And in the fifth year you shall eat the fruits thereof, gathering the increase thereof. I am the Lord your God.

“XXXII. Since therefore all the fruit of the soul is consecrated in the fourth year and the fourth number; in the fifth year we ourselves shall be allowed the use and enjoyment of it for ourselves ; for the scripture says, " In the fifth year ye shall eat the fruit thereof;" since it has been established by a perpetual law of nature, that account shall ABOUT THE PLANTING OF NOAH. 443 be taken of the creation after the Creator in every thing ; so that even if we are thought worthy of the second place, it must be cousidered a marvellous thing; and on this account it assigns to us the fruit of the fifth year, because the number five is the number appropriate to the outward sense : and if one must tell the truth, that which nourishes our minds is the outward sense, which by means of our eyes sets before us the distinctive qualities of colours and forms, and by means of our ears presents us with all the various peculiarities of sounds, and with smells by means of the nose, and with tastes through the medium of the mouth, and which enables us to judge of the yielding softness and resisting hardness, or of softness and roughness, or again of heat and cold, by means of the faculty which is dispersed over the whole body, which we usually denominate tench.”

“להוסיף לכם תבואתה [AND IN THE FIFTH YEAR SHALL YE EAT THE FRUIT THEREOF] THAT IT MAY YIELD UNTO YOU ITS INCREASE — This command (of ערלה and נטע רבעי, fruit of the fourth year) which you observe will result in its giving you its produce in larger quantities. Because as a reward for it (for the fulfilment of My command) I shall bless for you the fruit of the plantation. R. Akiba used to say: “The Torah says this because it has man’s evil inclination in mind: that one should not say, "Behold, for four years I must take trouble with it for nothing!" Scripture therefore states that the result of your obedience will be that it will give you its produce in larger quantities (Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 3 9). 'אני ה‎‎‎ means, it is I, the Lord, Who gives you a promise about this (that your obedience to Me will bring a blessing on your harvest) and Who am faithful to keep My promise.”

“And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof,.... And so in all succeeding years as long as the tree lasted and bore: that it may yield unto you the increase thereof; may be so abundantly blessed, and produce so large an increase as to answer the three years' want of any fruit from it, and the dedication of the fruit of the fourth year to the Lord: I am the Lord your God; who has promised this increase, is both able and faithful to make it good.”