שֶׁלֹּא לֶאֱכֹל עָרְלָה – שֶׁלֹּא נֹאכַל מִפֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן תּוֹךְ זְמַן עָרְלָתוֹ (ספרא קדושים ג ג) וְהֵן שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים רִאשׁוֹנוֹת לִנְטִיעָתוֹ, וְאֶחָד הַנּוֹטֵעַ נְטִיעָה אוֹ יִחוּר מִן הָאִילָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט כג) שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עֲרֵלִים לֹא יֵאָכֵל. To not eat orlah: That we not eat from the fruits of a tree during the time of its orlah, which is the first three years from its being planted. And it is the same if one planted a sapling or a sprig from a tree, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:23), “three years shall it be orlah for you, it shall not be eaten.”
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי מִצְוָה זוֹ, כָּתַבְתִּי בְּמִצְוַת נֶטַע רְבָעִי (מצוה רמז) בְּזֶה הַסֵּדֶר בְּשֵׁם הָרַמְבַּ"ם זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה. I have written from the roots of this commandment on the commandment of the fourth-year plant (Sefer HaChinukh 247) in this Order, in the name of Rambam, may his memory be blessed.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ערלה א, א) שֶׁהַנּוֹטֵעַ לִסְיָג וּלְקוֹרוֹת פָּטוּר מִן הָעָרְלָה דְּעֵץ מַאֲכָל כָּתוּב, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא יִטַּע אוֹתוֹ לְדַעַת שֶׁיֹּאכַל פֵּרוֹתָיו, אֶלָּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הָאִילָן סְיָג סְבִיב גִּנָּתוֹ, אוֹ לְדַעַת שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה מִמֶּנּוּ קוֹרָה לְבֵיתוֹ. נָטַע לִסְיָג אוֹ לְקוֹרָה וְחָזַר וְחָשַׁב עָלָיו לְמַאֲכָל חַיָּב בָּעָרְלָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁעֵרֵב בּוֹ מַחְשֶׁבֶת חִיּוּב חַיָּב. וְשׁוֹמֵר הַפְּרִי חַיָּב בְּעָרְלָה. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ (ברכות לו ב): אֶת פִּרְיוֹ אֶת הַטָּפֵל לְפִרְיוֹ. כְּלוֹמַר, שׁוֹמֵר הַפְּרִי. וּבַתְּנָאִים הַיְּדוּעִים לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה הוּא שֶׁיֵּאָסֵר הַשּׁוֹמֵר הָעוֹמֵד בַּפְּרִי עַד שָׁעָה שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ הַפְּרִי לִכְלַל אִסּוּר עָרְלָה. וְעוֹד שֶׁיְּהֵא הַפְּרִי צָרִיךְ אֵלָיו כָּל כָּךְ, דְּאִי שָׁקְלַתְּ לֵהּ לַשּׁוֹמֵר מָאֵית פֵּירָא. וּלְפִיכָךְ אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, שֶׁהַצָּלָף חַיָּב בְּעָרְלָה מִן הָאֶבְיוֹנוֹת בִּלְבַד, אֲבָל הַקַּפְרִיסִין מֻתָּרִין מִזֶּה הַטַּעַם שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ, כִּי יָדוּעַ הוּא, דְּאִי שָׁקַלְתָּ לֵהּ לְקַפְרָס מִקַּמֵּי דְּמָטֵי פֵּירָא לְאִסּוּר עָרְלָה לָא מָאֵית פֵּירָא. וְדִין הַנּוֹטֵעַ לָרַבִּים (ערלה שם ב) וְהַנּוֹטֵעַ לְמִצְוָה, וְהַנּוֹטֵעַ בְּעָצִיץ שֶׁאֵינוֹ נָקוּב, שֶׁחַיָּב בְּעָרְלָה, וְדִין יַלְדָּה שֶׁסִּבְּכָהּ בִּזְקֵנָה (נדרים נז, ב) וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִין בְּמַסֶּכֶת עָרְלָה. From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Orlah 1:1) that one who plants for a hedge or for beams is exempted from orlah, as it is written, “food tree” — meaning to say that he did not plant it with the intention to eat its fruits, but rather that the tree will be a hedge around his garden, or with the intention that he will make beams for his house with it. [If] he planted it for a hedge or for a beam and went back and thought about it that it should be for food, he is obligated in orlah — once he mixed a thought of obligation into it, he is obligated. And what protects the fruit is [also] obligated in orlah; and like they expounded (Berakhot 36b), “‘Its fruit (et piryo,’ the word et not being essential to the meaning), [to include] that which is secondary to the fruit” — meaning to say that which protects it. And it is with certain conditions known to our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, that that which protects the fruit is forbidden, until the time that the fruit reaches the category of the prohibition of orlah. And also that the fruit needs it so much that if you took that which protects it, the fruit would die. And therefore, they, may their memory be blessed, said that only the berries of the caper tree are obligated in orlah, but the capers (themselves, which covers the berries) are permitted, from this reason that we said; as it is well-known that if you take the capers before the fruits reach the prohibition of orlah, the fruit does not die. And the law of what is planted for the many (Mishnah Orlah 1:2), one who plants for a commandment and one who plants in a holed pot that he is obligated in orlah; and the law of a young plant that is enmeshed in an old plant (Nedarim 57b). And the rest of its laws are elucidated in Tractate Orlah.
