, יד) - "My Beloved is to me a cluster of henna in the vineyards of Ein Gedi." (1:14)
The tzaddik is compared to a cluster - like a cluster of grapes or a cluster of henna in the vineyard, whose fruit has fully ripened and is choice. And here the claim begins: The Attribute of Justice cannot hold sway over the world so long as the tzaddik remains within it. The tzaddik shields the generation and holds back calamity; he is in the category of naturei karta mentioned in the Gemara - the guardians of the city. Therefore, the Attribute of Justice argues: Remove this tzaddik from the world! This is one of the interpretations of "The righteous is taken away from the evil" - the righteous is gathered in so that the evil may come, for as long as he is in the world, he prevents it. And what is its justification? Since the fruit has fully ripened, it should no longer be left on the tree.
The Halachah of Two Trees in Another's Field
Just because the tzaddik has reached perfection, must he die? Here a fundamental principle from the laws of monetary matters is cited. It is stated in the Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 216:9: One who purchases two trees within the field of his fellow does not acquire any land, yet he has the right to the space needed for the harvester and his basket (melo ha'oreh vesalo) to gather his fruit there, and the seller cannot sow seeds there. That is to say, the trees are yours: grow them, water them, cultivate them, and pick their fruit; but you have not bought the land. You are permitted to enter in order to tend to them, within the measure of "the harvester and his basket" - the space occupied by the harvester and the basket in his hand, which is the area in which he is permitted to step.
And why may the seller not sow there? The Sema explains: because the buyer's fruit would become soiled when falling there. If you sow below, the fruit falling from the tree will be spoiled by your crop. Therefore, the owner of the tree has the right to demand that the ground beneath the tree remain unsown.
However, it is clear that this applies only while the fruit still needs the tree. Suppose the fruit is seasonal, and for half the year there is no fruit at all - the tree owner cannot claim, "I have the right to the space of the harvester and his basket here and do not want my fruit soiled," for he has no fruit at all! The owner of the field can tell him, "You have no fruit, and you cannot prevent me from sowing." And what is the law when he has fruit that has already ripened, but he delays and leaves it on the tree for another month - such as an etrog or the like, which can remain on the tree? It is explained that even in this case, he cannot hold up the field's owner. Harvest your ripe fruit! The buyer has no right to delay his fruit on the tree merely to forbid the seller from sowing that spot - for in truth, he never purchased the land.
Furthermore: if there is reason to fear that when the tree owner eventually comes to harvest his fruit, he will ruin the crops the seller sowed after the fruit had ripened - whether because falling fruit will rot the seeds or because the harvester will trample the crops - the seller can certainly compel the buyer to pick his fruit in its proper time once it has ripened, so that he does not hinder the sowing or damage the crops. It turns out that not only is the tree owner unable to prevent the landowner from sowing, but the landowner can actively demand of him: Pick the ripe fruit from the tree right now!
This Is the Argument of the Attribute of Justice
This is precisely the argument of the Attribute of Justice: Let the tzaddik be removed from the world because his fruit is fully ripened. And what does "his fruit is fully ripened" mean? Had the generation not been guilty, and had they listened to the rebukes of the tzaddik, it would not yet be considered the completion of the fruit - for he rebukes and they listen, so he still has work to do. But since the generation is culpable, and the tzaddik accomplishes nothing with them and has no influence over them - this is "his fruit is fully ripened"; his mission is complete, and therefore it is fitting that he depart. The Attribute of Justice reasons that once there is no tzaddik in the world, the sinners will remain like barren trees and it will be able to rule over them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, agrees to take the tzaddik from the world.
The Sun Rises and the Sun Sets
However, before that happens, the Holy One, blessed be He, causes the sun of another tzaddik to rise in order to protect the world, so that the world will not be without a moon - meaning, that the world should never remain without a tzaddik. And the Attribute of Justice cannot make a claim against the new tzaddik, for his fruit has not yet ripened. A tzaddik whose sun has just risen and who has not yet finished his spiritual work is immune to any claim, since one can demand to "harvest it" only regarding fully ripened fruit, just as the landowner demands of the tree owner to harvest his ripe fruit. And the flaw introduced by Adam HaRishon applied only to finished fruit, at which point mortality was decreed. This is what the Sages stated in the fourth chapter of Kiddushin: on the day Rava died, Rav Ashi was born, as it is written, "The sun rises, and the sun sets" - first the light of the new tzaddik rises, and only then does the previous tzaddik set.
