Orchard of the Torah
LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET CONSECTETUR
The Torah is sometimes called an orchard. The Hebrew for orchard is פרדס (Pardes) and its 4 letters hint at the 4 levels of Torah knowledge depicted here in 4 concentric rings.
1. פשט פ Pshat simple Scripture body
2. רמז ר Remez hinted Mishnah heart
3. דרש ד Drash derived Talmud mind
4. סוד ס Sode secret Kabbalah soul
1. The outermost circle quotes the opening sentences of the first scroll of the Scriptures - בראשית (Genesis). "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was chaos and emptiness; with the spirit of God hovering over the surface of the water. And God said 'Let there be light' and there was light. And God saw that the light is good; and God separated between the light and the darkness."
This ring contains twenty 4 trees with scenes representing the 24 Books of the Written Torah תנ"ך (which stands for Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim) - the 'body of the Torah'. Moving counterclockwise from Genesis at the top, the name of each Book is written on the scrolls across the trunks of these 'trees': Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (concluding 'Torah' - the 5 Books of Moses); Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Twelve Minor Prophets (concluding the Books of the Prophets - Nevi'im); Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nechemia, and Chronicles (concluding the Books of the Holy Writings - Ketuvim).
2. Moving inward, the next level depicts the 6 Orders of the Mishnah - The Oral Torah. Here are 6 trees in whose 'fruits' are the various texts of the Mishnah that students learn by heart. The passage ringing this region is the opening of the text Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot), which tells of the unfolding of the Oral Torah from the Written Torah: "Moses received Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be slow to judge, raise up many students, and make a fence for the Torah".
The names of the 6 Orders of the Mishnah are written on the trunks of the six trees in this level counter-clockwise from the top: 1. זרעים Seeds (dealing with agricultural laws - all the tractates of this order are the 'fruits' of this 'tree'); 2. מועד Holidays (dealing with the laws associated with the Jewish Holidays); 3. נשים Women (dealing with laws associated with marriage, divorce etc.; 4. נזיקין Damages (dealing with civil laws); 5. קודשים Sacred Things (dealing with Temple offerings); and 6. טהרות Purity (dealing with laws of ritual purity).
3. The next circle holds 4 trees whose branches form the names of the 4 Sections of the שולחן ערוך (Shulchan Aruch), the Code of Jewish Law written in Tzfat by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the 16th Century. (Counter-clockwise from the top): 1. אורח חיים (Path of Life); 2. יורה דעה (Director of Knowledge); 3. אבן העזר (Rock of the Helpmate); and 4. חושן משפט (Breastplate of Judgment).
Between these trees stand four brilliant scholars, challenging the minds of their students with the complex logical arguments from the תלמוד בבלי (Babylonian Talmud) and תלמוד ירושלמי (Jerusalem Talmud) from which Jewish Law is derived. Around this circle are the opening words of the Talmud: "When should we read the Shema in the evening? From the time the Kohanim enter to eat their Terumah (when the stars come out) until the end of the first watch - these are the words of Rabbi Eliezer; and the Sages say until Midnight."
4. The innermost circle is the secret region of the Kabbalah - the 'soul of the Torah'. The 'Tree of Life' at its center represents הזוהר (the Zohar) Named for the Hebrew word for radiance or splendor, is the most famous text of the Kabbalah. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and four of his holy students eat from the fruit of this mystical Tree of Life that contain the secrets of the Torah. All are surrounded by holy fire. The following passage from the Zohar encircles this scene: "The 'enlightened ones' (Daniel 12:3) - these are Rabbi Shimon and his friends - 'will radiate' (like the radiance of the sky) when they gather to compose this book - permission was granted them (to reveal the secrects of the Torah)".
| Parameter | Value |
| Size | |
| Color | |
| Waist | |
| Length |
