About Rabbi Jack Abramowitz
Rabbi Jack Abramowitz served as Director of Programs for NCSY before becoming Associate Director of the Pepa and Rabbi Joseph Karasick Department of Synagogue Services. Rabbi Abramowitz holds degrees in Jewish studies, communications and Higher Education Administration. Among his accomplishments, he authored NCSY's Torah on One Foot series of educational pamphlets and created negiah.org, the first abstinence web site for Jewish teens. Rabbi Abramowitz is the author of The Shnayim Mikra Companion on Torah, The Nach Yomi Companion volumes 1 and 2 on the books of the Prophets and the Writings, and The Tzniyus Book.

Recent Posts

Taryag: A Mitzvah a Day

Questions? Contact us at taryag@ou.org

PARSHAT Shoftim
MITZVAH COUNTER
Mitzvos to date: 492
Positives:203
Negatives:289
That can be performed today:212
Plus those that can be performed only in Israel:22

492. Only God Can Make a Tree: The prohibition against planting a tree in the Temple courtyard


You shall not plant…any tree near the altar of God… (Deuteronomy 16:21)

We love trees. There’s a prohibition against razing fruit trees in war (Mitzvah #529). There’s a whole holiday dedicated to trees. And yet, we are not allowed to plant any trees in the Temple. That's because trees were commonly used in this way by idolators. Since an idol’s temple commonly included trees, we want to do the opposite to make it clear that the Beis HaMikdash is not like a house of idolatry.

As a preventive measure, the rabbis forbade wooden structures in the Temple. While these would have been built rather than planted, the word ‘eitz” in Hebrew means both “tree” and “wood,” so it was probably a good idea to play it safe.

This mitzvah applies to both men and women. Even today, it would be prohibited to plant a tree on the Temple mount in a place where the Sanctuary would have stood. (To be on the safe side, maybe you shouldn’t plant any trees anywhere on the Temple mount. You know, just in case.)

This prohibition is discussed in the Talmud in tractate Avodah Zarah on page 45a-b. It is codified in the Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah 145. This mitzvah is #13 of the 365 negative mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos.



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