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת, וְכָתַב הָרַמְבַּ"ם זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה (ספהמ"צ ל"ת קצב) וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ, דְּאִסּוּר עָרְלָה בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי. אָמְנָם לְשׁוֹן הַתּוֹרָה הוּא בָּאָרֶץ בִּלְבַד, עַד כָּאן. לְפִי שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה נֶאֱמַר בְּפֵרוּשׁ וְכִי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם. דְּמַשְׁמַע דְּדַוְקָא בָּאָרֶץ, וּבְפֵרוּשׁ אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בְּעִנְיַן הָעָרְלָה (קדושין לט, א) כִּי כָּךְ נֶאֶמְרָה עָלֶיהָ הַהֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי וַדָּאָהּ אָסוּר, סְפֵקָהּ מֻתָּר, כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁאֵין עִנְיַן אִסּוּרָהּ כְּמוֹ שְׁאָר אִסּוּרִין שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁיִּתְחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ סָפֵק בְּדָבָר שֶׁהוּא מִן הַתּוֹרָה, יֵשׁ לָנוּ לֶאֱסֹר אוֹתוֹ מִסָּפֵק, דְּקַיְמָא לַן סָפֵק אִסּוּר דְּאוֹרָיְתָא אָסוּר, וּכְמוֹ כֵן בֵּאַרְנוּ עִם הַפֵּרוּשִׁים הַטּוֹבִים, שֶׁסְּפֵק הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי לְחֻמְרָא. וּבְעִנְיָן אִסּוּר עָרְלָה קִבַּלְנוּ כִּי בְּפֵרוּשׁ נֶאֱמַר לְמֹשֶׁה, שֶׁיְּהֵא סְפֵקָהּ מֻתָּר. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁכֵּן הוּא שֶׁאֵין אִסּוּר עָרְלָה חָל כְּלָל בִּסְפֵיקָא, יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ אִילָן שֶׁל עָרְלָה בְּגִנָּתוֹ וּבָא חֲבֵרוֹ וְאָכַל מִמֶּנּוּ, אֵינוֹ נִזְקָק לְהוֹדִיעוֹ כְּלָל כִּי הוּא עָרְלָה. וּבְעִנְיָן זֶה מָצָאנוּ בַּגְּמָרָא שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שם). סַפֵּק לִי וַאֲנָא אֵכוּל כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁלֹּא יָדַע הָאָדָם בְּוַדַּאי שֶׁהִיא עָרְלָה, שְׁרִי לֵהּ לְמֵיכַל מִנֵּיהּ. וְהָעוֹבֵר עַל מִצְוָה זוֹ וְאָכַל כַּזַּיִת מִפֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן תּוֹךְ שְׁנֵי עָרְלָה, אוֹ אֲפִלּוּ מִשּׁוֹמֵר הַפְּרִי אוֹתוֹ הַיָּדוּעַ שֶׁנֶּאֱסַר עִמּוֹ חַיָּב מַלְקוּת. And [it] is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And Rambam, may his memory be blessed, wrote (Sefer HaMitzvot, Negative Commandments 192) and this is his language: “As the prohibition of orlah outside of the Land is a law of Moshe from Sinai. However the language of the Torah is that it is only in the Land.” To here [are his words]. Since in the Torah it is stated explicitly, “And when you come to the land and plant” — which implies specifically in the Land. And explicitly did they, may their memory be blessed, say (Kiddushin 39a) that so was it said about it [that] the law of Moshe from Sinai [is that] its definite is forbidden, but its doubt is permitted — meaning to say that its prohibition is not like the other prohibitions in the Torah, such that any time we encounter a doubt in a thing that is of Torah writ, we should forbid it from the doubt; since it is established for us that [in a case of] doubt about a Torah law, it is forbidden. And likewise have we elucidated with the good commentaries that [a case of] doubt about a law of Moshe from Sinai [should be decided] towards stringency. But about the prohibition of orlah, we have received [from the tradition] that it was specifically said to Moshe that its doubt is permitted. And since this is so, that the prohibition of orlah does not rest at all [upon it] in a doubt, an Israelite that has a tree that is orlah in his garden is not at all required to inform his fellow that comes to eat from it, that it is orlah. And regarding this, we have found in the Gemara that they said (Kiddushin 39a), “It is a doubt to me and I will eat” — meaning to say that any time a person does not know with certainty that it is orlah, it is permitted for him to eat from it. And one who transgresses it and eats a kazayit from fruits of a tree in its years of orlah — or even from that which protects the fruit, [in the case] that it was known as that which was forbidden with it — is liable for lashes.