Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses how to evaluate a phrase that is part of a contractual agreement and mildly contradicts another part of the contract. For example if a contract states: “Twelve gold coins a year, one gold coin per month,” what is the annual rent during a Hebrew leap year, 12 or 13 gold coins?

The lomdus revolves around if the second clause clarifies and overrides the import of the first clause, or does the first clause indicate the main intention because it is primary, thus the second clause is not considered as precise. In Gemara terms, “tfos l’shon rishon” or “tfos l’shon acharon.” 

The Divrei Dovid in Bereishis relates this to an interesting Midrash regarding the fruit bearing trees at the dawn of creation. The verse (Bereishis 1:11) describes God’s directive to the fruit trees in a seemingly redundant manner:

עֵ֣ץ פְּרִ֞י עֹ֤שֶׂה פְּרִי֙

fruit trees that bear fruit 

Well obviously, fruit trees bear fruit, so why the repetition?

The Midrash tells us:

Tthe taste of the wood of the tree was to be exactly the same as that of the fruit. It did not, however, do this, but (v. 12) “the earth brought forth a tree yielding fruit” and the tree itself was not a fruit;  (Bereishis Rabbah and Rashi Bereishis 1.11.)

The implication is a Tree that is fruit itself, literally “fruit trees”, and then ultimately the actual trees merely produced fruit, “that bear fruit.”

Divrei Dovid says the trees made an error in tfos l’shon acharon, treating the final clause as primary, while the Halacha is that we actually are tfos l’shon rishon, and the first clause is primary. The trees should have made their branches also with the flavor of the fruit.

It is important to reflect on the symbolism and allegorical content of this beautiful midrash. There is an idea of an original sin, even before humans arrive on the scene. God had grand plans for the world. There will be nothing wasted. Even the wood itself will be a part of the fruit. That’s potentially true, but in reality there will be losses. Not every part of the process will yield fruit.

In the end, everything is God’s plan. If so, why did this happen? And if it had to happen, why do we need to know? What’s done is done.

Sometimes we need to know the ideal in order to inspire and aspire. This is similar to the tradition that, as a fetus, we are taught the entire Torah (Niddah 30b), and then an angel (reality?) smacks us at birth causing us to forget it all. If so, why does it matter and why do we need to know? We need to know that though the potential is perfect, the actual never goes according to plan. Still, knowing we have the potential latent within inspires  us to continually improve.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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