"Who Can Say 'Enough' to the Attribute of Justice"
Through this we can properly understand the phrasing of the Midrash: "The greatest among them, who can say 'enough' to the Attribute of Justice." This is a puzzling expression, and even the Torat Chaim addressed it and offered a somewhat strained resolution. But according to our approach, it fits beautifully: the Attribute of Justice demanded the death of the tzaddik so that the world would be left without a righteous protector, but another tzaddik arrives; thus it can no longer demand the destruction of the world, nor can it demand the demise of the new tzaddik whose fruit has not yet matured. They say to it: "Enough! You have no further claim or power." This is the tzaddik's power to say "enough" to the Attribute of Justice - since he is not yet complete, it is his right to grow here in this world, for he still has vital work to accomplish.
"The Fruit of the Righteous Is a Tree of Life, and He Who Wins Souls Is Wise"
According to this, we can explain the verse, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise" (Mishlei 11:30). The tzaddik, although he embodies the aspect of the Tree of Life - the realm of Torah, where one is instructed to cling to the Tree of Life - is nonetheless defined as the "fruit" of the tree of life. This definition itself brings about his departure from the world, for the time has come to harvest the fruit. But the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is the Wise One of the universe and foresees the future - "Who is wise? One who foresees what will be born" (literally, one who sees the newborn), and in an expression of wit, a midwife is also called a chachamah (a wise woman) because she is the first to see the newborn - brings forth what will be born before taking the tzaddik away, giving birth to a new tzaddik. This is the meaning of "he who takes souls is wise": when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to take the soul of the perfected one, He acts with wisdom - having already brought forth another tzaddik, so that when the perfected one departs, a tzaddik remains to protect the generation, and that new tzaddik cannot be taken since he has not yet reached completion.
Why All the Trees Were Uprooted
This is also the reason for what the Sages taught in Moed Katan, that on the day a tzaddik died, all the trees were uprooted. For the fundamental cause of the tzaddik's mortality stems from the earth's defiance of the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, which led Adam HaRishon to sin - since he was misled by the fact that the Tree of Knowledge was a tree whose wood and fruit tasted identical.
And why did the earth disobey the will of its Creator? The Kavod Chachamim writes at the beginning of Masechet Kilayim: since the works of Creation were created with their own intellect - as beings possessed of understanding - the earth chose what seemed better in its own eyes. For had the tree tasted like the fruit, just as it is permitted to eat the fruit, so it would have been permitted to eat the wood, and people would have chopped down all the trees. This is a marvelous insight: if the tree itself had taste, a hungry person whose fruit ran out would start breaking off branches and eventually cut down the trunk - and where would any trees remain? Therefore, the earth made the tree itself inedible, so that the trees would endure and continue to yield fruit. And now, since the wood is not fit for consumption, the Torah writes, "Do not destroy its trees."
From here we return to the words of the Zera Shimshon: the tzaddik dies because he is called "fruit" rather than "tree," as a result of the sin of Adam HaRishon. For had he been termed a "tree," the prohibition of "do not destroy its trees" would apply, and why should he ever be harvested? But the tree has no taste, whereas the tzaddik possesses taste, making him akin to fruit. And what caused this flaw? The sin of the earth. Therefore, upon the passing of a tzaddik, all the trees are uprooted as a punishment for the sin of the earth, measure for measure: you wanted the trees not to be uprooted and to endure, and for that reason you made the wood tasteless; therefore, on the day the tzaddik dies, the trees are uprooted, the exact opposite of your desire. And this happens specifically at the passing of the tzaddik, for he never should have had to depart this world at all - he was meant to be in the category of an edible tree, covered by "do not destroy its trees"; but because you caused this corruption, he is no longer considered a tree, but merely fruit, subject to death.
The Death of the Tzaddik Atones - Yet Is He Not Irreplaceable?
