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Share(יא) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹקִ֗ים תַּֽדְשֵׁ֤א הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ דֶּ֔שֶׁא עֵ֚שֶׂב מַזְרִ֣יעַ זֶ֔רַע עֵ֣ץ פְּרִ֞י עֹ֤שֶׂה פְּרִי֙ לְמִינ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ב֖וֹ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃(יב) וַתּוֹצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ דֶּ֠שֶׁא עֵ֣שֶׂב מַזְרִ֤יעַ זֶ֙רַע֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וְעֵ֧ץ עֹֽשֶׂה־פְּרִ֛י אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ב֖וֹ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹקִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃
(11) And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so.
(12) The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that this was good.
(ט) וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ, תָּנֵי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי נָתָן, שְׁלשָׁה נִכְנְסוּ לְדִין וְאַרְבָּעָה יָצְאוּ מְחֻיָּבִין, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: אָדָם וְחַוָּה וְנָחָשׁ נִכְנְסוּ לְדִין, וְנִתְקַלְּלָה הָאָרֶץ עִמָּהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ג, יז): אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ, שֶׁתְּהֵא מַעֲלָה לְךָ דְּבָרִים אֲרוּרִים, כְּגוֹן: יַתּוּשִׁים וּזְבוּבִין, פַּרְעוֹשִׁין. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק מִגְדָלָאָה, אַף הֵן יֵשׁ בָּהֶן הֲנָאָה, וְלָמָּה נִתְקַלְּלָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן רַבִּי (שמעון) [שלום ורבי פנחס, רבי יהודה בן רבי (שמעון) שלום] אָמַר, שֶׁעָבְרָה עַל הַצִּוּוּי, שֶׁכָּךְ אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא וגו', מַה הַפְּרִי נֶאֱכָל אַף הָעֵץ נֶאֱכָל, וְהִיא לֹא עָשְׂתָה כֵן, אֶלָּא וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא וגו' הַפְּרִי נֶאֱכָל וְהָעֵץ אֵינוֹ נֶאֱכָל. רַבִּי פִּנְחָס אָמַר אַף הוֹסִיפָה עַל הַצִּוּוּי, סָמְכָה לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן בּוֹרְאָהּ. עֵץ עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי, אֲפִלּוּ אִילָנֵי סְרַק עָשׂוּ פֵּרוֹת, עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, נִיחָא, אֶלָּא עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי פִּנְחָס לָמָּה נִתְקַלְּלָה, אֶלָּא כְּאֵינַשׁ דַּאֲמַר יְהוֹן לָיְיטִין בִּיזַיָּא דְּהָדֵין מֵנִיק.
(9) "And God said: let the earth put forth grass"(Gen. 1:11). It was taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: three entered for judgment, and four emerged guilty, and these are they: Adam and Eve and the serpent entered for judgment, and the Earth was cursed with them, as it says: "The earth will be cursed because of you" (Gen. 3:17),[which means] it will bring up cursed things for you, like flies and mosquitos and fleas. Rabbi Yitzchak from Gedela'ah said: Even they are the source of some benefit. Why was the Earth cursed? Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shimon [Shalom] and Rabbi Pinchas [disagreed], Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shimon [Shalom] said: because the Earth transgressed a commandment; The Holy Blessed One said to her [Earth] "let the earth put forth grass etc." just as the fruit is eaten, so too the tree is eaten and she did not do so, but rather "the earth put forth grass" - the fruit was edible, but the tree was not edible. Rabbi Pinchas said: she added to the commandment - she strengthened the will of her Creator "a fruit-bearing tree" - even barren trees produced fruit.
(ה) [ה] מנין שהעץ עתיד להיות נאכל? תלמוד לומר "עץ פרי"; אם ללמד שהוא עושה פרי, והלא כבר נאמר "עושה פרי"!? אם כן למה נאמר "עץ פרי"? אלא מה פרי נאכל, אף העץ נאכל.
(5) 5) Whence is it derived that the tree (itself) is destined to be eaten? From "fruit-tree." If to teach that it produces fruit, is it not written (Ibid.) "producing fruit after its kind"? If so, what is the intent of "fruit-tree"? Just as the fruit was eaten, so, the tree was eaten.
(ו) [ו] ומנין שאף אילני סרק עתידים להיות עושים פירות? תלמוד לומר (ויקרא כו, ד) "ועץ השדה יתן פריו".
(6) 6) And whence is it derived that non fruit-producing trees are also destined to bear fruit? From "and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit."
Abravanel on Genesis 1
The Ramban already asked: How could God have not commanded the creation of barren trees? For He only mentioned fruit trees that bear fruit and Rabbeinu Nissim struggled to answer it. But, in my opinion, this question does not have any substance and because there is no tree in the world that does not produce fruit, even barren trees have a fruit, and that is the gall-nut. Rather, there are some trees that have edible fruit and there are some whose fruit is not edible, but it is good and useful for other things and for medicines. But, in any event, every tree has a fruit.
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
From the outset of creation the taste of the wood of the tree was supposed to be equivalent to the taste of its fruit. All of the means that strengthen any high, collective, spiritual end are supposed to be sensed with the soul’s sense, with the same loftiness and pleasantness—that the end itself is felt in it when we imagine it. But the nature of the earth, the straying of life, and the spiritual malaise when it is enclosed in an enclosure of embodiment, made it so that only the taste of the fruit, the ultimate end, the principal ideal, can be felt in its pleasantness and beauty. But the branches that carry the fruit on themselves, despite their necessity in the fruit’s growth, have become thick and material and have lost their taste.
That is the sin of the earth, on account of which [the earth] was cursed when Adam was also cursed for his sin. And all damage will be fixed in the end. Therefore we are reliant on a clarification, that days will come when the Creation will return to its origin, and the taste of the wood will be like the taste of the fruit- when the earth returns from its sin, and the practical ways of life will not cause a block before the pleasantness of the light of the Ideal, which is supported in its way through proper means, which support and bring it from potential to action.
The Sages taught in a Tosefta: One is forbidden to derive benefit from this world, which is the property of God, without reciting a blessing beforehand. And anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he is guilty of misuse of a consecrated object. The Gemara adds: What is his remedy? He should go to a Sage.