And if you ask: How can we say that the death of a tzaddik brings atonement, when on the contrary, we find that the birth of a tzaddik brings atonement? One can answer based on what is taught in the Yerushalmi: when a sage dies, there is no replacement for him. The Yerushalmi challenges this: But is it not written, "The sun rises, and the sun sets," which implies that there is a replacement, as a new sun rises? The Kavod Chachamim in the second chapter of Berachot resolves this based on what the Sages said in the first chapter of Yoma: "The fingernails of the earlier generations are better than the belly of the later ones." The well of Miriam proves this - for the well returned in the merit of Moshe after Miriam's passing, yet for Yehoshua it did not return. Furthermore, the Sages noted: the elders of that generation said, "The face of Moshe was like the face of the sun, while the face of Yehoshua was like the face of the moon" - the earlier leaders represent the sun, and the later ones represent the moon.
Yet this is not absolute. Yehoshua is called the moon only in relation to the generation before him; in relation to the generation that followed him, he is the sun, and they are the moon receiving from him. For the moon is always in the position of a recipient, while the sun bestows and illuminates. This is the meaning of "one generation passes away, and another generation comes" (Kohelet 1:4). For if all later generations were equal to the earlier ones, Adam HaRishon, the Patriarchs, and King David, peace be upon him, would remain forever in the world, and all generations would be identical. It would then be meaningless to say "one generation passes away, and another generation comes" - which signifies that the generation that departed does not return, and the one that arrives is distinct and new, meaning they differ from one another. Even so, the one who succeeds the predecessor is also called a sun in relation to those who follow him. Moreover, something good can be found in the later figure that was not found in the earlier one, for one is exceptionally scrupulous in this mitzvah while another excels in a different one. For this reason, "the earth abides forever": the sun of the succeeding tzaddik rises and shields the earth, and therefore it is juxtaposed with "The sun rises, and the sun sets."
However, the people of his generation, who keenly feel their loss, say: We once had a sun, and now we have received a moon. They experience great anguish for which they find no comfort. And this is the meaning of "the righteous man perishes - he perishes for his generation": the world at large does not feel the righteous man's death, for another righteous man has already been born; but the people of his generation feel that the righteous man in their midst is of a lower stature than the previous one, and this very anguish serves as an atonement for them. So wrote the author of Kevod Chachamim.
Why Specifically This Anguish
Now one can no longer question: let the Holy One, blessed be He, send them some other suffering and spare the righteous man from death! For they could not experience any other anguish without some partial destruction of the world - such as their children dying young due to the fathers' sins, or monetary loss being sent upon them, or the land withholding its yield entirely or producing blighted fruit, as it is written: "A fruitful land turned to salt because of the wickedness of those who dwell therein." But the Holy One, blessed be He, does not desire this; on the contrary, He desires the preservation of the world. Therefore, it can only be achieved through this particular anguish - the passing of the righteous man: the world continues to endure in either case through the birth of another tzaddik, while they attain atonement through the very grief they suffer. Any other affliction would strike the collective - all the fruit would spoil, and the like - whereas here, through the departure of one righteous man, the world still endures.
"In the Vineyards of Ein Gedi" - Vineyards that Produce Fruit Four Times a Year
With this, the conclusion of the verse is beautifully resolved. "My beloved is to me a cluster of henna-flower (kofer - atonement)" means that the passing of the tzaddik atones for the generation; why then does it conclude "in the vineyards of Ein Gedi"? Rashi explains that these are vineyards that yield fruit four times a year. The meaning is to teach that this atonement was instituted for the sake of the world's preservation, so that those vineyards would not diminish their yield as would have been fitting on account of the sins of the generation. How magnificent: vineyards yielding fruit four times a year - whenever one fruit departs, another fruit arrives, and this is "the sun rises and the sun sets." First, the Holy One, blessed be He, makes the sun of another righteous man rise, and only then does He take the righteous man.
"And Man Shall Say: Truly There Is Fruit for the Righteous"
With this, the verse will be clarified: "And man shall say: Truly there is fruit for the righteous; truly there is a God Who judges in the earth." "And man shall say" - this refers to Adam the first man, who ate from the fruit and damaged the concept of fruit, causing that there should no longer be a tree in this world whose wood and fruit taste the same. For this reason, the tzaddik can no longer be called a tree - a tree that possesses taste - since trees have become flawed; rather, he is called merely a fruit. This is "Truly (ach) there is fruit for the righteous": through Adam's deed, a state was brought about in which nothing remained of the tzaddik but the aspect of fruit. The word ach denotes limitation, meaning that because of this the tzaddik dies; ach also connotes groaning and grief, as in "and only (ach) Noah was left" - groaning and spitting blood from being struck by the lion. This itself causes judgment in the earth to be mitigated, for the tzaddik's departure atones for all. Therefore, "the destruction of his tree" does not apply to him, since he is not of the aspect of a tree but of the aspect of fruit, and it is the fruit that the owner of the orchard plucks.
"Have You Seen a Man Diligent in His Work? ... He Shall Not Stand Before Obscure Men"
In this manner we may also explain the verse: "Have you seen a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before obscure men." One who was diligent to learn and complete his designated portion in a few short years, until he became a ripe fruit worthy of being brought before kings' tables - he is "a man diligent in his work," who perfected his soul in a short time, and he shall stand before kings. Yet seemingly, what did his diligence gain him? On the contrary, it appears to his detriment, for once the fruit is fully ripe - it is harvested, and he dies in the midst of his days! Therefore, the verse comes to resolve this: "He shall not stand before obscure men" - it benefited him in that he would not sit among the people of his generation who are called "obscure"; at the very least, he gained that he did not remain in a generation of the wicked.
Yet this raises a difficulty: why are they called "obscure" (dark)? If the people of his generation are righteous, such a name is impossible; and if they are not righteous, the verse should have called them sinners or wicked men! Rather, one must say: before sinners and wicked men he could indeed have stood, but specifically before "obscure" men he cannot. For if they are sinners or wicked men who accept rebuke, they need a righteous man to admonish them, and the tzaddik derives satisfaction from rebuking them. Even if they do not accept the rebuke, the tzaddik is nevertheless obligated to admonish them by the principle of "feed the wicked man until he dies," and either way he derives satisfaction from receiving a reward for the rebuke, and he even endures in the world by its merit.
However, if they belong to those whom the tzaddik has no permission to rebuke - those concerning whom the Sages stated, "It is better that they be unintentional sinners rather than intentional ones" - as is said regarding Rabbinic matters, such as women eating on the eve of Yom Kippur whom it was impossible to rebuke because adding to Yom Kippur is Rabbinic, as stated at the beginning of chapter HaMevi - these are termed "obscure," for they walk in darkness, and the tzaddik has no satisfaction in sitting among them. What can he do, rebuke them? These are dwellers of darkness whom it is forbidden to rebuke, for the admonition will not lead them to rectification, and it is better that they remain unintentional rather than intentional sinners. On the contrary, he suffers anguish from being unable to rebuke them - such a righteous man lives in a generation and suffers because it is not within his power to admonish. Because he was diligent in his work and hurried to perfect himself, he is spared that anguish, for the Holy One, blessed be He, takes him early, and he does not have to behold people whom he is forbidden to rebuke. But where the wicked violate Torah law, regarding which we do not say "it is better that they be unintentional," the tzaddik receives reward for the very act of rebuking even if they do not accept his words - and in such a situation it is good and worthwhile for him to remain here in the world.
In summary: "My beloved is to me a cluster of henna-flower (atonement)" - the righteous man is the fully ripened fruit, and the attribute of justice demands its harvest, just as the owner of the field demands of the tree's owner to collect its ripened fruits that are no longer needed by the tree. Since the generation is guilty and does not accept rebuke, his fruit is deemed complete. Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is the Sage of the universe and foresees the future, first causes the sun of a new tzaddik to rise - "the sun rises and the sun sets" - and this tzaddik, who has not yet reached full completion, says to the attribute of justice: enough! The world does not feel the loss, and only the people of the generation feel it, and their anguish is their atonement; for any other anguish would have devastated the world, whereas here it continues to endure. Therefore, Scripture concluded "in the vineyards of Ein Gedi," vineyards that yield fruit four times a year: whenever one fruit departs, another fruit comes in its stead, and the world endures forever.